Drug & supplement interaction

Androstenediol + Tretinoin

Tretinoin brand names: Vesanoid, Retin-A, Renova, Altreno.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Androstenediol and Tretinoin in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Tretinoin states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Androstenediol and Tretinoin

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Tretinoin and Androstenediol in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Androstenediol safety at a glance

Androstenediol overall Avoid It is a controlled anabolic steroid with hormonal risks and is best avoided unless prescribed and supervised.
Pregnancy Avoid Androgen-like hormones can harm a developing baby, so it should not be used during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Hormonal effects on a nursing infant are unknown, so avoid use while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Tretinoin and Androstenediol? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Tretinoin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Tretinoin is filed under 5 classifications — including retinoids, cytochrome p450 2c8 (cyp2c8) substrates, topical drugs. Androstenediol has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being estrogens (moderate) and testosterone (moderate) — and none of Tretinoin’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Androstenediol Does Interact With Other Medications

Androstenediol has 47 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Tretinoin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Androstenediol

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Androstenediol. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

What Tretinoin’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Androstenediol. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Tretinoin’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Wheezing Worth acting on
  • Confusion Worth acting on
  • Chest pain Worth acting on
  • Low mood Worth acting on
  • Kidney problems Worth acting on
  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • Liver problems Worth acting on
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 34 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Tretinoin. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 8,580 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Tretinoin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Androstenediol’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Androstenediol side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Androstenediol has no side effects.

How to take them

Some Tretinoin Products Have a Food Rule — Androstenediol Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Tretinoin says to take it with food. If you take Androstenediol on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Tretinoin with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Tretinoin products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Take tretinoin capsules with a meal.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Tretinoin — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Tretinoin

This page covers Androstenediol only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tretinoin page lists 52 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Vitamin A (major), African Wild Potato (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate) and Angelica Archangelica (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 37 moderate · 13 minor.

Open the Tretinoin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Androstenediol and Tretinoin Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Androstenediol
Steady interest

#1,084 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Tretinoin
Steady interest

#2,469 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Androstenediol reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Androstenediol and Tretinoin records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Androstenediol

What is Androstenediol?

Androstenediol
  • Boosting testosterone
  • Building muscle and strength
  • Enhancing athletic performance
  • Anti-aging / general vitality
  • Bodybuilding cutting or bulking cycles

Androstenediol is a prohormone (a precursor the body can convert into testosterone and other hormones) marketed to raise testosterone and build muscle, but solid human evidence for these benefits is lacking and it carries real hormonal risks. In the United States it is a Schedule III controlled substance and is banned in most competitive sports. Talk with a doctor or pharmacist before considering any product containing it.

Not a plant; a steroid hormone (prohormone) made synthetically or naturally in the body · Capsules, tablets, sublingual tablets, sprays (sold as 'prohormone' supplements)

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Androstenediol is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Androstenediol record says about it on its own.

Androstenediol: dosing

There is no established safe or effective dose of androstenediol, and because it is a controlled substance, it is not a routine over-the-counter supplement. The body of research does not support a recommended amount.If you are considering any product that contains it, do not rely on label claims.

From our Androstenediol monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Androstenediol monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Tretinoin

What Is Tretinoin Used For?

Brand names: Vesanoid, Retin-A, Renova, Altreno

Tretinoin cream 0.02% is approved to help lessen the look of fine facial wrinkles in people who also follow a comprehensive skin care and sun-avoidance program — including daily sunscreen, protective clothing, and moisturizers.

It's important to know what tretinoin does not do: it will not erase wrinkles, reverse sun damage, repair deeply weathered skin, or restore younger-looking skin. It has also not been shown to help with coarse or deep wrinkles, rough skin texture, dark spots, or sagging skin.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Tretinoin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Vomiting 498 reports
Rash 477 reports
Nausea 453 reports
Headache 434 reports
Diarrhea 414 reports
See full Tretinoin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Androstenediol

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Androstenediol — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
47Moderate
0Minor
2,782No known interaction
Moderate

47 interactions

No interaction 2,782 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Androstenediol References

The 3 references that drive our Androstenediol monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Broeder CE, Quindry J, Brittingham K, et al. The Andro Project: physiological and hormonal influences of androstenedione supplementation in men 35 to 65 years old participating in a high-intensity resistance training program. Arch Intern Med 2000;160:30
  2. Brown GA, Martini ER, Roberts BS, et al. Acute hormonal response to sublingual androstenediol intake in young men. J Appl Physiol 2002;92:142-6. PubMed
  3. Battista, V., Combs, J., and Warme, W. J. Asynchronous bilateral achilles tendon ruptures and androstenediol use. Am J Sports Med 2003;31(6):1007-1009. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Androstenediol and Tretinoin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Androstenediol with Tretinoin?
We do not list a known interaction between Androstenediol and Tretinoin. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Should I take Androstenediol and Tretinoin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Tretinoin says to take it with food. If you take Androstenediol on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Tretinoin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Tretinoin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Androstenediol and Tretinoin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Tretinoin is filed under 5 classifications, and Androstenediol has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Tretinoin's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Androstenediol interact with any other medications?
Yes. Androstenediol has 47 documented drug interactions in our database — Tretinoin is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Tretinoin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Tretinoin has documented interactions with 52 supplements in our database — Androstenediol is not one of them. The Tretinoin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Tretinoin and Androstenediol?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.