Patient Profile
Suitable Candidates
- Patients with generalized pustular psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis and localized pustular psoriasis
- For severe plaque-type psoriasis, treatment is most effective when combined with other therapies
Unsuitable Candidates
- Best avoided by women of childbearing age, because of the high risk of fetal abnormalities if pregnancy occurs
- “At risk” patients: those with a history of diabetes, alcoholism, hepatitis, obesity and hyperlipidemia
- Patients taking methotrexate or tetracyclines
- Women who are breastfeeding
Dosing
- Oral Tablets: Acitretin 10 or 25 mg
- Oral Capsules: Acitretin 10 or 25 mg
- Available under the trade names Soriatane® and Neotigason®
- Must be taken once a day with food, preferably fatty foods
Psoriasis
- Recommended initial dosage is 25 mg/day
- Maintenance dose of 25-50 mg/day may be given after 12-16 weeks, based on clinical efficacy and tolerability
- Do not exceed a maximum of 75 mg/day
- Occasionally patients can be controlled with lower doses such as 25 mg 2 to 3 times a week
Stabilizing Keratinization (Off Label)
- 25 mg daily May be increased up to 75 mg daily after four weeks if needed and tolerated
