Isotretinoin treatment safe- may not increase suicide risk in patients with acne

Written By : Dr. Shravani Dali |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2022-11-23T20:00:24+05:30 | Updated On 23 Nov 2022 8:00 PM IST

Isotretinoin treatment is not associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts in patients with acne suggests a recent study published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Suicidal ideation is when you think about killing yourself. The thoughts might or might not include a plan to die by suicide. You may have heard suicidal ideation referred to as "suicidal thoughts." Not everyone with suicidal ideation acts on it. But if you or a loved one has it, you should get help right away Isotretinoin-related risk of depression and suicidal behavior is a topic of inconclusiveness. A crucial knowledge gap exists in defining the association of isotretinoin with other psychiatric comorbidities.

A study was conducted to evaluate the risk of psychiatric outcomes among patients with acne treated with isotretinoin versus oral antibiotics.

A global population-based retrospective cohort study enrolled two groups of patients with acne managed by isotretinoin (n=75,708) and oral antibiotics (n=75,708). Patients were compared regarding the risk of 9 psychiatric outcomes.

Results:

Relative to those treated with oral antibiotics, patients prescribed isotretinoin experienced lower risk of depression but comparable risk of major depressive disorder
Risk of suicidal attempts was comparable between groups despite the elevated risk of suicidal ideation in those under isotretinoin
Patients under isotretinoin had lower risk of post-traumatic stress disorder anxiety bipolar disorder schizophrenia and adjustment disorder

Isotretinoin confers lower risk of six psychiatric comorbidities and comparable risk of suicidal attempts.

Reference:

Khalaf Kridin and Ralf J. Ludwig. Isotretinoin and the risk of psychiatric disturbances - A global study shedding new light on a debatable story. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Published:October 19, 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2022.10.031

Keywords:

Isotretinoin, treatment, increased, risk, suicide, attempts, patients, acne, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Khalaf Kridin and Ralf J. Ludwig, Acne, isotretinoin, oral antibiotics, depression, suicidal attempt, suicidal ideation, psychiatric disturbances

Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyAcneisotretinoinoral antibioticsdepressionsuicidal attemptsuicidal ideationpsychiatric disturbances

Source : Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Dr. Shravani Dali

Dr. Shravani Dali has completed her BDS from Pravara institute of medical sciences, loni. Following which she extensively worked in the healthcare sector for 2+ years. She has been actively involved in writing blogs in field of health and wellness. Currently she is pursuing her Masters of public health-health administration from Tata institute of social sciences. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751