Indications - Betamethasone Dipropionate cream and ointment is indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of resistant or severe corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses. These include- Atopic eczema Nummular eczema Contact dermatitis Neurodermatitis Anogenital and senile pruritus Lichen planus Psoriasis
Dosage & Administration - Apply a thin film once or twice daily to cover completely the affected area. Patients with chronic psoriasis who have achieved at least a marked improvement in their psoriatic lesion (i.e., approximately 80% improvement) with Betamethasone Dipropionate may be maintained in remission with a pulse dosing regimen consisting of three consecutive applications of up to 3.5 g each of Betamethasone Dipropionate cream and ointment, twelve hours apart (e.g., morning, evening, following morning) to the previously affected areas once each week. For this purpose, Betamethasone Dipropionate cream and ointment should be applied to the lesion sites previously affected and treated. Patients on this pulse dose regimen who relapse should be reverted back to the conventional dosing regimen.
Side Effects - The most frequent side effects reported with Betamethasone Dipropionate are mild to moderate transient burning/stinging, dry skin, pruritus, irritation and folliculitis. Rarely reported adverse effects include tingling, prickly skin/tightening or cracking of skin, warm feeling,laminar scaling and perilesional scaling,follicular rash, skin atrophy, erythema, urticaria, vesiculation, telangiectasia, acneiform papules and hyperaesthesia. Adverse reactions reported with the use of the Betamethasone Dipropionate ointment pulse dose regimen were mild intermittent hypertension and paraesthesia. Other local adverse reactions that have been reported with the use of topical corticosteroids include: itching, hypertrichosis, hypopigmentation, perioral dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, maceration of the skin, secondary infection, striae, miliaria and exacerbation of untreated infections
Contraindications - Hypersensitivity to Betamethasone Dipropionate, other corticosteroids or any components in this preparation. Like other topical corticosteroids, Betamethasone Dipropionate is contraindicated in viral infections of the skin, such as vaccinia, varicella and Herpes simplex, also tuberculosis, acne rosacea, fungal skin infections (moniliasis), perioral dermatitis and ulcerative conditions.
Others - Overdose Effects Acute overdose with the ointment is unlikely and would not be expected to lead to a life-threatening situation. The ointment should not be used for longer than the prescribed time period.