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Permalink Reply by ivori on October 21, 2010 at 6:13am

oops. this is what I have found in the doctor journals: At present, scientists do not know exactly what causes the body’s immune system to attack the beta cells, but they believe that autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors, possibly viruses, are involved. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed diabetes in the United States. It develops most often in children and young adults but can appear at any age.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Price on October 21, 2010 at 2:14pm

Me again. i started this topic and i see there has been some activity with posts lately. it is known that certain drugs can cause diabetes, so I do not think it is far fetched at all that accutane may play some role. It is a very, very strong drug, basically toxic levels of Vitamin A. It is known to cause liver problems, which is why liver function is tested frequently when on the drug. If you read through the revised Accutane insert (comes with the box of drugs) Roche updated it in January 2010 to read "Accutane may cause blood sugar issues and diabetes." That blanket statement would not be in print if the company had never had reports about users getting diabetes. But, it really would be too hard to prove that the drug, and the drug alone, gave someone diabetes. Obviously, there must be many many Accutane users who have never deveoped diabetes; however, some people's systems may have been sensitive to the drug, and the drug may be the "trigger." I agree that one must use caution when reading information on the internet, but on the flip side, I think the world wide web has been amazing in so many ways as far as health and wellness is concerned. I will contnue to try and look for some decent research out there on the topic.

Permalink Reply by megan on October 21, 2010 at 5:15pm

I just finished taking accutane, and it definitly would make my bg fluctuate. I actually had to stop taking it early because of the effect it had on my bg. I of course have already been diagnosed, but the drug still did not have a good effect on my diabeties

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Permalink Reply by duder on July 11, 2011 at 1:52pm

So I never thought I would ever connect Accutane to anything. When I see the lawsuit commercials that list what it does to you, jokingly I would listen and say ....and Diabetes along with the stern sounding mans voice on the TV after he said IBS. Then last weekend after watching a Dateline episode where the guy killed his Doctor for prescribing him Accutane I Googled it for fun. I came across this post and those of many others about developing type 1 15-20 years after taking Accutane(or 1.5 if your Endo agrees there is a specific 1.5, mine is hesitant to use that term). I took Accutane in the early-mid 90's when I was about 7th-8th grade maybe even a freshman in HS. I do not remember the dosage or how long i took it but i think it was 80mg for 6months. Then when I was about 31 I lost 40 pounds in 3 months. Sure enough I developed T1 late in life. I know there is no way to link the Accutane to my late onset T1 but it does make you wonder. Just makes me wonder if other symptoms I am experiencing now could actually be linked to taking Accutane as a child.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Price on October 9, 2011 at 10:54pm

hi - thanks for the reply. it is my understanding that the new warning insert has a statement that Accutane may cause diabetes and to check with your doctor if you develop signs of high blood sugar.

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Permalink Reply by Niki on October 10, 2011 at 4:22pm

Hello, I just got home from the dermatologist today and got prescribed accutane. To my surprise when I logged onto TuDiabets one of the blogs on the homepage is this one. I am to start accutane in a month. I did go home with a huge warning book which does absolutley say that a possible side effect is "Blood sugar problems. Isotretinoin may cause blood sugar problems including diabetes. Tell your doctor if you are very thirsty or urinate alot." Lucky for me, I've already got that :) I'm a bit more worried about the possible psychosis. But I'm sure if I go crazy, I could just blame my diabetes, or my job, or my boyfriend, or my crazy dog. I was actually thinking my diabetes gave me acne as I am 25 and have never had skin issues. But as my doctor says "its just in my life plan".

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Love on January 20, 2012 at 12:48pm

Hey Niki,

Did you end up starting Accutane? If so, how's it going?

I passed my 2nd blood test two weeks ago and am taking Claravis right now (generic Accutane/Isotretinoin). So far everything is going well, but I'm having an odd blood sugar spike today, and I'm getting worried that it's messing up my blood sugar! I'm just going to keep drinking water and testing today...maybe I wasn't given a true "diet coke" at the place I had lunch at today...you never know!

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Permalink Reply by JLemon on November 13, 2012 at 7:33pm

Just came across this post as I was Googling connections between Accutane and Type 1 diabetes. I cannot believe the number of people that have been diagnosed with Type 1 after taking this medication. I took Accutane for six months, starting Dec. 2008 through the end of May 2009, right after my 21st birthday. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in April of 2012, right before my 24th birthday. Has anyone heard of any updates on a link between the two?

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Permalink Reply by ajbaum on November 14, 2012 at 3:51am

I took Accutane in the mid nineties. 94 or 95 I think when I was 16 or 17. I developed LADA when I was 32. No real family history of diabetes, just a few distant relatives with T1, Great Aunts on each side of my family so the predisposition may have been there.

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