The following side effects are expected to occur with the use of dapsone. Contact your doctor if these symptoms are severe and/or do not go away with continued use:
How Common (based on clinical studies)
| Increased skin oiliness | Up to 11.1% of all users |
| Burning, stinging, or tingling sensation | Up to 24.1% of all users |
| Redness and/or warmth in the area | Up to 13.8% of all users |
| Dryness of skin | Up to 20% of all users |
| Skin peeling or scaling | Up to 11.1% of all users |
| Itching | Up to 4% of all users |
| Increased sensitivity of skin to UV rays / sunburn | Up to 3.4% of all users |
If you experience any of the following side effects, stop using dapsone immediately and contact your doctor or get emergency medical care right away:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Burning, numbness, or tingling sensations over hands and feet
- Unexplained tiredness or weakness
- Back pain
- Bluish discoloration of the lips, nails, and/or the inner parts of the mouth
- Dark-colored urine
- Fever
- Pale or yellow discoloration of skin
- Muscle weakness
Dapsone may also cause other side effects that are not mentioned here. Contact your doctor if you experience any other troublesome symptoms when using dapsone.
References
- UpToDate. Dapsone (topical): Drug information. Available from: https://www.uptodate.com/contents/dapsone-topical-drug-information?source=preview&anchor=F9745883#F9745883. Cited 14 November 2016.
- Dailymed- U.S. National Library of Medicine. Dapsone, gel. Available from: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=e3426f2f-4d2b-40b4-ac26-e7d873c30f78. Cited 2 November 2016.
- Prendiville, J.S., Logan, R.A., & Russell-Jones, R. A comparison of dapsone with 13-cis retinoic acid in the treatment of nodular cystic acne. Clin. Exp. Dermatol. 13, 67-71 (1988).
- Draelos, Z.D., et al. Two randomized studies demonstrate the efficacy and safety of dapsone gel, 5% for the treatment of acne vulgaris. J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 56, 439.e1-10 (2007).
- Lucky, A.W., et al. Dapsone gel 5% for the treatment of acne vulgaris: safety and efficacy of long-term (1 year) treatment. J. Drugs Dermatol. 6, 981-987 (2007).
- Fleisher, A.B., et al. Dapsone gel 5% in combination with adapalene gel 0.1%, benzoyl peroxide gel 4% or moisturizer for the treatment of acne vulgaris: a 12-week, randomized, double-blind study. J. Drugs Dermatol. 9, 33-40.
- Tanghetti, A., et al. Clinical evidence for the role of a topical anti-inflammatory agent in comedonal acne: findings from a randomized study of dapsone gel 5% in combination with tazarotene 0.1% in patients with acne vulgaris. J. Drugs Dermatol. 10, 783-792 (2011).
- Faghihi, G., Rakhshanpour, M., Abtahi-Naeimi, B., & Nilforoushzadeh, M.A. The efficacy of 5% dapsone gel plus oral isotretinoin versus oral isotretinoin alone in acne vulgaris: a randomized double-blind study. Adv. Biomed. Res. 3, 177 (2014).
- Stein, L.F., et al. Efficacy and safety of once-daily dapsone gel, 7.5% for treatment of adolescents and adults with acne vulgaris: first of two identically designed, large, multicenter, randomized, vehicle-controlled trials. J. Drugs Dermatol. 15, 553-561 (2016).
- Eichenfield, L.F., et al. Efficacy and safety of once-daily dapsone gel, 7.5% for treatment of adolescents and adults with acne vulgaris: second of two identically designed, large, multicenter, randomized, vehicle-controlled trials. J. Drugs Dermatol. 15, 962-969 (2016).
- Alexis, A.F., et al. The efficacy and safety of topical dapsone gel, 5% for the treatment of acne vulgaris in adult females with skin of color. J. Drugs Dermatol. 15, 197-204 (2016).
- Del Rosso, J.Q., Kircik, L., & Gallagher, C.J. Comparative efficacy and tolerability of dapsone 5% gel in adult versus adolescent females with acne vulgaris. J. Clin. Aesthet. Dermatol. 8, 31-37 (2015).
- DailyMed. Dapsone. Available from: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=dapsone&pagesize=20&page=1. Cited 10 January 2019.