Hitting the big-time

I got my first reader e-mail:

"Hi,
I was wondering if you could go on a rant about Accutane and the stupidity of the IPLEDGE system. So many more babies are born with fetal alcohol syndrome, yet the FDA does nothing about that. Unbelievable...I guess it all comes down to politics. In a way, I can understand why the FDA is concerned, because yeah it does screw up babies...but don't you think something is wrong with this picture when it's easier to buy a gun or get an abortion than go on accutane.

Thanks,
Susan"

I spent the day yesterday contemplating this, and I came to a conclusion -- I can a gree with some points in Susan's e-mail. I agree that there's nothing the FDA does about FAS, but what CAN they do, besides the warning on the alcohol bottles? I can also agree it's easier to get an abortion, but I agree with the iPledge system for the most part.

See, for those of you who aren't in pharmacy, and don't know how iPledge works, here's a brief rundown, to the best of my knowledge (some things may be a little off, since I'm only in the business of dispensing, but they're all in the ballpark) -- you have to make an appointment monthly with your doctor to get a script -- no refills are valid. To START on Accutane, both genders need to be signed up for the program by their physician, who has to be a member of the program as well. A woman of childbearing age has to wait a month to start their medication, as they have strict regulations about said woman taking pregnancy tests and/or blood tests every month. They are also required to use 2 forms of birth control, abstinence being allowed as one of them. This lasts for a month after the treatment ends, too. Males and females who cannot get pregnant just have to go to the doctor monthly for their prescriptions, and possibly some blood work.

Here's the main reason why I DON'T agree with the e-mail I received --

There's a serious NEED for the program to be so strict. Harming unborn babies with serious birth defects is no joke, and I'm not saying FAS is a joke, but these babies are born deformed and mentally challenged. According to the March of Dimes website, these are some of the most common Accutane-induced defects - "hydrocephaly (enlargement of the fluid-filled spaces in the brain); microcephaly (small head and brain); mental retardation; heart defects; ear and eye abnormalities; cleft lip and palate; and other facial abnormalities.". I don't know about you, but I'd much rather a woman have to take a urine test every month, and be on birth control, then see a baby born with these issues that WE have to support on their welfare plans, when these issues were so easily preventable in the first place. Yeah, it can be a pain in the ass for these people to go to the doctor every month and be tested, but in the end, it saves them from terrible acne, and any potential babies from these terrible defects.

So, unfortunately, I can't really agree on this rant, but it was good fodder for a blog. Thanks Susan.