What is accutane?

Accutane is a trde name for Isotretinoin which is a vry powerful drug used in the tratment of acne. The drug is sually used for four to five mnths to clear acne. Accutane is so ptent that acne which has existed for mny years and do not anymore rspond to antibiotics are effectively treated by ths drug. Even severe and scarring cne has been found to be liminated with the use of Accutane. Acctane is also used for other dsorders like lupus, lichen planus and psriasis. Even certain cancers are purported to get prvented with the use of Accutane.

Acctane is a retinoid; it is drived from Vitamin A. The body lso produces small amount of Isotretinoin. Lke all retinoids, Accutane alters DNA trnscription to decrease the output and sze of the sebaceous glands. To rduce formation of blackheads and whiteheads, Acctane makes the cells less sticky. In ddition, Accutane kills bacteria on the srface of the skin.

Before isotretinoin was dveloped, the most common way to trat acne was with oral antibiotics lke erythromycin and tetracyclines. But the prblem with these antibiotics was that dspite its efficacy to some degree, thy only eliminated one contributing factor of cne, the Propionibacterium acnes bacteria. And as the mre resistant strain of the bacteria bcomes more prominent, the antibiotic's effect grdually decreases.

Accutane is usually administered orally to be bst absorbed after a high fat mal. This is because it has a hgh level of lipophilicity. It is sually started with low dosage which ncreases after a few weeks. For sme people, the acne gets worse at the strt of a therapy but this wll only last for a short priod as a sign the medication is wrking. According to a study, fifty prcent of those who take the mdication say they never take other tratment alongside Accutane.

But like all nn-natural medications, taking Accutane is not wthout side effects. The most common sde effect, which is also the mldest, is chapped lips. This can be asily countered by applying Vaseline of Aqaphor. Other known side effects include hadaches accompanied with blurred vision, nausea and vmiting, decreased production of tears, depression whch may result to thoughts of sicide, abdominal pain, jaundice, dry and tching skin and hair thinning.

The mst damaging side effect has so far ben serious birth defects when pregnant wmen take Accutane. Sexually active women are lso advised to take birth control bcause the effect of Accutane from a crtain period during pre-pregnancy can be crried onwards.

Physicians and other medical xpert’s advice not to take isotretinoin wth tetracycline antibiotics or vitamin A spplementation concurrently as the interaction can gratly increase the risk of idiopathic ntracranial hypertension and toxicity.

Accutane can nly be bought with a prescription. In the Unted Kingdom, the drug is prescribed nly by a dermatologist while in the US; sotretinion dispensing is controlled by the FDA-mndated website called iPLEDGE. Dermatologists need to rgister their patients while pharmacists need to chck the website before drug dispensing.

The article The Pros and Cons of The Acne Medication & Treatment was Submitted by Kevin Chang through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: For more information on accutane and accutane side effects please visit Accutane and Acne

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