Am I Now Dependent on Accutane?

People generally do not become dependent on Accutane. Frequently when patients discontinue Accutane, after 5-6 months, they will begin to develop some acne. I have never seen the acne return to the degree of severity it was prior to the course of Accutane. Approximately 1/3 of patients who are placed on a full course of Accutane, benefit from a second course, and of those who take a second course, 1/3 of them benefit from a third course. I would suggest you undergo a second course of... more

Thank you for your question. While low dose accutane does have beneficial effects and minimizes the side effect profile, it is not the optimal way for long term acne treatment. If possible, it would be best to do a solid six months of traditional therapy and see what results you get. Of course, doing six months of traditional therapy and higher therapeutic doses is dependent on your labs, personal history, etc. that must be reviewed by your physician prior to initiation. While you might... more

Low-dose isotretinoin or Accutane is more of an European approach. This is not practical in most scenario in USA because of the bureacratic Ipledgeprogram.  You will be less likely to be 'dependent' on Accutane if you were to undergo higher dose regimen, accompanied by low-dose prednisone and possibly supplemented by photodynamic therapy.