A 30-year-old woman with severe plaque psoriasis is being counselled before starting acitretin. For how long after discontinuing acitretin must she continue reliable contraception?
- A 1 month
- B 3 years ✓
- C 1 year
- D 3 months
Correct answer: B. 3 years
Explanation
Acitretin is highly teratogenic and, unlike isotretinoin, requires contraception for 3 years after stopping the drug. This prolonged window exists because acitretin undergoes re-esterification to etretinate, which is stored in adipose tissue and released slowly, so detectable levels persist far beyond the parent drug's half-life. Isotretinoin needs only 1 month post-therapy, making the duration of post-treatment contraception the key discriminating fact between the two retinoids.
Reference: Rook's Textbook of Dermatology, 9th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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