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Acitretin Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of acitretin include psoriasis, pruritus, and pain, based on 7,228 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 19.0% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Acitretin side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for acitretin.

1
Psoriasis20.4%1,471
2
Drug Ineffective19.0%1,374
3
Pruritus7.6%551
4
Pain7.6%546
5
Nausea7.4%534
6
Fatigue7.2%520
7
Off Label Use7.2%520
8
Headache6.3%453
9
Skin Exfoliation5.6%406
10
Diarrhoea5.2%376
11
Malaise5.1%366
12
Pneumonia5.1%366
13
Arthralgia4.6%336
14
Pyrexia4.6%330
15
Nasopharyngitis4.4%317

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that acitretin caused these reactions.

Report severity

79.1%Serious5,718 reports
27.5%Hospitalizations1,991 reports
5.8%Fatal422 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Acitretin drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside acitretin. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Methotrexate27.3%1,970
2
Secukinumab23.3%1,681
3
Cyclosporine18.8%1,358
4
Adalimumab13.8%994
5
Etanercept8.8%636
6
Ustekinumab8.7%628
7
Apremilast6.2%451
8
Infliximab5.5%397
9
Prednisone4.7%340
10
Methylprednisolone4.0%286
11
Rituximab3.8%276
12
Atorvastatin-calcium3.5%255
13
Metformin3.5%253
14
Ergocalciferol3.4%248
15
Ramipril3.1%227

Taken alongside

1
Methotrexate9.4%683
2
Betamethasone8.1%587
3
Calcipotriene7.5%539
4
Acetaminophen7.2%524
5
Aspirin6.8%494
6
Levothyroxine-sodium6.8%489
7
Clobetasol-propionate6.6%480
8
Metformin5.9%425
9
Ustekinumab5.8%416
10
Prednisone5.7%415
11
Cyclosporine5.5%401
12
Adalimumab5.4%391
13
Rosuvastatin5.1%372
14
Insulin4.9%355
15
Amlodipine4.8%349

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports acitretin side effects

47.8% of acitretin adverse event reports involve female patients and 44.8% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 64%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female47.8%
Male44.8%
Unknown7.5%

Age group

< 20.4%
2–111.0%
12–170.6%
18–6464.3%
65+33.6%

What is acitretin used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking acitretin when the adverse event was reported.

Accidental ExposureAcneAcrokeratosis ParaneoplasticaActinic KeratosisAcute Febrile Neutrophilic DermatosisAlopeciaAlopecia ScarringAnogenital WartsAntiinflammatory TherapyArthritisAtypical Mycobacterial InfectionAutoimmune DisorderAcneAcquired Perforating DermatosisAcral Peeling Skin Syndrome

Showing 15 of 292 indications

Acitretin brand names and reporting trend

Acitretin is sold under the brand name Acitretin.

Brand names

Acitretin6,065

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking acitretin with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.