Many patients have heard about severe side effects of Accutane, while its efficiency is not that obvious and not often exposed. Anyway, people tend to have doubts, asking if Accutane does it really work, and Accutane does it work for everyone. One of the causes of such questions is the long course of treatment (about 8-10 months) required to achieve therapeutic effect, and different tolerance of individuals to this medication. The other is serious side effects, often caused by misuse of overdose of the medication.
This brief article has to answer the question: is Accutane worth it? We will learn how long does it normally take for Accutane to work, i.e. how many days does it take for Accutane to work depending on the individual conditions of the patient.
First of all, the time needed for Accutane how long does it work depends on type of the disease. The main factor that causes the effect of Accutane is the so-called cumulative dose of the medication. This dose is calculated by summation of the daily doses taken by patient. Usually, daily dose should not exceed 60 mg of the active substance (maximum of 1 mg per kilo per day). When the cumulative dose reaches 120-150 mg per kilo, the effect should become noticeable. Therefore, it depends on the cumulative dose how long does it take before Accutane works. Since patients cannot overdose the medication without serious complication the average time of how long does it usually take for Accutane to work is close to 30 days before the first visible effect, and up to 10 months for significant effect.
Patients who take the drug for cystic acne are encouraged to consult the doctor about the maximum dosage of the medication, which should not be exceeded under any circumstances. If you want to make your Accutane therapy worth it, you shouldn't be counting days for how long does it take for Accutane to work on cystic acne. Follow the prescribed dosage strictly and you'll find the therapy quite effective in its time, and safe, which is even more important.
One of the most serious problem with the drug may be caused by mixing 10mg/20mg/60mg Accutane and alcohol. Effects of Accutane and alcohol are not completely explored and defined, but it is certain than both Accutane and alcohol liver toxicity may result in serious problems, such as hepatitis or other liver damage.
It's interesting that many patients ask, can you drink on Accutane, or can you mix Accutane and alcohol. While drinking is not very healthy on its own, mixing Accutane and alcohol, or many other drugs and alcohol is just dangerous.
However, the effects of Accutane and alcohol combination may vary from person to person. Most of the patients who take Accutane report extremely bad hangover after they drink significant amount of alcohol. Few others say, that they haven't had any Accutane and alcohol side effects, or at least they haven't noticed them. Neither the drug has made getting drunk easier or faster, nor it has induced a severe hangover the next day. It may depend on patients taking low dose Accutane and alcohol, or just individual tolerance to the drug's effects. In any case, drinking while on Accutane is potentially hepatotoxic, and it is definitely not worth experimenting.