Under the iPledge program, females of childbearing potential must comply with the following requirements in order to receive Accutane:

Talk with their doctor and read material about drug's risks. It takes one hour to read all the material.

Sign patient information/consent forms

Undergo bloodwork to check liver function, cholesterol, blood cell count and other conditions

Have two negative pregnancy tests, one in the doctor's office, the other performed in an approved laboratory one full month before starting the drug

Either use two forms of birth control or sign an abstinence pledge

Undergo two kinds of pregnancy tests each month

Before filling a prescription, patients must obtain a password from iPledge, go online once a month onto iPledge's national online database, answer questions and confirm the 2 forms of birth control they are using

Fill the prescription within 7 days, counting the doctor's office visit as Day 1, or forfeit eligibility for another month

Males and females who cannot have children must:

Talk with their doctor and read material about drug's risks

Sign patient information/consent forms

Undergo bloodwork to check liver function, cholesterol, blood cell count and other conditions

Fill their prescription within 7 days, counting the doctor's office visit as Day 1, or forfeit eligibility for another month.

Useful Web sites

www.ipledgeprogram.com: Provides information about iPledge

www.isotretinoin.com: Experiences of users.

www.otispregnancy.org: The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists, which is dedicated to the prevention of birth defects, provides counseling about pregnancy exposures to Accutane. Call a free hotline number 1-866-626-6847 .