Anthralin is a drug applied only to affected skin areas to treat psoriasis.
Safetychecker Summary
for Anthralin
(for details about the summarized interactions, read the full article)
 May be Beneficial: Side effect
reduction/prevention—Taking these supplements may help reduce the likelihood and/or
severity of a potential side effect caused by the medication. |
Vitamin E (topical) |
| Depletion or interference |
None known |
| Supportive interaction |
None known |
| Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability |
None known |
| Adverse interaction |
None known |
An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.
Interactions with Dietary Supplements
Vitamin E
Anthralin can cause inflammation of the skin. A preliminary study found that topical use of
vitamin E was able to protect against this side effect.1 This report used a
tocopherol form of the vitamin rather than tocopheryl. This makes sense, as there is no
conclusive proof that the tocopheryl forms (which require an enzyme to split vitamin E from
the fatty acid to which it is attached) have any activity on the skin.
References:
1. Finnen MJ, Lawrence CM, Shuster S. Inhibition of dithranol inflammation by free-radical scavengers. Lancet 1984;ii:1129–30.
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The information presented in Healthnotes is for informational purposes only. It is based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage as cited in each article. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. For many of the conditions discussed, treatment with prescription or over-the-counter medication is also available. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2003.