Medication · retinoid

Supplements and Isotretinoin.

Every documented pair, every citation. Below: 1 documented pair grouped by mechanism.

Isotretinoin, sold under the brand names Roaccutane, Accutane, Claravis, Absorica, is classified under "retinoid" in the BNF.

Isotretinoin (brand names Roaccutane, Accutane, Claravis, Absorica) sits in the Distil medication database. The BNF classifies it under "retinoid". This means it sits outside the high-volume therapeutic classes (statins, PPIs, ACE inhibitors, SSRIs) where supplement-interaction surfaces are densely studied, and the published evidence base for specific supplement pairs is correspondingly thinner. Where interactions are documented in the Distil database, they are listed below with their clinical-reference citation; where pairs have not been explicitly assessed, the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes them into our next curation pass. Anyone combining Isotretinoin with a regular supplement stack benefits from explicit GP or pharmacist awareness rather than assuming no interaction exists by default.

Below are the 1 documented pair we have explicitly assessed against Isotretinoin in the Distil database: 1 red. The pairs cluster around 1 mechanism: Additive vitamin A toxicity. Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not on this list is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by supplement, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued supplement into our next curation pass.

Documented interactions

Last reviewed 8 June 2026. Each interaction below is assessed against PubMed-indexed evidence.

Additive vitamin A toxicity

Red Does Vitamin A interact with ?

Isotretinoin is a form of vitamin A, so taking a vitamin A supplement alongside it adds to the same load and can push you into vitamin A excess. This raises the risk of side effects such as headache and raised pressure in the skull, liver strain, dry skin and lips, and bone or muscle problems. Do not take vitamin A supplements while on isotretinoin unless your prescriber tells you to.

Evidence: Well established across multiple human studies or interaction references.

PMID 20000864 · PMID 15470719 · BNF: Isotretinoin

What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope (food-supplement interactions only; for drug-drug interactions, the BNF is authoritative). Use the checker below to surface any supplement, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.

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For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP or pharmacist, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.

Your supplements

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How we decide

How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.

Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.

Read the full methodology

Your whole stack

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This page checks the pairs you enter. The personalised Distil report goes further:

the same graded, cited interaction check across your whole stack, not just the pairs you thought to type in
where your current routine may be leaving you short of your goals
the evidence-graded compounds worth adding, and the ones worth dropping

It's a paid report: £79, or £49 founder pricing while we earn our first reviews. The interactions check is one section of it, and you can read a real one in full before you decide.

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Something missing?

If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us. We go through what people flag every week and add what's missing.

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Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.