Acitretin and Vitamin A: what the published research says
PubMed indexes 5 records that name Acitretin and Vitamin A together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.
Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.
This page lists published research relevant to Acitretin and Vitamin A. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.
A study appearing here is not proof that an interaction exists. Two substances can be named together in a paper that never tested them in combination, and a source listed as background may cover only one of them.
Findings are quoted from each abstract as the authors wrote them. NutriStack has not re-analysed, pooled, or reconciled them, and they may disagree with each other.
NutriStack’s own interaction assessment for this pair is not published here. It has not completed qualified-human clinical review, so it is withheld from search. See the publication gate.
Nothing here is medical advice. Decisions about prescription medication and supplements belong with your prescriber or pharmacist, who can see your full regimen.
The research
5 studies naming Acitretin and Vitamin A.
Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.
“This study showed for the first time that RBP-4 levels and IR are decreased significantly with acitretin treatment. This finding is very important in psoriasis patients because psoriasis may cause insulin resistance and diabetes. Further experimental and clinical studies are needed to clarify the effect of acitretin on adipocyte structure and behavior.”
European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology · 2009 · PMID 19092674
Case ReportsHuman subjects
“The patient fulfilled the King's College Hospital poor prognostic criteria by 66 h after overdose, but demonstrated a rapid improvement thereafter and did not require liver transplantation. Given the known association between psoriasis and depression, and the possible association of acitretin with psychiatric illness, this is an important potential adverse event.”
“The occurrence of a presumed tissue contaminator with characteristics similar to 13-cis acitretin prevented quantitation of this metabolite in many subcutis samples. The epidermal, subcutis and serum composition of retinol and 3,4-didehydroretinol remained unchanged during therapy, indicating no or only minimal interaction between acitretin and endogenous vitamin A metabolism.”
The British journal of dermatology · 1993 · PMID 8217751
Case ReportsComparative StudyHuman subjects
Names Acitretin and Vitamin A together in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context.
Limitations
What this evidence cannot tell you.
Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:
Selection. These records were found by searching PubMed titles and abstracts for both substance names alongside interaction and pharmacokinetic terms. Relevant work that phrases things differently, or is not indexed in PubMed, will be missing.
No effect size. The quoted conclusions are the authors’ words about their own study. We have not extracted effect direction or magnitude, and a single study’s conclusion is not a consensus.
Population mismatch. Findings in healthy volunteers, animals, or a specific patient group may not transfer to you, your dose, or your formulation.
Absence is not safety. Few published studies means the combination is under-studied, which is not the same as established as safe.
Nearby evidence
Other pairs with published research.
Pages covering Acitretin or Vitamin A alongside a different substance.
NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Acitretin, Vitamin A, and several hundred other substances.
The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.
NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.
