Accutane is prescribed for the treatment of severe, disfiguring cystic acne that has not resolved in response to milder medications such as antibiotics. It works on the oil glands within the skin, shrinking them and diminishing their output.

Accutane is taken by mouth everyday for several months and then stopped. The antiacne effect produced by Accutane can last even after finishing a course of medication. Accutane, generically known as Isotretinoin, is a synthetic derivative of Vitamin A.

The side effects caused by this drug can be horrific. Accutane gained notoriety in the mid to late eighties for the severe birth defects caused by the drug. In addition to birth defects, the drug is associated with causing severe psychiatric side effects as well as many systemic side effects including damage to the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, musculosketal system, and the auto-immune system of the human body.

Many side effects are permanent, severe and devastating to an individual. The fact that so many people are experiencing adverse effects from this drug is not surprising.

In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration advised doctors who prescribe Accutane to monitor their patients for signs of depression. Subsequently, the manufacturers of Accutane, Hoffman-LaRoche, notified doctors that the drug "may cause depression, psychosis, and, rarely, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and suicide."