My husband's son lives with us...he is 15....so of course he is getting zits. We took him to the dermatologist last week, and they prescribed Accutane for four months. And the saga begins....
With the prescription they got a book about the risks of Accutane. Not a booklet, not a pamphlet...a full-sized, laminated, spiral bound BOOK. It tells about the risk of depression, psychosis, and suicidal tendencies. It tells about the incredibly high risk of birth defects...so high that women must take a pregnancy test before they get a prescription for Accutane and that pregnant women should not even touch the capsules. In the book is a card with a user # that my stepson had to use to access a website and fill out a questionaire and a pledge not to give Accutane to anyone else. All this has to be done within 7 days or he has to go back to the doctor for a new prescription.
But, believe it or not, you haven't heard the worst part yet. After reading all this scary stuff and jumping through all the hoops, my husband went to pick up the prescription.. ..and it was $529!!! No typo there....that's FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE DOLLARS. For just a 30 day supply. The dermatologist wanted him on it for four months....so that's about $2,200. And, he would have to see his GP and have blood tests done every month while he was on it...so add another several hundred dollars for that.
I went a bit ballistic about this, lol. $3,000 for PIMPLES?? Give me a break. My stepson does not have bad cystic acne. He gets zits like all teenagers do. I lived through it. My husband lived through it. My friends lived through it. I'm sure he will, too. The idea of spending $530 a month on a medicine that is not necessary to keep you alive is just ridiculous to me!