Isotretinoin (Generic Accutane)
Dosage: 30 mg, 20 mg, 10 mg
Price: starts from $1.50 per pill
Dosage: 30 mg, 20 mg, 10 mg
Price: starts from $1.50 per pill
When all other acne treatments fail, people turn to Accutane to diminish or clear away acne and reduce the risk of scarring. This effective treatment for those who suffer from acne reduces oil gland size and oil production by up to 90%.
Unfortunately, this also explains why dry skin has become one of the most common side effects that people experience after Accutane treatment.
Most dermatologists only recommend Accutane as a last course of action. You won’t encounter many that would recommend it against mild acne. While Accutane has proven highly effective against acne, you should still practice a good daily care routine to prevent it from building up. When other treatments fail to address acne, this treatment often gets results.
Accutane was designed to treat a specific form of acne known as severe cystic acne that didn’t respond to other forms of treatment, such as minocycline, tetracycline, or benzoyl peroxide.
The medical community classifies Accutane as a class of drugs referred to as retinoids, which work to reduce facial oil production.
You would first take this medication twice a day orally for 15 to 20 weeks. Swallow the whole capsule and do not crush or chew them. While some brands of Accutane will say to take the capsules with food, others will say to take it with or without food.
The advantage of taking it with food is that it helps with the absorption of this drug into the bloodstream.
After taking this medication, do not lie down for at least 10 minutes. How much of a dosage you receive depends on your medical condition, weight, and response to treatment? Accutane cures about half of all people who take it so that they do not need to take anything else.
Don’t feel discouraged if it seems to worsen at first since this commonly happens. Within the first few weeks of treatment, 1 out of 5 patients report how their acne worsens, and 1 out of 500 will get much worse.
However, it can start to cure after a while, and 1 out of 3 people who take Accutane can expect their acne to never return. Another 1 out of 3 will see it return, but it comes back in a much milder form.
Accutane does come with its share of side effects with the most common one being dry skin. Other side effects besides that include:
Most of these side effects will go away on their own. However, if they worsen, tell your doctor immediately. One of the ways that you can deal with the dry mouth side effect is to suck on hard candy, drink more water, or chew sugarless gum.
You also have a few side effects from accutane where you should tell your doctor immediately.
If you encounter any of the following, seek medical attention:
Stop taking Accutane immediately and tell your doctor if you experience severe stomach pain, vomiting that doesn’t stop or nausea. In rare cases, Accutane can cause pancreatitis, which is fatal in rare cases.
You can also get other dangerous side effects that require immediate medical attention, such as:
In very rare cases, you may experience a severe allergic reaction where you have trouble breathing. Seek medical attention right away in cases where you have a rash, swelling of the tongue, face, or throat, or severe dizziness.
The FDA includes this as a warning that pregnant women should avoid taking Accutane altogether since it can cause serious birth defects, miscarriages, and premature deaths.
Stop taking this medication immediately if you miss your period or have sexual intercourse without protection. This drug has a very high likelihood of causing birth defects, so you should avoid sexual intercourse altogether while taking it or use birth control pills.
Those with mental health conditions may not be right for this drug either. For example, severe depression, psychosis, aggressive behavior, and thoughts about suicide can all disqualify you from taking it due to the risks of those conditions worsening.
While taking Accutane and for 6 months after you finish taking the drug, do not use laser skin treatments, wax hair removers, or dermabrasion. Scarring may result. You should also avoid tanning beds and sunlight.
Those who take Accutane usually only take it over the short term. In most cases, people only need to take it for 6 to 9 months before they start to see results, but for those who struggle with acne, it will give them a lifetime of skin improvement.
This medication has proven highly effective at dealing with acne, but doctors see it as a last resort because of the potential health risks associated with it. Still, it remains one of the leading acne treatments due to its effectiveness.