What exactly is the iPledge Program?

Let's start with the headline and get over the shock value. Then we can discuss the issues more calmly. Accutane is a very successful treatment for acne. Unfortunately there are side effects. In female patients, it causes miscarriages, premature births and often serious deformities in the fetus while in the womb. The FDA has decided that this drug is "safe" to use but has introduced the iPledge program to help women of childbearing age take the benefits of the medication without the undesirable side effects.

The FDA has struggled with this issue and some families will also find difficulty in accepting the limitations on use. Under normal circumstances, a drug that causes such severe side effects will be pulled from the market. But Accutane is a highly effective medication. Thus, if all the other treatments have been tried and failed, it is appropriate to fall back on this drug so long as adequate precautions are in place.

It's important to be honest about this. The treatment with Accutane usually lasts between four and five months. This is a long time. During this time, there must be no risk that the female patient can become pregnant. Ignoring situations of involuntary sexual intercourse through rape, the FDA does not consider it sufficient to rely on women to abstain from sexual activity. There is very clear research evidence that abstinence programs among the young do not work. Only contraceptives represent sufficient levels of security. In some Christian families, this will pose a dilemma. But the issue must be confronted head on. Which is more important? That a teenaged girl who is being victimized because of her acne gets relief so that parents can begin to rebuild self-confidence, or that she gets relief from the acne together with the trauma of a miscarriage or a deformed baby? Older women are no less vulnerable and their self-esteem should also be protected. Morality and conscience must sometimes bend to accommodate family needs.

The iPledge Program requires you to use two approved contraceptives together before, during and after treatment. You will also have to have regular pregnancy tests in an approved Laboratory. To make sure you comply, you will only be given one month prescriptions. The supply of the drug is also limited to those pharmacies participating in the iPledge Program. Unless you step outside the FDA system by not consulting with your local physician and buying through one of the online pharmacies, the Federal Government is determined to protect female patients who propose to take Accutane.

Article Source: http://www.series-of-articles.com

John Scott is always ready to share his professional point of view on a topic. To see what John Scott has written about other things visit www.good-bye-acne.com/blog/?p=12.

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