Accutane and Birth Control

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My 23-year-old daughter has nodular acne and she is set to begin birth control this Sunday so that she may take accutane. I was hoping that someone might have some guidance or resources. I am trying to find alternative solutions to treatment of her problem so that she does not go on birth control or use accutane.
 
It is against forum rules to give medical advice (not that I have any). I would seek out a pro life doctor for guidance.

You can find a listing at omsoul.com.
 
We cannot give medical advice on this forum.

It is possible to go on accutane (or a generic, like sotret) without taking contraception if one is abstinent. Complete abstinence is considered by the ipledge program to be a primary method of birth control, although they don’t really advertise it. This will only be an option if your daughter’s dermatologist is convinced that she isn’t and won’t become sexually active while on the drug. I was able to find a physician who believed me when I told her truthfully that I wouldn’t have sex until my wedding night, and I was on the medication for several months before my wedding without incident.
 
I second the idea of finding a pro-life doctor…or perhaps one that also tries to use natural and less harsh methods of getting rid of acne. I can imagine how frustrating and painful it must be for your daughter to have to deal with this. At the same time…I wonder the emotional roller coaster she might end up taking such powerful meds. I wish I had more advice.
 
A friend from high school took this medication, and she just signed a waiver saying she did not want to take the bc. Your daughter would have to be completely abstinent though. If the doctor requires her to take bc in order to prescribe it, help her find a new doctor. In order to avoid giving medical advice, I’d just suggest you do some research into WHY they ask people to take BC. My mother refuses to prescribe that drug because she doesn’t believe there is enough research on its long term effects.
 
It is a doctor’s discretion whether they allow people to use abstinence instead of BC while on accutane. I had a great doctor who allowed me to do so, but you could maybe look around for another dermatologist if yours refuses.
 
Accutane is very serious stuff, and it can be quite harmful and leave unwanted lasting effects. Just try the birth control separately first and see if that helps the problem. Hasn’t the doctor suggested this?
 
Et_Cetera said:
Accutane is very serious stuff, and it can be quite harmful and leave unwanted lasting effects. Just try the birth control separately first and see if that helps the problem. Hasn’t the doctor suggested this?
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I thought the birth control was prescribed because of Accutane’s effect on the unborn baby, not to help with the acne???
 
HouseArrest said:
I thought the birth control was prescribed because of Accutane’s effect on the unborn baby, not to help with the acne???
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Sometimes the pill can help with acne on it’s own. It is a legitimate use if you are using it this way (morally from a Catholic perspective) but to justify the health effects, you would have to consider how serious the acne was and how long the person would be taking it for.

One thing that struck me, though not so much an issue for the OP whose child is older and likely to be honest with the doctor at least - it can sometimes be hard for a teenager to be honest with a parent about the likelihood of sexual activity, or with the doctor for that matter. So with a teen, the doctor might reasonably not feel comfortable taking the word of the parent, or the teen, about that. Which is in many ways annoying, but I think also understandable.
 
Bluegoat said:
It can sometimes be hard for a teenager to be honest with a parent about the likelihood of sexual activity, or with the doctor for that matter. So with a teen, the doctor might reasonably not feel comfortable taking the word of the parent, or the teen, about that.
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Good point, Bluegoat.
 
We are not supposed to give medical advice…but accutane causes severe birth defects if a woman gets pregnant while taking it so that’s why doctors want women to be on BC if they take accutane…I’m sure there’s got to be something else for acne that is not so harsh…
 
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