Learn About Isotretinoin (Accutane)

Precautions

Ladies, isotretinoin comes with many precautions. It's not suitable for all of you! Some of the things that often make it unsafe are a history of high cholesterol, liver disease, heart disease, and asthma. Others are diabetes, IBD, and osteoporosis! This medication gets unsafe when you have some mental health conditions, especially depression. Ladies, you'll want to go over your medical history with your doctor when they're considering this medication for you. It helps avoid all of these issues! Of course, you have to know kids under 12 can't take it either.

The biggest precaution, though, is about pregnancy and breastfeeding. Ladies, when either applies to you, you have to avoid isotretinoin! Just 1 dose can trigger many complications, like birth defects, miscarriage, and premature birth. You'll need regular pregnancy tests to help with this. Most doctors need you to take them before, during, and after your treatment! Using 2 forms of birth control is very common and often required too. Doctors will order regular blood tests in many cases. Other things will help with this medication also. This means taking it with at least 1 glass of water. You'll only get a 30-day supply of this to avoid side effects too. The prescription also has to be filled within a week.

Medication Interactions

Ladies, list your current medications, including anything available OTC and your supplements! This list will help your doctor avoid the medication interactions with isotretinoin. There are lots of them, so you need to go over this list carefully! Oral steroids are a big category for these interactions. This includes dexamethasone! Many anticonvulsants, such as phenytoin, trigger interactions too. There's more to consider, though. Remember ladies, isotretinoin is a synthetic version of vitamin A. This is why many doctors will ask you to avoid taking any vitamin A supplements until a little while after your treatment has ended. They'll direct you on this!