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Isotretinoin Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of isotretinoin include depression, inflammatory bowel disease, and inflammatory bowel disease, based on 56,718 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 2.4% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Isotretinoin side effects

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

1
Depression8.3%4,728
2
Inflammatory Bowel Disease4.9%2,784
3
Inflammatory Bowel Disease4.4%2,493
4
Colitis Ulcerative4.2%2,385
5
Dry Skin4.2%2,366
6
Headache3.7%2,120
7
Exposure During Pregnancy3.6%2,056
8
Arthralgia3.6%2,019
9
Pregnancy3.4%1,901
10
Depression3.3%1,890
11
Off Label Use3.3%1,868
12
Product Dose Omission Issue3.1%1,780
13
Crohn^s Disease3.0%1,682
14
Suicidal Ideation2.8%1,584
15
Mood Altered2.8%1,575

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

Report severity

54.4%Serious30,866 reports
8.3%Hospitalizations4,689 reports
1.6%Fatal890 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Isotretinoin drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside isotretinoin. 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
Ethinyl-estradiol0.5%287
2
Doxycycline0.4%237
3
Adalimumab0.4%217
4
Drospirenone0.4%213
5
Prednisone0.3%190
6
Sodium-oxybate0.3%189
7
Clindamycin0.3%167
8
Etoposide0.3%158
9
Dinutuximab0.3%153
10
Cyclophosphamide0.2%140
11
Vincristine-sulfate0.2%136
12
Cisplatin0.2%133
13
Dupilumab0.2%132
14
Methotrexate0.2%131
15
Adapalene0.2%129

Taken alongside

1
Ethinyl-estradiol2.1%1,213
2
Acetaminophen0.8%466
3
Ibuprofen0.7%416
4
Albuterol0.7%382
5
Norgestimate0.6%358
6
Cetirizine-hydrochloride0.6%350
7
Ergocalciferol0.6%337
8
Drospirenone0.6%316
9
Levonorgestrel0.6%316
10
Prednisone0.6%316
11
Sertraline-hydrochloride0.5%305
12
Levothyroxine-sodium0.5%300
13
Clindamycin0.5%293
14
Fluticasone0.5%273
15
Minocycline-hydrochloride0.4%255

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 isotretinoin side effects

54.2% of isotretinoin adverse event reports involve female patients and 31.5% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 65%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female54.2%
Male31.5%
Unknown14.3%

Age group

< 20.7%
2–111.4%
12–1732.2%
18–6464.5%
65+1.1%

What is isotretinoin used for

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

AbscessAcanthosis NigricansAcneAcne ConglobataAcne CysticAcne FulminansAcne InfantileAcne PustularAcne VarioliformisAcne VulgarisAcoustic NeuromaAcute Monocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Promyelocytic LeukaemiaAdrenogenital Syndrome

Showing 15 of 414 indications

Isotretinoin brand names and reporting trend

Isotretinoin is sold under the brand name Amnesteem.

Brand names

Amnesteem18,101

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking isotretinoin with another medication?

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