Side effects & safety info
Do not take Otezla if you are allergic to apremilast or to any of the ingredients in Otezla.
Otezla can cause severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, especially within the first few weeks of treatment. Use in elderly patients and the use of certain medications with Otezla appears to increase the risk of having diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Tell your doctor if any of these conditions occur.
Some patients taking Otezla reported depression. Before starting Otezla, tell your doctor if you have had feelings of depression, suicidal thoughts, or suicidal behavior. After starting Otezla, tell your doctor if any of these symptoms, or other mood changes, develop or worsen.
Some patients taking Otezla lost body weight. Your doctor should monitor your weight regularly. If unexplained or significant weight loss occurs, your doctor will decide if you should continue taking Otezla.
You should not take certain medicines when you are taking Otezla as they may decrease its effectiveness.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or planning to breastfeed.
See side effects data from clinical studiesCommon side effects of Otezla
Otezla clinical studies involved adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who were candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy.
The table below shows the most common side effects from these clinical studies, reported by people taking Otezla 30 mg twice daily, compared to those reported by people taking placebo (sugar pill).
*Data from day 6 through day 112 (the titration period was days 1-5, during which the dose was gradually increased until the recommended dose of 30 mg twice daily was reached).
These are not all the possible side effects with Otezla. Tell your doctor about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.
If you are experiencing side effects, please consult your doctor.
For more information, please see Important Safety Information to the right of this page.
In most people, these common side effects of diarrhea and nausea occurred within the first 2 weeks of treatment and tended to go away over time without stopping Otezla. In some cases, patients with severe diarrhea or nausea were hospitalized. Tell your doctor if any of these occur.
*These studies involved 920 adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who initially received Otezla 30 mg twice daily.
“n” represents the number of people participating in the studies during the given week(s).
*These studies involved 920 adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who initially received Otezla 30 mg twice daily.
“n” represents the number of people participating in the studies during the given week(s).