Triamcinolone acetonide is a medication that is used to treat a variety of skin conditions. It belongs to a class of drugs called corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are hormones that are produced by the adrenal gland. They are involved in the body’s stress response and have anti-inflammatory effects.
What is Triamcinolone acetonide used for?
Triamcinolone acetonide is a synthetic (man-made) corticosteroid. It is similar to the natural hormone cortisol. Triamcinolone acetonide is used to treat inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. It relieves itching, redness, dryness, and irritation.
Triamcinolone acetonide is available in topical (cream, ointment, lotion, liquid, gel), aerosol (spray), and injectable forms. It is applied to the skin or injected into a joint or muscle. Triamcinolone acetonide must be prescribed by a health care provider.
Triamcinolone acetonide brand names
Triamcinolone acetonide is a generic name of the drug. The brand names for this topical steroid are the following:
United States:
- Aristocort A, Cinolar, Dermasorb TA Complete Kit, Kenalog, Pediaderm TA, Triacet, Triamcot, Trianex, Triderm, Zytopic
Canada:
- Aristocort C Concentrate, Aristocort D Dilute, Aristocort R Ointment Regular, Aristocort R Regular, Kenalog Cream, Kenalog Ointment, Kenalog Spray, Triaderm Mild Cream, Triaderm Mild Ointment, Triaderm Regular Cream, Triaderm Regular Ointment, Trianide Mild-Cream
Which body parts should be avoided when using Triamcinolone acetonide?
Only the skin should be used for this medication. Keep it out of your eyes. It should not be applied to skin that has been burned, scraped, or cut. Rinse it off with water as soon as possible if it does get on these locations.
Make sure your eyes are covered if you or your child is using the spray form on or near your face. Protect your nose to prevent inhalation.
Only skin diseases that your doctor is treating with this medication should be used. If you think there might be a skin infection present, specifically, consult your doctor before using it for any other conditions. This medicine should not be used to treat certain kinds of skin infections or conditions, such as severe burns.
How long does Triamcinolone acetonide stay in your system?
The amount of time that Triamcinolone acetonide 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 Triamcinolone acetonide can stay in your system for long periods of time, possibly for up to a few weeks. Triamcinolone acetonide is not recommended for long term use. More research is required about the half-life of Triamcinolone acetonide and how long it stays in your system.
According to the NHS, for people who use Triamcinolone acetonide 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 Triamcinolone acetonide?
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. According to Mayo Clinic, the use of Triamcinolone acetonide may or may not cause side effects.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
- Blistering, burning, crusting, dryness, or flaking of the skin
- irritation
- itching, scaling, severe redness, soreness, or swelling of the skin
- redness and scaling around the mouth
- thinning of the skin with easy bruising, especially when used on the face or where the skin folds together (e.g. between the fingers)
Why does my skin burn when I apply Triamcinolone acetonide to my skin?
If your skin burns after applying Triamcinolone acetonide to your skin, you may have an allergic reaction to the steroid cream and your skin cannot tolerate it. Triamcinolone acetonide also contains cetostearyl alcohol which may cause acute allergic reactions.
How do I taper down from using Triamcinolone acetonide?
To taper down from using Triamcinolone acetonide 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 Triamcinolone acetonide?
Triamcinolone acetonide is a high-potent topical steroid, according to the Topical Steroid Potency Strength Chart. Topical steroid creams that are weaker than triamcinolone acetonide are the following:
- 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 Triamcinolone acetonide?
Topical steroids that are stronger than triamcinolone acetonide are the following:
- Augmented betamethasone dipropionate
- Clobetasol propionate
- Desoximetasone
- Augmented diflorasone diacetate
- Diflorasone diacetate
- Fluocinonide
- Flurandrenolide 4 mcg/cm2
- Halobetasol propionate
- Amcinonide
- Betamethasone dipropionate
- Desoximetasone
- Halcinonide
- Mometasone furoate
- Fluticasone propionate
What happens when you use Triamcinolone acetonide too often?
If you use Triamcinolone acetonide too frequently or for an extended period of time, tolerance or tachyphylaxis to that potency level of steroid cream may develop. Triamcinolone acetonide 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 Triamcinolone acetonide cause topical steroid withdrawal?
More research is required to understand the complexity of Topical Steroid Withdrawal and its specific connection to Triamcinolone acetonide. Triamcinolone acetonide 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 Triamcinolone acetonide) 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.
