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Isotretinoin

Also indexed as: Accutane, Isotrex, Roaccutane

Illustration

Isotretinoin is a modified vitamin A molecule used to treat severe acne vulgaris.

Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, a herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized interactions.

Beneficial May Be Beneficial: Side effect reduction/prevention—Taking these supplements may help reduce the likelihood and/or severity of a potential side effect caused by the medication.

Vitamin E*
Avoid Avoid: Adverse interaction—Avoid these supplements when taking this medication because taking them together may cause undesirable or dangerous results.

Vitamin A
Depletion or interference

None known
Supportive interaction

None known
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability

None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Interactions with Dietary Supplements

Vitamin A
Although little is known about how isotretinoin interacts with real vitamin A, the two are structurally similar and have similar toxicities. Therefore, people taking isotretinoin should avoid vitamin A supplements at levels higher than typically found in a multivitamin (10,000 IU per day).

Vitamin E
Preliminary research has found that combined administration of isotretinoin and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) substantially reduces the initial toxicity of high-dose isotretinoin without reducing drug efficacy.1 Additional research is needed to further clarify this potentially beneficial interaction.

References

1. Dimery IW, Hong WK, Lee JJ, et al. Phase I trial of alpha-tocopherol effects on 13-cis-retinoic acid toxicity. Ann Oncol 1997;8:85–9.