Otezla and Urinary retention - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Urinary retention is reported as a side effect among people who take Otezla (apremilast), especially for people who are male, 60+ old, have been taking the drug for 1 - 6 months also take Baclofen, and have Psoriasis.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Urinary retention when taking Otezla. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 146,032 people who have side effects when taking Otezla from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Otezla?

Otezla has active ingredients of apremilast. It is often used in psoriatic arthritis. eHealthMe is studying from 146,254 Otezla users. Check the latest studies of Otezla.

What is Urinary retention?

Urinary retention (the inability to completely or partially empty the bladder) is found to be associated with 1,567 drugs and 1,742 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Urinary retention.

eHealthMe: drug outcomes in the real world

eHealthMe runs one of the largest post-marketing drug safety studies in the world. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Our data-driven phase IV clinical trials have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Tools to study our phase IV findings are available to the public, anonymous and free >>>.

On Sep, 03, 2026

146,032 people reported to have side effects when taking Otezla.
Among them, 35 people (0.02%) have Urinary retention.

Among these 35 people:

How long have people been on Otezla when they have Urinary retention? *

What is the gender of people who have Urinary retention when taking Otezla? *

female: 42.86 %
male: 57.14 %

What is the age of people who have Urinary retention when taking Otezla? *

What are other drugs people take besides Otezla? *

What are other side effects people have besides Urinary retention? *

Urinary Tract Infection: 12 people, 34.29%
Diarrhea: 8 people, 22.86%
Hypoaesthesia (reduced sense of touch or sensation): 7 people, 20.00%
Headache (pain in head): 6 people, 17.14%
Weakness: 6 people, 17.14%
Micturition Urgency (urgency to pass the urine): 6 people, 17.14%
Nightmares (unpleasant dreams): 5 people, 14.29%
Nausea (feeling of having an urge to vomit): 5 people, 14.29%
Muscle Spasms (muscle contraction): 5 people, 14.29%
Mobility Decreased (ability to move is reduced): 5 people, 14.29%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Psoriasis (immune-mediated disease that affects the skin): 25 people, 71.43%
Psoriatic Arthropathy (inflammation of the skin and joints with kin condition which typically causes patches (plaques) of red, scaly skin to develop): 9 people, 25.71%
Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (reoccurrence of an inflammatory disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged): 5 people, 14.29%
Hypersensitivity: 2 people, 5.71%
Asthma: 2 people, 5.71%
Spasmodic Dysphonia (a voice disorder characterized by involuntary movements or spasms of one or more muscles of the larynx): 1 person, 2.86%
Neuralgia (pain in one or more nerves): 1 person, 2.86%
Multiple Sclerosis (a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. it damages the myelin sheath): 1 person, 2.86%
Multiple Allergies (allergy to multiple agents): 1 person, 2.86%
Menopausal Symptoms: 1 person, 2.86%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Otezla and have Urinary retention?

- Check whether Urinary retention is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Otezla:

Otezla (146,254 reports)

Browse all side effects of Otezla:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Urinary retention:

Urinary retention (1,567 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Urinary retention:

Urinary retention (1,742 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

Schattner A, Al-Bewerat A, "Levetiracetam (Keppra), urinary retention and literature search", A fatty cause of renal failure; what is your diagnosis?, 2016 Oct .
Schattner A, Al-Bewerat A, "Levetiracetam (Keppra), urinary retention and literature search", A fatty cause of renal failure; what is your diagnosis?, 2016 Oct .

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on apremilast (the active ingredients of Otezla) and Otezla (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.