Please help guys. Tretinoin has been discontinued in the UK
What can I use instead of? It's for some mild acne and acne scarring, and wrinkles. I really love tretinoin and Im gutted its gone.
I've found Tazorac on line but my GP and Chemist could not find it? Is it an american thing? Is differin any good?
Tretinoin has not been discontinued, however the particular formulation or brand you were using may have been. Your chemist may also not be very up to date on how to formulate a replacement...
Tretinoin comes under many different names:
Retrieve (common in Australia, I'd look into this first)
Renova
Tazorac
Atralin
Avita
Altinac
Retin A
Retin A Micro
Ziana (also contains clindamyacin)
You can also get Differin (generic name Adapalene) which is a synthetic retinoid that is not tretinoin but works similarly.
The only thing I could find from that search was that Janssen-Cilag discontinued Retin A in strengths of 0.01% and 0.025%. Probably because the patent on these formulations ran out so they're not making any money on those formulations anymore. If it is in demand, another company should be producing generic versions if they aren't already.
I don't know how it works in Europe exactly, but in the U.S. there are several different brands of tretinoin already available at those strengths. It appears in your country your access to specific formulations is more limited.
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Retin-A (tretinoin) gel 0.01% and 0.025% has been discontinued by Janssen-Cilag. No stock remains of the 0.025% gel. Stocks of the 0.01% gel are expected to be exhausted in October 2012. Medical information on 01494 567444
I think Tretinoin is the only brand in the UK producing retin a unfortunately. Im hoping another firm will produce it and re-brand it, must be a money spinner for someone as it's in demand.
Failling that when my current gel runs out I will have my prescription changed to differin, seems to be the next best thing.
I am in the UK and have today had my Retin-A gel prescription replaced with 'Duac' by the doctor. I really wanted another retinoid based treatment but apparantly none available - the DUAC is completely different - clindamycin/benzoyl based and I've already tried clindamycin before.
made an account just to reply to this thread..
maverick you posted on the 12th i got my tretinoin 0.01 on the 18th so im certain the 0.01% gel is still around
@plantpot - i wanted to up my dosage of retin a, as 0.01 was weak so i asked for 0.025% which there was none of.
instead i got given aknemycin plus ,the reviews are mixed and to be honest im not sure what to do
this is the first night im to be using aknemycin
and your right its erythromycin/tretinoin but not a gel , its a solution . because of the erythromycin in it im guessing you cannot use it forever?
so i plan on taking it for the recommended time around 9-12 weeks and afterwards see if i can adjust back to 0.01 all dependant on how i react to the aknemycin in the upcoming weeks .
im pretty sure 0.01 in gel form is still around though
Thank you for information - I still can't get the Retin-A - they told me at the doctors that perhaps some chemists had stock left - they phoned a few but no joy. They also said they have had quite a few of us in that week unhappy that there doesn;t seem to be anything similar, but I'm going to keep a lookout in case something else comes on the market.
I would be interested to see if the aknemycin is any good - but its a bit ridiculous us having to resort to antibiotics due to lack of choice when don't necessarily need to. I haven't dared try the Duac yet .....
Wow. I had no idea they would do something like that to you guys over in the UK. Currently, it seems that your best bet is Aknemycin plus lotion.
Yes it's true - Retin A has been discontinued and you can no longer get it in the UK. They at first discontinued the 0.025% strength and then they discontinued the 0.01% too. So Retin A is no more
I am gutted too, it was fantastic stuff and the only thing that helped my cystic acne.
I know some very expensive cosmetics claim to use Retin A, though it would be no good for acne as there can only be a miniscule amount of Retin A in the products, but someone somewhere must still be able to manafacture Retin A, surely?!
Can it be bought abroad does anyone know?
Or are there any other lotions/gels that have the Retin A ingredient?
Thanks in advance!
I am going to request the Aknemycin - although I would prefer just plain retin-a without the antibiotics. I don't get on with erythromycin as an oral antibiotic which is why they probably gave me the Duac - but I'm desperate in case things get worse - and i'm not going to be swallowing it!
This is the WORST news ever. I tried so many different treatments (literally like 7 other creams) and it was the combination of the Tretinoin Gel and my current Oxytetracycline that have kept my skin clear (as well as reducing my Keratosis Pilaris) on my face for years. I'm really gutted as it took so long plus a referral to a Dermatologist to find the right treatment.
I have written to the GMC and MHRA asking why this is the case and whether anyone else is intending to manufacture it so I'll update this forum when I get the chance. I reckon the more other people kick up a fuss the better so it would be good if other people can perhaps make enquiries?
I think its fundamentally wrong that a drug company can just stop producing something without licensing another company to takeover...
Thankyou so much for the info on isotrex, much more informative than the doctor!
I've requested it on prescription - here's hoping.
And well - I can't remember that far back to my Chemistry lessons ......
"As the name suggests, isotretinoin is an isomer of tretinoin. The only structural difference between the two molecules lies in the spatial arrangement of the atoms around one carbon-carbon double bond."
Can anyone reassure me that Isotrex is still available in the UK? I am currently trying to find a pharmacy with it in stock as I just renewed my prescription, and so far no one has it! Tried the big Boots pharmacy in town this morning who tried to order it and told me the message coming back from their supplier was "manufacturer cannot supply". I have 1 more pharmacy to try after work, otherwise I am stumped! Wish I hadn't waited until I had almost nothing left in my current tube >< Tried 2 other pharmacies over the weekend and they were both also out of stock. This is exactly what happened when Retin A was discontinued and I am really worried the same thing is happening for Isotrex! As far as I know there is no other retinoid alternative in the UK (tried Differin cream before the Isotrex, which did nothing for me, perhaps the gel would be more effective?) Argh!