Betamethasone dipropionate is a medication that belongs to the class of drugs called corticosteroids. A corticosteroid is a type of medication that is used to treat inflammation. Corticosteroids are usually given as injections or in the form of creams or ointments.
What is Betamethasone dipropionate used for?
Betamethasone dipropionate is used to treat various skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. The main benefit of Betamethasone dipropionate is that it helps to reduce inflammation and itching of the skin. It also helps to decrease redness and swelling.
Betamethasone dipropionate is also available in other forms, such as:
- Injected form: This form of betamethasone dipropionate is given as an injection into the skin or muscle
- Oral form: This form of betamethasone dipropionate is taken by mouth in the form of tablets or capsules.
- Topical form: This form of betamethasone dipropionate is applied to the skin as a cream, ointment, gel, lotion, or spray.
Betamethasone dipropionate brand names
Betamethasone dipropionate is a generic name of the drug. Below are the list of brand names of betamethasone dipropionate:
United States:
- Alphatrex, Del-Beta, Diprosone
Canada:
- Dovobet, Occlucort
Others:
- Alphatrex, Beta-Val, Diprolene, Diprolene AF, Eleuphrat and Luxiq
Which body parts should be avoided when using Betamethasone dipropionate?
This medicine is for use on the skin only. Do not get it in your eyes, mouth, or vagina. Do not use it on skin areas that have cuts, scrapes, or burns. If it does get on these areas, rinse it off right away with water.
This medicine should only be used for skin conditions that your doctor is treating. Check with your doctor before using it for other conditions, especially if you think that a skin infection may be present. This medicine should not be used to treat certain kinds of skin infections or conditions, such as severe burns.
How long does Betamethasone dipropionate stay in your system?
The amount of time that betamethasone dipropionate stays in your system is dependent on the duration of use of the medicine. Some research suggests that suppression of cortisol levels is still apparent 96 hours after topical use of corticosteroid creams, which implies that betamethasone dipropionate can stay in your system for long periods of time, possibly for up to a few weeks. Betamethasone dipropionate is not recommended for long term use. More research is required about the half-life of betamethasone dipropionate and how long it stays in your system.
According to the NHS, for people who use betamethasone dipropionate for extended periods of time (more than 12 months in adults), a withdrawal reaction may occur which can include:
- redness or changes in skin color (hyperpigmentation)
- burning, stinging, itching or peeling of the skin, or oozing, open sores
What are the side effects of Betamethasone dipropionate?
According to Mayo Clinic, use of betamethasone dipropionate can have side effects. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
- Burning or stinging
- itching at the application site
Less common
- Blistering, burning, crusting, dryness, or flaking of the skin
- cracking or tightening of the skin
- dry skin
- flushing or redness of the skin
- irritation
- itching, scaling, severe redness, soreness, or swelling of the skin
- thinning of the skin with easy bruising, especially when used on the face or where the skin folds together (eg, between the fingers)
- unusually warm skin
Rare
- Blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin
Why does my skin burn when I apply Betamethasone dipropionate to my skin?
If your skin burns after applying betamethasone dipropionate to your skin, you may have an allergic reaction to the steroid cream and your skin cannot tolerate it. Betamethasone dipropionate also contains cetostearyl alcohol which may cause acute allergic reactions.
How do I taper down from using betamethasone dipropionate?
To taper down from using betamethasone dipropionate many doctors advise adjusting to using a weaker steroid cream over an extended period of time. This is commonly known as climbing down the topical steroid ladder.
Which steroid creams are weaker than Betamethasone dipropionate?
Below are the list of topical steroids weaker than betamethasone dipropionate:
- Clobetasol propionate
- Desoximetasone
- Augmented diflorasone diacetate
- Diflorasone diacetate
- Fluocinonide
- Flurandrenolide 4 mcg/cm2
- Halobetasol propionate
- Amcinonide
- Desoximetasone
- Halcinonide
- Mometasone furoate
- Fluticasone propionate
- Triamcinolone acetonide 0.5%
- Betamethasone valerate
- Fluocinolone acetonide
- Flurandrenolide
- Hydrocortisone valerate
- Triamcinolone acetonide
- Betamethasone valerate 0.1%
- Clocortolone pivalate
- Hydrocortisone butyrate
- Hydrocortisone probutate
- Hydrocortisone valerate 0.2%
- Prednicarbate
- Alclometasone dipropionate
- Desonide 0.05%
- Hydrocortisone 0.5% – 2.5%
- Hydrocortisone
Which steroid creams are stronger than Betamethasone dipropionate?
Betamethasone dipropionate is a super-potent topical steroid cream and sits atop the Topical Steroid Potency Strength Chart.
What happens when you use Betamethasone dipropionate too often?
If you use betamethasone dipropionate too frequently or for an extended period of time, tolerance or tachyphylaxis to that potency level of steroid cream may develop. Betamethasone dipropionate is not recommended for extended use which may result in some of the common side effects listed above. Consult with your doctor if you have concerns.
Does Betamethasone dipropionate cause topical steroid withdrawal?
More research is required to understand the complexity of Topical Steroid Withdrawal and its specific connection to betamethasone dipropionate. Betamethasone dipropionate is a highly potent corticosteroid commonly used for skin conditions and the side effects of discontinuing the use of this topical steroid medicine is yet to be studied.
Throughout online groups and communities, there are serious concerns, accounts, discussions and images about corticosteroid creams (not just betamethasone dipropionate) causing Topical Steroid Withdrawal. The accounts and experiences of the Topical Steroid Withdrawal community continues to grow and has gathered media wide attention for the aesthetic physical severity of many suffering.
Topical Steroid Withdrawal is an iatrogenic health phenomena that requires more research and studies. The International Topical Steroid Awareness Network (ITSAN) is currently building a patient registry to begin preliminary studies.
Is there treatment for Topical Steroid Withdrawal?
Currently, there is no global protocol or medical treatment for topical steroid withdrawal. However, medical advice favours the gradual reduction of topical steroids, rather than stopping usage abruptly.
At TSW Assist, we are identifying crowd sourced insights that can help manage the inflammation and symptoms during the withdrawal period from topical steroids. Currently, there is no quick cure for Topical Steroid Withdrawal.
Through the community, we are finding insights of the management of the symptoms of TSW, through the tracking of the efficacy of specific products, methods and therapies.
Disclaimer: The information on this website is not medical advice. There is no known medical cure for topical steroid withdrawal, but there are collective methods to manage the symptom and inflammation during the withdrawal period. It should not be mistaken that all usage of steroid creams will cause topical steroid withdrawal. More clinical research is required to understand the cause of Topical Steroid Withdrawal within an individual.
