MONDAY, March 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- For years, doctors have debated the safety of the acne drug most commonly known as Accutane, but new research suggests the medication does not boost depression risk among its users.

"The existing literature to date is quite mixed with regards to the issue of whether there is or is not an association between isotretinoin [Accutane] use and increased risk of depression," explained study author Dr. Bethanee Schlosser.

"Our retrospective, population-based study shows no increased risk of depression in patients taking isotretinoin, compared to patients with acne but not taking isotretinoin," she said.

Still, while she found the results reassuring and a mirror of what she sees in her clinical practice, it remains "critical that patients maintain open communication with their dermatologists," Schlosser added.

"It is vital that dermatologists query patients about the impact of their acne on their mood, as well as any underlying medical or mental health history, which may influence selection of treatment," she said.

"Patients who are prescribed systemic treatment for acne, including isotretinoin, should be monitored closely for potential adverse effects during their entire treatment course," according to Schlosser, who is an associate professor in the department of dermatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.

In the study, her team reviewed medical records on more than 38,000 patients between the ages of 18 and 65. All patients resided in the Midwestern region of the United States, and all had been diagnosed with an acne condition at some point between 2001 and 2017.

Almost 1,100 of the patients had been prescribed isotretinoin as part of their treatment program; nearly 37,000 had not. Among those taking the drug, treatment lasted for about five months, on average.

In the end, the research team found that depression onset was actually slightly less among isotretinoin patients (under 4 percent) compared with the non-drug group (nearly 5 percent).

Schlosser argued that the finding should be interpreted in concert with what clinicians do know for sure -- "that acne [itself] is associated with increased risk of mood changes, low self-esteem and depression."