THURSDAY, March 29 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched a special Web page specifically to warn health care professionals and the public about the dangers of buying the acne drug isotretinoin online without a prescription. The measure is in addition to other safety measures required by the FDA including the manufacturers' risk management program iPLEDGE to ensure that women do not use the drug while pregnant.
The FDA Web page will appear as one of the search results for the drug or its brand names, including Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret, and warns patients that online sales of prescription medications without a prescription is illegal, and that the drug can have severe side effects.
"Buying this product over the Internet bypasses important procedures to ensure that patients can take this drug safely. When these procedures are ignored, isotretinoin can cause serious and harmful side effects," according to the Web page statement. "Patients taking isotretinoin may experience side effects including bad headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures, stroke, diarrhea and muscle weakness. Additionally, serious mental health problems, such as depression and suicide, have been reported with isotretinoin use."
More Information
