Acitretin (Systemic)
Brand Names : Soriatane, 13-cis acitretin, etretin, isoetretin
Proper Use of This MedicinePatient information is usually provided with acitretin. Read it carefully
before using this medicine
.
Take acitretin with a main meal or with a glass of
milk.
For women - This medicine may cause birth defects
. To make sure you are not pregnant before beginning treatment, your
doctor will ask you to:
-
Use two effective forms of birth control (contraception)
for at least 1 month before beginning treatment
.
-
Report when your menstrual periods are normal
.
-
Take a pregnancy test within 1 week before beginning
the treatment to make sure you are not pregnant
.
-
Begin your acitretin treatment on Day 2 or Day
3 of your next menstrual period
.
-
Sign a paper to show that you understand the
importance of not becoming pregnant for at least 2 to 3 years after you stop
taking this medicine, according to the advice of your doctor
.
Using two effective forms of birth control for at least
2 or 3 years after you stop taking acitretin, according to
the advice of your doctor, is very important to help prevent an unplanned
pregnancy. If you do not think this is reasonable, you
should discuss this with your doctor before you start taking this medicine
.
Dosing - The dose of acitretin will be different for
different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the
directions on the label
. The following information includes only the
average doses of acitretin. If your dose is different,
do not change it
unless your doctor tells you to do so. The number of tablets that you take depends on the strength of the medicine.
Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time
allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend
on the medical problem for which you are taking acitretin
.
-
For oral
dosage form (tablets):
-
For severe psoriasis:
-
Adults - 25 or 50 milligrams (mg) a day as a single dose. After
four weeks, a dose of 25 to 75 mg a day is used.
-
Children - Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
-
For other severe skin disorders (such as bullous or nonbullous erythroderma,
lamellar ichthyoses, and keratosis follicularis):
-
Adults - 25 milligrams (mg) a day. After four weeks, a dose of
10 to 75 mg a day is used.
-
Children - Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
Missed dose - Take the missed dose as soon as possible. However,
if you do not remember the missed dose until the next day, skip the missed
dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. If
you have any questions about this, check with your doctor.
Storage - To store this medicine:
-
Keep out of the reach of children.
-
Store away from heat and direct light.
-
Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other
damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
-
Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure
that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.
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