Accutane and NROTC

USMC8995

USMC8995

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DS was just recently awarded a 4-year NROTC-MO scholarship. He started taking Accutane about a month before he was notified of the scholarship. When prepping for his medical work we’ve discovered this is a DQ medication from DODMERB. My question is should he immediately stop taking this medication or continue with the treatment and hope for a waiver? Are waivers for this medication easily granted after bloodwork and review by a dermatologist?
 
Review accession medical standard below, p. 40. He will not meet the standard until 4 weeks after completion of treatment.

Your son should contact his technician at DoDMERB to report a change to his medical history and ask for next steps.


DoDMERB home page, left-side menu, Contacts. No need to log in.

BZ on the scholarship. Your son will need to learn the meaning of BZ. It’s a good thing.
 
Capt MJ said:
Review accession medical standard below, p. 40. He will not meet the standard until 4 weeks after completion of treatment.

Your son should contact his technician at DoDMERB to report a change to his medical history and ask for next steps.


DoDMERB home page, left-side menu, Contacts. No need to log in.

BZ on the scholarship. Your son will need to learn the meaning of BZ. It’s a good thing.
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Thanks for the reply. I’ve read this but don’t understand what “do not need the standards” fully implies. Does it mean DQ’d and a waiver is needed to the activate scholarship? Does it mean DQ’d and there’s no waiver possibility? Can they attend NSI?

DS hasn’t been done the DODMERB yet. So no technician assigned.
 
USMC8995 said:
Thanks for the reply. I’ve read this but don’t understand what “do not need the standards” fully implies. Does it mean DQ’d and a waiver is needed to the activate scholarship? Does it mean DQ’d and there’s no waiver possibility? Can they attend NSI?

DS hasn’t been done the DODMERB yet. So no technician assigned.
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DoDMERB’s role is to direct the med eval process, compare the candidate’s medical history against the standard in the DoD accession instruction, make a determination of meets standard/does not meet (Q/DQ) standard and serve as the information clearinghouse between the commissioning source “clients” and the applicant.

Waivers are not done by DoDMERB, but by the waiver authority for the commissioning source. Waivers are frequently given for some things, sometimes for some things, never for other things.

If your son goes to that DoDMERB home page and works through every item on the left-hand side menu, he will have a clearer understanding of the process.

The standard is clear. He will meet the standard 4 weeks after the treatment is complete. Before that, he is in a DQ status. He can still contact DoDMERB to ask questions. He can also talk to the recruiting officer at his target unit to discuss the timing with regard to NSI. No one here can advise you on whether or not to start/stop/continue a medical treatment or comment on waivers, except generally. Someone may have an anecdotal insight on this type of DQ, but waiver authorities have different policies, and each case is evaluated on its merits.

The accession bar is set very high, and it’s quite the maze to navigate.

I am paging our resident NROTC CO from GWU, to get his best advice. @GWU PNS
 
I will chime in to say that severe cystic acne can also be a DQ, so it may be worth weighing that into your decision process.
 
EJF said:
I will chime in to say that severe cystic acne can also be a DQ, so it may be worth weighing that into your decision process.
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It is what it is. We’ll have to go thru the process like everyone else. Just trying not to worry about it too much and hope for the best.
 
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USMC8995 said:
It is what it is. We’ll have to go thru the process like everyone else. Just trying not to worry about it too much and hope for the best .
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I’m sure you’ll get though it, this one seems like a waiver that can be navigated without too much trouble. I get it, it’s stressful though. Best of luck!
 
I can speak as a mom to our experience with accutane with two.

As posted above, it’s a DQ until xx weeks after treatment. He won’t be medically qualified, with regard to accutane, until the passage of time, and certain outcomes (ie: blood test liver function results from his DR).

One thing you could do is call his dermatologist and inquire of them if they are familiar with DODMERB/military standards. Ours was (and started the program to clear dates). Your derm may have other options, with this knowledge in hand, and it could be a partnership discussion/decision on how to proceed. I know from going though acne, that accutane is amazing, but there are also other things out there (although I’m 4 yrs removed from it, now….and it used to be 6 weeks off of accutane).

I have no idea what happens for the period of DQ, and/or how scholarship works regarding that.
 
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justdoit19 said:
I can speak as a mom to our experience with accutane with two.

As posted above, it’s a DQ until xx weeks after treatment. He won’t be medically qualified, with regard to accutane, until the passage of time, and certain outcomes (ie: blood test liver function results from his DR).

One thing you could do is call his dermatologist and inquire of them if they are familiar with DODMERB/military standards. Ours was (and started the program to clear dates). Your derm may have other options, with this knowledge in hand, and it could be a partnership discussion/decision on how to proceed. I know from going though acne, that accutane is amazing, but there are also other things out there (although I’m 4 yrs removed from it, now….and it used to be 6 weeks off of accutane).

I have no idea what happens for the period of DQ, and/or how scholarship works regarding that.
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Thanks. I've been trying to search all the post here but it's just not clear as to what this means until his treatment is finished. Looks like it could be anything from DQ'd no waiver, DQ'd with waiver or may just need an AMI completed with a statement from the dermatologist that blood work is ok.

I understand there's a lot of variability in outcomes for a medical treatment like this one. Severity of condition, needs of the service, etc... would weigh into the decisions made. I'm just curious if anyone has had to deal with this prior to DODMERB and what to expect from NROTC and scholarship until treatment is completed.
 
USMC8995 said:
Thanks. I've been trying to search all the post here but it's just not clear as to what this means until his treatment is finished. Looks like it could be anything from DQ'd no waiver, DQ'd with waiver or may just need an AMI completed with a statement from the dermatologist that blood work is ok.

I understand there's a lot of variability in outcomes for a medical treatment like this one. Severity of condition, needs of the service, etc... would weigh into the decisions made. I'm just curious if anyone has had to deal with this prior to DODMERB and what to expect from NROTC and scholarship until treatment is completed.
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unfortunately You will need to be prepared to pay for college until he’s completely cleared and is able to contract. If he is cleared before the end of first semester (assuming he’s a four year winner) they will likely pay retroactively. Good questions for his contact at his school of choice.
 
EJF said:
unfortunately You will need to be prepared to pay for college until he’s completely cleared and is able to contract. If he is cleared before the end of first semester (assuming he’s a four year winner) they will likely pay retroactively. Good questions for his contact at his school of choice.
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Paying the interim is the easy part. It'll be a relief if he can get through this treatment without a permanently DQ'ing side effect alone. But it would be great to see him be able to participate in NSI and start with his unit in the Fall semester while he awaits his final treatment. Thanks.
 
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USMC8995 said:
Paying the interim is the easy part. It'll be a relief if he can get through this treatment without a permanently DQ'ing side effect alone. But it would be great to see him be able to participate in NSI and start with his unit in the Fall semester while he awaits his final treatment. Thanks.
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This was going to be my suggestion- pay until he’s been off for long enough & then get DODMERB qualified. Maybe talk to the program where he is attending to let them know - not sure how this affects ability to attend NSI? My DS is a current 3/C NROTC student - was on accutane 2x in HS & had no issue w/ it when it came to being medically qualified. It really is a game changer for some of these kids & it’s nice to see that my DS doesn’t have to fuss over it too much now…. (He was only on it twice because he stopped too soon the first time - he was impatient!). Good luck 🍀!
 
Boymomof3 said:
This was going to be my suggestion- pay until he’s been off for long enough & then get DODMERB qualified. Maybe talk to the program where he is attending to let them know - not sure how this affects ability to attend NSI? My DS is a current 3/C NROTC student - was on accutane 2x in HS & had no issue w/ it when it came to being medically qualified. It really is a game changer for some of these kids & it’s nice to see that my DS doesn’t have to fuss over it too much now…. (He was only on it twice because he stopped too soon the first time - he was impatient!). Good luck 🍀!
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Thanks. We had an older child that did the same treatment and it was amazing what it did for him. Glad to hear about your DS accomplishments and hope for the best in their career!
 
personally I would get guidance on when to do the Dodmerb process. If anything else comes up in his health hx it can take time to get that all straightened out, so I’m not sure about waiting
 
So first to lay out the process.... The MO scholarship board has made an offer for a 4 year MO scholarship and it sounds as though your son has accepted or is about to accept.

For the scholarship to be activated (meaning a tuition payment will be sent to the university) he must pass NSI and clear DODMERB. Clearing DODMERB means either being qualified and meeting standards or having an approved waiver.

Typically, with skin conditions that require a prescription, for a waiver to be approved the medication/treatment must be completed and a certain time elapses without complications.

As for NSI, I believe if he completes a standard sports physical signed by a doctor he can participate in NSI. But, to remove any doubt, he can reach out to the email address sent in his scholarship notification and ask. I am unfamiliar if that prescription needs to be refrigerated or not.

And assuming he clears DODMERB before the end of the first semester, his tuition will be paid retroactively. What that means is the tuition must be paid first by him/you and then the Navy will send payment to the university and they will refund that money.

In my view, he should not just stop a treatment as that can have detrimental effects but obviously the doctor will know what is best.
 
GWU PNS said:
So first to lay out the process.... The MO scholarship board has made an offer for a 4 year MO scholarship and it sounds as though your son has accepted or is about to accept.

For the scholarship to be activated (meaning a tuition payment will be sent to the university) he must pass NSI and clear DODMERB. Clearing DODMERB means either being qualified and meeting standards or having an approved waiver.

Typically, with skin conditions that require a prescription, for a waiver to be approved the medication/treatment must be completed and a certain time elapses without complications.

As for NSI, I believe if he completes a standard sports physical signed by a doctor he can participate in NSI. But, to remove any doubt, he can reach out to the email address sent in his scholarship notification and ask. I am unfamiliar if that prescription needs to be refrigerated or not.

And assuming he clears DODMERB before the end of the first semester, his tuition will be paid retroactively. What that means is the tuition must be paid first by him/you and then the Navy will send payment to the university and they will refund that money.

In my view, he should not just stop a treatment as that can have detrimental effects but obviously the doctor will know what is best.
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Thank you, shipmate.
 
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