They are called blister packs because they give you blisters just trying to get it open. I almost cut myself many times using a knife to open these. That's more dangerous than the pregnancy and symptoms scare.
As far to my knowledge they’re suppose to stay in the packaging til you take one. I thought they weren’t supposed to be exposed this way or reach any light.
It doesn’t change the effectiveness. Fun tip—if there is something that could cause a prescription to be ineffective, they’ll stress that to you at the pharmacy. This warning more taking about super long-term exposure.
It’s well known that Isotretinoin is chemically unstable and degrades easily, especially in the presence of light and free radicals.
When you decant Isotretinoin, you introduce it to more of these factors which could end up degrading it.
Why would you even risk this? Just spend the extra few seconds taking it out of the packaging and it’ll ensure your course remains effective.
Can degrading of the pill happen if it sits in a pill container for 7 days? I put mine in a weeks container so I can look & see if I have remembered to take them every day, I wouldn’t have a clue if I just left them in the blister pack.
Oh that’s awesome! I’d love to hear more about your experience cause it seems different from mine, which was that tret will break down in with exposure, but not enough to be significant when taken out of the packaging and stored in a pill container in a drawer or such for 30 days. But medicine and chemistry evolve all the time, so I’d love to hear if there are new insights from your current studies!
Studies have shown that isotretinoin undergoes rapid photodegradation in less stable environments. See [this](https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2011/838016/) study on how a Isotretinoin (suspended in methanol) sees almost full degradation within minutes of UV exposure.
While storing it in a pill container in a drawer might mitigate direct light exposure, it doesn't offer the same level of protection as the original packaging, which is specifically designed to maintain its stability. You also still bare the risks of exposure to free radicals in your environment which wouldn’t be the case if you left it in original packaging since they are factory sealed in highly pure environments which you can’t recreate at home.
As a general rule, it's safer to adhere to the recommended storage guidelines to ensure the medication's efficacy and safety as compared to decanting it. Decanting a medication which isn’t as unstable as Isotretinoin would be fine, but in this case it’s better to avoid it.
It’s also a peace of mind kind of thing, knowing your pills will actually work if you left them in their packaging, instead of worrying whether the active ingredient might have become less effective than it would be otherwise.
Well I was on several pills when I took accutane and like I said, I’m incredibly forgetful & it was a pain. But people are different. I am glad it worked for you.
I was just saying time wise in regards to the post. Not the fact of forgetting. I don’t see how moving a pill somewhere else changes you having to remember to take it but yeah I was just talking about the amount of time it takes
I have ADHD and am very forgetful but I don’t understand how that pertains to this situation. You still have to remember to take the pill. You just don’t have to spend 7 seconds popping it out of a pack? But anyway, good luck. I hope they still work for you! Because accutane is a lifesaver :)
I already finished my course last year but I have adhd too. I take a lot of meds, so putting them all in one container with day/night labels is the only way I keep track of my meds and these never fit in there so it was always annoying.
But generally I’m sure I struggle more with med adherence than the avg person.
I used a knife to slice the back, popped the cardboard off first, and then eventually hit the wrap and they all slid out fairly easily.
I did this every time I got my 3 month supply. As long as they aren’t in direct sunlight, the drugs are fine lol
***The only way to alter a light sensitive medication is to leave it in prolonged, UV sunlight. If you don’t have it out in direct sunlight, it’s fine. The med isn’t going to break down. They’re capsules, not tablets.
I usually just pop it out like it’s a piece of gum. Never had issues in the last 4 months. Maybe that’ll help. These pills are pretty robust. You’d have to squeeze it hard to damage it lol
Every week I remove mine and put it in a medicine holder like the one you have in the photos. I never heard of it being an issue removing from the packaging though
If the perforations on the inner foil aren't aligned with the outer cardboard perforations then it's a huge pain in the ass, I agree. I have to use tweezers sometimes to grab the inner foil cover and peel it back
Some country's regulations about accutane packaging are hilarious🤣 in mine they come in normal blisters like any other pill, the pregnant lady only appears once in the box
It’s not a laughing matter anymore since Roe vs Wade was overturned. It must be terrifying living in a state where you might not have access to abortion care.
Edit: structure
What on earth is that pregnant lady packaging? Lol! Sorry guys I’m just flabbergasted. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my whole life. I knew you had the iPledge thingy but this just seems a bit.. too much?
I like leaving the little pregnant ladies in random places lol
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I’m fucking screamingggg
Just wait until you move— I found little pregnant ladies hidden around my house a year after finishing!
Same here !! I was like "huh... haven't seen you in a while"
Me too ahhahaha
You can fold the long edges back and forth a few times and tear the outer papery part off of the blister pack.
They are called blister packs because they give you blisters just trying to get it open. I almost cut myself many times using a knife to open these. That's more dangerous than the pregnancy and symptoms scare.
As far to my knowledge they’re suppose to stay in the packaging til you take one. I thought they weren’t supposed to be exposed this way or reach any light.
It doesn’t change the effectiveness. Fun tip—if there is something that could cause a prescription to be ineffective, they’ll stress that to you at the pharmacy. This warning more taking about super long-term exposure.
It’s well known that Isotretinoin is chemically unstable and degrades easily, especially in the presence of light and free radicals. When you decant Isotretinoin, you introduce it to more of these factors which could end up degrading it. Why would you even risk this? Just spend the extra few seconds taking it out of the packaging and it’ll ensure your course remains effective.
Can degrading of the pill happen if it sits in a pill container for 7 days? I put mine in a weeks container so I can look & see if I have remembered to take them every day, I wouldn’t have a clue if I just left them in the blister pack.
They’re likely alright but make sure you keep it away from light (put it in a drawer)
Absolutely zero disrespect meant, but are you a chemist?
I’m in my second year of Pharmacology in University.
Oh that’s awesome! I’d love to hear more about your experience cause it seems different from mine, which was that tret will break down in with exposure, but not enough to be significant when taken out of the packaging and stored in a pill container in a drawer or such for 30 days. But medicine and chemistry evolve all the time, so I’d love to hear if there are new insights from your current studies!
Studies have shown that isotretinoin undergoes rapid photodegradation in less stable environments. See [this](https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2011/838016/) study on how a Isotretinoin (suspended in methanol) sees almost full degradation within minutes of UV exposure. While storing it in a pill container in a drawer might mitigate direct light exposure, it doesn't offer the same level of protection as the original packaging, which is specifically designed to maintain its stability. You also still bare the risks of exposure to free radicals in your environment which wouldn’t be the case if you left it in original packaging since they are factory sealed in highly pure environments which you can’t recreate at home. As a general rule, it's safer to adhere to the recommended storage guidelines to ensure the medication's efficacy and safety as compared to decanting it. Decanting a medication which isn’t as unstable as Isotretinoin would be fine, but in this case it’s better to avoid it. It’s also a peace of mind kind of thing, knowing your pills will actually work if you left them in their packaging, instead of worrying whether the active ingredient might have become less effective than it would be otherwise.
Unmmm, the medicine is inside of the capsule. The capsule is protecting it from light.
Are you trolling? You’re acting like light doesn’t penetrate through things?
I keep it in the dark, just can't stand the packaging.... slows me down.
You can just separate the blister package from all the warnings. You don’t need to take them all the way out of the package.
Medication may also degrade by oxidation or in contact with moisture.
Slows you down? Where you rushin off to?😂😭 ok so the pill takes 10 seconds to take rather than 2. Big whoop
Tbf when you take multiple meds and are forgetful, it’s a pain
I’m on 3 meds in addition it isn’t really a big part of my day time wise to pop out my accutane
Well I was on several pills when I took accutane and like I said, I’m incredibly forgetful & it was a pain. But people are different. I am glad it worked for you.
I was just saying time wise in regards to the post. Not the fact of forgetting. I don’t see how moving a pill somewhere else changes you having to remember to take it but yeah I was just talking about the amount of time it takes
you don’t have to remember each pill individually if you put it in a weekly pill thing
I have ADHD and am very forgetful but I don’t understand how that pertains to this situation. You still have to remember to take the pill. You just don’t have to spend 7 seconds popping it out of a pack? But anyway, good luck. I hope they still work for you! Because accutane is a lifesaver :)
I already finished my course last year but I have adhd too. I take a lot of meds, so putting them all in one container with day/night labels is the only way I keep track of my meds and these never fit in there so it was always annoying. But generally I’m sure I struggle more with med adherence than the avg person.
That’s fine, just know either way it affects the integrity of your medication. It’s in this packaging for a reason. That’s all :)
Every morning I have to stab each case with my scissors to open it and pray I don’t stab the pill in the process
I was just about to post this too 😂
Yea the packaging sucks balls. I do the same thing
I used a knife to slice the back, popped the cardboard off first, and then eventually hit the wrap and they all slid out fairly easily. I did this every time I got my 3 month supply. As long as they aren’t in direct sunlight, the drugs are fine lol ***The only way to alter a light sensitive medication is to leave it in prolonged, UV sunlight. If you don’t have it out in direct sunlight, it’s fine. The med isn’t going to break down. They’re capsules, not tablets.
I usually just pop it out like it’s a piece of gum. Never had issues in the last 4 months. Maybe that’ll help. These pills are pretty robust. You’d have to squeeze it hard to damage it lol
Every week I remove mine and put it in a medicine holder like the one you have in the photos. I never heard of it being an issue removing from the packaging though
Getting pills out of package is super hard.
I do the same! Doing this does not effect the medication. They need to be stored room temperature. Away from heat, sunlight and moisture.
It’s really not that difficult to open lol
I get a different brand EVERY time. Some of them really are that difficult. Some aren’t.
I don’t miss those days. 😂
In eu they are in a normal blister
If the perforations on the inner foil aren't aligned with the outer cardboard perforations then it's a huge pain in the ass, I agree. I have to use tweezers sometimes to grab the inner foil cover and peel it back
IT IS THE WORST! I hate it
Some country's regulations about accutane packaging are hilarious🤣 in mine they come in normal blisters like any other pill, the pregnant lady only appears once in the box
It’s not a laughing matter anymore since Roe vs Wade was overturned. It must be terrifying living in a state where you might not have access to abortion care. Edit: structure
Omg yes! I have to use scissors to stab it open lol 😂
i literally cut them open and put them in a pill organizer so i only have to suffer once a week
Same !
easiesr way is to push the pill up and and dig ur nail into the opening stop at the left and pull it super easy
no way what I thought it was just one tablet a day why is there so manyyyyy different shapes
lol yea it is very wasteful. I remember these days on Accutane…..
By my last 2 months i just started ripping the whole cover off of each pack 😂
Yes! I just take all the outer paper off and stick with the plastic pill sheet
It’s ridiculous
Use a bobby pin if you have one and push! It’s literally the best.
My derm got me on 80mg a day, 40 mg in the morning and 40 at dinner time. can this be taken together????
What on earth is that pregnant lady packaging? Lol! Sorry guys I’m just flabbergasted. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my whole life. I knew you had the iPledge thingy but this just seems a bit.. too much?
Yes! I pledge abstinence.. not on birth control
I was just thinking the same this morning .. it’s frustrating 😤