Can a dermatologist withhold Accutane treatment?

Question

My daughter(16) and I visited her dermatologist last week and he finally recommended Accutane. He refuses to prescribe Accutane unless she is on birth control pills. There are serious risks involved in taking birth control pills with our family history.She is a very intelligent, committed young lady and has pledged abstinence. Is the doctor able to make such an important judgment for my daughter and my family? I have researched ALL the accutane information. My son and other daughter have already been treated with accutane by a different doctor (who is now not available to us) and have had marvelous results. My other daughter pledged abstinence and was given the medication. I feel the doctor has overstepped his boundaries by forcing my daughter to take birth control pills and quite honestly any form of birth control other than abstinence. Is there any legal way to force him to prescribe the medication?

Answer 1

There are federal requirements for patients who wish to take Accutane...  one of those is that they must be on birth control pills AND one other form of birth control.  The reason is that Accutane has been shown to cause SIGNIFICANT birth defects.

These are federal mandates...  if you or your child is not willing or able to meet these requirements, your dermatologist CANNOT prescribe Accutane.

If you are insistent on pursuing this avenue, it might be more prudent to find another dermatologist who is more flexible with federal regulations.  You are unlikely to prevail in court.

Best of Luck   Peace

The link below outlines the mandated requirements for use of Accutane including the need for birth control and participation in the iPledge program.  Unfortunately from a legal point of view, it is NOT sufficient to simply say "I promise" to be abstinent.  Sad state of the world we live in, but the known risks are too great.

Answer 2

what the h**l is accutane