Cilostazol and Blisters
Blisters are not a documented or recognized adverse effect of cilostazol based on current clinical guidelines and extensive safety data.
Known Adverse Effect Profile
The established side effects of cilostazol do not include blistering or dermatologic reactions of this nature:
Common adverse effects include headache, diarrhea, abnormal stools, palpitations, and dizziness, which are the most frequently reported side effects in clinical trials 1, 2.
Cardiovascular effects such as palpitations and hypotension-related symptoms (dizziness, lightheadedness) are well-documented due to cilostazol's vasodilatory mechanism as a PDE III inhibitor 3.
Peripheral edema has been reported more frequently with cilostazol than placebo, but this represents fluid accumulation rather than blistering 2.
Comprehensive Safety Data Review
A large pharmacovigilance study analyzing 2,130 adverse event reports from the FDA FAERS database (2004-2024) identified 323 positive risk signals across 23 organ system classes, with no mention of blistering or bullous skin reactions 4.
The CASTLE long-term safety study, which followed 1,435 patients over 36 months, documented adverse events comprehensively but did not report blistering as a concern 5.
Multiple systematic reviews of cilostazol's safety profile spanning over two decades of clinical use have not identified blistering as an adverse effect 2, 6.
Clinical Caveat
If a patient develops blisters while taking cilostazol, consider alternative etiologies such as:
- Concurrent medications that may cause bullous reactions
- Underlying dermatologic conditions
- Peripheral vascular disease-related skin changes (though these would not typically present as blisters)
- Allergic or hypersensitivity reactions unrelated to cilostazol's known pharmacologic effects 6
The absence of blistering in extensive clinical trial data, post-marketing surveillance, and pharmacovigilance databases strongly suggests this is not a medication-related adverse effect 4, 2, 6.