Accutane, which contains Isotretinoin as active substance, is the drug which can treat acne in an effective manner. Yet, this drug should not be taken by pregnant women, as they can experience serious side effects, among which birth defects. In spite of this counter indication, studies completed in Britain and Israel have shown that this drug is not as dangerous as we used to think.
When acne occurs the liquid oils produced by the sebaceous glands turn into a solid and white substance which is trapped inside the skin pores. This process affects the skin which eventually becomes reddish and inflamed. What Accutane does is to reduce the amount of oil produced by the sebaceous glands, by attacking some of them. In only three or four months you will see how the skin condition gets better. This is the reason for which many patients have declared that Accutane is the best acne treatment they have ever tried. No serious side effects of this drug have been reported. The only change that patients felt in their body was that their sweat didn’t evaporate so fast, thus they weren’t feeling so cold in the wintertime. Lack of oil does not affect the skin. When the skin gets dry is because it hasn’t got the necessary amount of water, while if it’s getting old is because it hasn’t got too much collagen.
The Study which has taken place in Britain has reported that 90% of the patients which were treated with Accutane had no side effects. Yet, there were people saying that they have dry mouth after the treatment was over (5%) and some reported muscular pains (2%). In addition to that, a small group of people (under 1% of the total) experienced eye drying and pain in the joints. When people were put to take a higher dose than the one recommended, they didn’t experience an aggravation of those side effects. This lead researchers to say that Isotretinoin, the substance contained by Accutane is a safe one, which doesn’t cause serious, long term side effects. Still, Accutane should not be taken during pregnancy because it does provoke birth deficiencies.
The study performed in Israel Also shows that Accutane is much safer than thought initially. Doctors avoid the prescription of Accutane for fear of side effects such dramatic increase of triglycerides and heart attacks. Yet, during the study, only 1.5% of the patients had the triglycerides beyond the level of 400 mg and they continued the treatment, having no further problems. 3.5% of those taking Accutane express the need of taking another treatment.
One thing that must be kept in mind is that Accutane causes birth deficiencies, so that women taking this medicine should take increased precautions so that they don’t get pregnant. After three months since they haven’t taken Accutane, women can get pregnant as there is no risk of birth deficiencies.
It is recommended do some liver test and blood test and if they are alright take 40 mg of Accutane twice a day for 14 weeks. The liver is tested from four to four months, and if something is not OK the treatment is stopped. After two weeks from the completion of the treatment, the liver test is taken again, and if no changes have appeared, the treatment is restarted. The percent of those cured by this treatment is 82%. If acne reappears, take 40mg of Accutane four times a day, for four weeks.
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