Patients taking Accutane usually receive a one month supply of this medicine. Every month you will need to show up for your doctor’s appointment and make sure the treatment is going just as planned. You are supposed to take this medicine with a full glass of water to make sure the capsule is washed down and starts melting only once inside your stomach. The capsule is not supposed to be chewed, opened or sucked. You can take this medicine with some food or milk – this is unlikely to slow down the absorption or cause any other problems of the kind. Talk to your doctor if you have trouble swallowing the capsule but do not do anything based on your own judgment. Accutane is a serious medicine that needs to be taken exactly as prescribed for you to benefit from taking it as much as possible. Do not worry if your acne gets worse at first – this is a normal skin reaction. You can continue taking Accutane regularly and after several weeks of the treatment the first results will be seen. If you happened to miss a dose of Accutane – it’s very important that you take it as soon as you remember. However, if it’s almost time for you to take another dose of this medicine – make sure you skip the dose missed. Taking too much of Accutane is not going to make your treatment more efficient and can cause a number of serious side effects. If you think you may have taken too much of Accutane and experience some overdose symptoms – seek emergency medical help and do not take more of this medicine until your doctor says it’s okay. The following symptoms may indicate an overdose - stomach pain, swelling of the lips, dizziness, tingling under the skin, headache, vomiting, and loss of coordination, Since taking Accutane is in some cases associated with a number of harmful effects, it’s recommended to show up for regular health check-ups and have your blood tested by a specialist to make sure you are benefitting from the treatment as much as possible. Make sure you wait for at least 30 days before donating blood after the last dose of Accutane. This has to do with the fact the blood you donate may be given to a pregnant woman and harm the child she is carrying. Avoid having any laser skin treatments as Accutane can make your skin more sensitive. In case you are taking steroids, tetracycline antibiotics, seizure medications, or any other prescription or over-the-counter products of the kind – let your doctor know about them. If you are bring prescribed any other medications when already using Accutane – tell that other doctor that you are using this medicine, as it may influence the dose you are being prescribed. If anything is not completely clear about how you are supposed to be taking this medicine – make sure you call your doctor to learn more. Do not hesitate to ask questions to find out things you misunderstood or did not hear very well. Never give Accutane to other people and always make sure you store it in some place where no one will be able to gain access to it.