Acitretin : How to Use - Soriatane, 13-cis acitretin, etretin, isoetretin

Acitretin - Systemic

Brand Names

Soriatane, 13-cis acitretin, etretin, isoetretin Acitretin *** Before Using *** How to Use *** Fore Safe Use *** Side Effects

How to Use

Patient information is usually provided with acitretin. Read it carefully before using this drug .

Take acitretin with a main meal or with a glass of milk.

For women This drug may cause birth defects . To make sure you are not pregnant before beginning treat, your family doctor will ask you to:

Use two effective forms of birth control - contraception for at least 1 month before beginning treat .
Report when your menstrual periods are normal .
Take a pregnancy test within 1 week before beginning the treat to make sure you are not pregnant .
Begin your acitretin treat 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 drug, according to the advice of your family 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 family doctor, is very important to help prevent an unplanned pregnancy If you do not think this is reasonable, you must discuss this with your family doctor before you start taking this drug .

Dosage

The dose of acitretin will be various for various diseaseds Follow your family doctor's orders or the directions on the label . The following information includes only the average doses of acitretin If your dose is various, do not change it unless your family doctor tells you to do so.

The number of tablets that you take depends on the strength of the drug. Always the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses and the length of time you take the drug 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 using.
  - Children Use and dose must be determined by your family 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 using.
  - Children Use and dose must be determined by your family 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 family doctor.

Storage To store this drug:

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 drug to break down.
Do not keep outdated drug or drug no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded drug is out of the reach of children.