Ryan Burrows This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. The Australian Roaccutane Survivors Group (ARSG) Web Site for People who Suffer Serious Adverse Effects in the Long-Term After Taking Accutane (Roaccutane)

   www.roaccutanesurvivors.com/Pr - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/18/2003   Last Visited: 9/28/2004

   For Burrows, then an 18-year-old student at James Cook University in Townsville, the swollen hands, "which would bleed and ooze pus" if he shook anyone's hand or if they became wet, were just one of the horrific side effects he attributed to the acne treatment Roaccutane.
   
   "Then when I had to start wearing plastic bags on my feet because my toes were also starting to swell, I knew my life was a complete nightmare."
   
   Burrows says his acne wasn't actually that serious, but as a young man starting university, he wanted clear skin.
   
   So he went to a dermatologist and, armed with a prescription for Roaccutane, began a six-month battle with depression; severe memory loss; bleeding hands, feet and lips; crying fits; a weak immune system that left him continually with a cold; and extreme pain in his legs that rendered him almost immobile at times.
   ...
   Burrows says that prior to taking Roaccutane he was in perfect health and had never suffered from depression or memory loss.
   
   "My memory was affected very badly by the drug. I'd find myself leaving my room and I'd always leave something behind. I'd have to Make 10 trips back to my room - all my friends really noticed it."
   
   Burrows, who was studying zoology and botany, doesn't remember much of what should have been one of the most exciting times of his life.
   ...
   There's little doubt many former Roaccutane users, including Ryan Burrows, would disagree.