| Some of the side effects associated with the use of isotretinoin are dose-related. The side effects are generally reversible after altering the dose or discontinuation of treatment, however some may persist after treatment has stopped. The following symptoms are the most commonly reported undesirable effects with isotretinoin: dryness of the skin, dryness of the mucosae e.g. of the lips (cheilitis), the nasal mucosa (epistaxis) and the eyes (conjunctivitis). | Infections: | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Gram positive (mucocutaneous) bacterial infection
| | Blood and lymphatic system disorders: | Very common ( 1/10) | Anaemia, red blood cell sedimentation rate increased, thrombocytopenia, thrombocytosis | Common ( 1/100, < 1/10) | Neutropenia | Very Rare ( 1/10 000) | Lymphadenopathy
| | Immune system disorders: | Rare ( 1/10 000,< 1/1000)
| Allergic skin reaction, anaphylactic reactions, hypersensitivity
| | Metabolism and nutrition disorders: | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Diabetes mellitus, hyperuricaemia
| | Psychiatric disorders: | Rare ( 1/10 000,< 1/1000) | Depression, depression aggravated, aggressive tendencies, anxiety, mood alterations. | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Abnormal behaviour, psychotic disorder, suicidal ideation suicide attempt, suicide
| | Nervous system disorders: | Common ( 1/100, < 1/10) | Headache | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Benign intracranial hypertension, convulsions, drowsiness, dizziness
| | Eye disorders: | Very common ( 1/10) | Blepharitis, conjunctivitis, dry eye, eye irritation | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Blurred vision, cataract, colour blindness (colour vision deficiencies), contact lens intolerance, corneal opacity, decreased night vision, keratitis, papilloedema (as sign of benign intracranial hypertension), photophobia, visual disturbances.
| | Ear and labyrinth disorders: | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Hearing impaired
| | Vascular disorders: | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Vasculitis (for example Wegener's granulomatosis, allergic vasculitis)
| | Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders: | Common ( 1/100, < 1/10) | Epistaxis, nasal dryness, nasopharyngitis | Very Rare ( 1/10 000) | Bronchospasm (particularly in patients with asthma), hoarseness | Gastrointestinal disorders: | Very Rare ( 1/10 000) | Colitis, ileitis, dry throat, gastrointestinal haemorrhage, haemorrhagic diarrhoea and inflammatory bowel disease, nausea, pancreatitis (see section 4.4) | Hepatobiliary disorders: | Very common ( 1/10) | Transaminase increased (see section 4.4) | Very Rare ( 1/10 000) | Hepatitis | Skin and subcutaneous tissues disorders: | Very common ( 1/10) | Cheilitis, dermatitis, dry skin, localised exfoliation, pruritus, rash erythematous, skin fragility (risk of frictional trauma)
| Rare ( 1/10 000,< 1/1000)
| Alopecia
| Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Acne fulminans, acne aggravated (acne flare), erythema (facial), exanthema, hair disorders, hirsutism, nail dystrophy, paronychia, photosensitivity reaction, pyogenic granuloma, skin hyperpigmentation, sweating increased | | Frequency unknown*
| Erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis | Musculo-skeletal and connective tissue disorders: | Very common ( 1/10) | Arthralgia, myalgia, back pain (particularly in children and adolescent patients) | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Arthritis, calcinosis (calcification of ligaments and tendons), epiphyses premature fusion, exostosis, (hyperostosis), reduced bone density, tendonitis | | Frequency unknown*
| rhabdomyolysis | Renal and urinary disorders: | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Glomerulonephritis
| General disorders and administration site conditions: | Very Rare ( 1/10 000)
| Granulation tissue (increased formation of), malaise
| Investigations: | Very common ( 1/10) | Blood triglycerides increased, high density lipoprotein decreased | Common ( 1/100, < 1/10) | Blood cholesterol increased, blood glucose increased, haematuria, proteinuria | Very Rare ( 1/10 000) | Blood creatine phosphokinase increased
| * cannot be estimated from the available dataThe incidence of the adverse events was calculated from pooled clinical trial data involving 824 patients and from post-marketing data. | |