Tretinoin (Topical)

Brand Names : Avita, Renova, Retin-A, Retin-A MICRO, Retisol-A, Stieva-A, Stieva-A Forte, Vitamin A Acid, Vitinoin, retinoic acid

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For tretinoin, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to acitretin, etretinate, isotretinoin, tretinoin, or vitamin A preparations. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as preservatives or dyes.

Pregnancy - Tretinoin has not been studied in pregnant women. Topical tretinoin is not recommended during pregnancy. Topical tretinoin has been shown to cause delayed bone development in some animal fetuses. Before using this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether tretinoin passes into the breast milk. Mothers who are using this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctors.

Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of this medicine in children with use in other age groups. Children are unlikely to have skin problems due to the sun. In older children treated for acne, tretinoin is not expected to cause different side effects or problems than it does in other age groups.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of tretinoin in patients 50 years of age and older with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are using any other topical prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine that is to be applied to the same area of the skin. When you are using topical tretinoin, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Acitretin (e.g., Soriatane)

• Etretinate (e.g., Tegison)

• Tretinoin, oral (e.g., Vesanoid) - May increase chance of getting severe dryness or redness of skin

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of tretinoin. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Dermatitis, seborrheic or
• Eczema or
• Sunburn - Use of this medicine may cause or increase the irritation associated with these problems