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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Should The Appropriate Dosage Of Accutane Be For Acne Problems?

My two children, age 16 and 18 are having problems with acne. We have done topicals, oral medication, and my daughter, age 18, has even done birth control pills. The only thing we have found to be effective is accutane. I would like to put them back on the medication. We were in Malaysia and the dermatologist there prescribed 20 grams(?) daily. What should the appropriate dosage be? They both weigh approximately 120 lbs. Also, when they come off of the medication they start breaking out again within a couple of months. I thought Accutane was supposed to be a long-term fix for acne. Now that we are back in the U.S., will the dermatologists here agree to put them on Accutane?
posted on Thu, 19 Dec 2013
Twitter Thu, 19 Dec 2013 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 20 Dec 2013 Last reviewed on
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Dermatologist,  's  Response
Hi. Thanks for posting your concern at HCM

Accutane is usually prescribed in a dose of 0.5-1.0mg/kg/day. Some dermatologists begin with a low dose e.g 0.3-0.5mg/kg/day and later increase it gradually to 1.0-2.0 mg/kg/day. Others begin with the high dose from the beginning.

Cummulative dose of 140 mg/kg is considered to be adequate treatment otherwise acne has more chances of relapse. Some patients do require repeat course of Accutane even after completion of therapy

I would advice that you take this medication under the supervision of dermatologist because therapy is long(6-8 months) and it needs monitoring of Liver functions and Lipid levels.

take care
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What Should The Appropriate Dosage Of Accutane Be For Acne Problems?

Hi. Thanks for posting your concern at HCM Accutane is usually prescribed in a dose of 0.5-1.0mg/kg/day. Some dermatologists begin with a low dose e.g 0.3-0.5mg/kg/day and later increase it gradually to 1.0-2.0 mg/kg/day. Others begin with the high dose from the beginning. Cummulative dose of 140 mg/kg is considered to be adequate treatment otherwise acne has more chances of relapse. Some patients do require repeat course of Accutane even after completion of therapy I would advice that you take this medication under the supervision of dermatologist because therapy is long(6-8 months) and it needs monitoring of Liver functions and Lipid levels. take care