Isotretinoin Dosage

December 21st, 2005

When it comes to isotretinoin (Accutane, Amnesteem, Sotret, Clarivis), the dosage administered is based on weight. The “recommended” dosage is to give 1 milligram per kilogram per day. What’s more important however, is that during treatment a total dose is obtained (120 mg/kg). It is less important how fast the total dosage is obtained.

In other words, if someone was 60kg their “full” dose would be 60mg a day. At this dose, the course of treatment would be completed in 4 months. If, however, the dose prescribed was 40mg a day, it would take 6 months.

Why should you use the lower dose you ask?

There are many reasons to use a lower dose for a longer period of time. To begin, there is something known as the cystic flare. Occassionally, by starting therapy at a higher dose, acne can actually worsen as many cystic type lesions occur. Perhaps more importantly however, a lower dose can often times decrease the risk of any side effects. As winter rolls in, perhaps the most common side effect of isotretinoin is dryness. A lower dose can make dryness less of an issue and the overall treatment much more tolerable. In our experience, most patients prefer the lower dose for longer periods of time.

And in the end, the results are the same: excellent!

Entry Filed under: Acne Treatments