Popular Acne Medication Not Linked to Suicide: Study

An acne medication thought to cause suicidal thoughts or depression has been determined to cause negligible risk to an individual’s mental well-being and, in fact, may reduce thoughts of suicide, according to a new study. A study published in JAMA Dermatology involving over 1.6 million participants found that the risk of suicide attempts or suicidal ideation while using isotretinoin to treat severe acne was less than 0.5 percent, while the risk of developing depression was 3.83 percent. The study’s findings contradict years of reports that the drug, sold under the brand names Absorica, Amnesteem, Claravis, Myorisan, Zenatane, and, for a while, Accutane, has been associated with suicide and a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety. The associations with these disorders led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a warning about the drug in 2005....