is one month after taking Isotretinoin is enough to become pregnant?

[aabukar]

Hey all,
I am about to start my isotretinoin 20 mg pills (just one per day).. i read that female patients need to make sure they are not pregnant one month before taking the medicine , during treatment and one month after stopping the medicine ... is that correct? any ideas ?

Thanks alot

[beautyscientist]

Isotretinoin can cause birth defects so it pays to be very careful. Check with the person who prescribed it or another doctor. Don't take advice from anonymous people on the internet.

[Sam988]

Yea i also took Isotretinoin for one year and a half and my doctor would always tell me to "be careful about alcohol overconsumption (alcohol + isotretinoin seems to be a pretty bad combination for the body), be careful about the sun (dont take too much son because it can leave the skin with marks, since it gets dry with isotretinoin), and he said i didnt have to worry about pregnancy for obvious reasons " but yea if you're female you have to be careful..

The doctor didnt explain exactly what could happen if someone taking isotretinoin got pregnant, because it wasnt a danger for me, but he gave me the impression some pretty bad stuff can happen, not only to the child but also to the mother.

[beautyscientist]

Sam, the problem with isotretinoin is its effect on the developing foetus. This isn't directly harmful to the mother, but its not exactly a picnic for her either.

[Matthew Shea]

It seems to me, and I'm no expert by any means, that if you wait for a period or two to pass, there should be no more of that medicine left around in any places where it would affect a baby.

[Catlover]

Please check with your doctor and make absolutely sure before getting pregnant. What I was told when I took it (and I was one of the first people to do so) was that there was a 100% chance of birth defects while taking it. That is pretty serious. I think that before prescribing it now, doctors will ensure that female patients are using contraceptives. The reason to be careful regarding alcohol is that the drug is very hard on the liver, as alcohol can be as well. If I remember correctly, patients have to have certain liver blood work done periodically to check on any harmful effects.

I took it around 1982 and I had a healthy child in 1991. I've been acne free ever since after 6 weeks of treatment.

[Sam988]

Originally Posted by Catlover

If I remember correctly, patients have to have certain liver blood work done periodically to check on any harmful effects.

Correct. I had to do it too, every six months. Hated it

[aabukar]

Thanks for all your replies ... well my doctor told me that it is safe to get pregnant after one month from stoppoing this medicine ... however, my friends warned me that it takes 6 months and not just one after stopping the medicine ... i googled that and all i found is 1 month and not 6 so i posted here to double check from people who used it ... just to be extra sure