Prescription medication · Topical Corticosteroid
betamethasone
Also sold as Diprosone, Luxiq. This cream treats skin problems that cause swelling, itching, and redness.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 2
- InteractionsFew interactions
- $0.45
- Generic price (NADAC)
betamethasone (Diprosone) is a prescription Topical Corticosteroid. This cream treats skin problems that cause swelling, itching, and redness.
Betamethasone dipropionate cream is a strong steroid medicine used on the skin. It helps reduce swelling, itching, and redness.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.45/unit
Generic Available
Yes (31 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
This cream treats skin problems that cause swelling, itching, and redness.
Common side effects
Stinging (in adults), Skin getting thinner (in children), Spider veins (in children)
Key warnings
This medicine can affect your hormone system.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from betamethasone's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Betamethasone is a type of steroid. It works by reducing inflammation in the skin. This helps to relieve itching and other symptoms.
Serious Warnings
This medicine can affect your hormone system. It may cause your body to make less of its own natural steroids. Using too much, using it for too long, or covering large areas of skin can increase this risk. This medicine may also increase your risk of cataracts and glaucoma. Tell your doctor if you have blurred vision or other vision problems.
Known Drug Interactions
betamethasone budesonide ciclesonide fluticasone methylprednisolone mometasone triamcinolone ↑ corticosteroids Co-administration with corticosteroids (all routes of administration) of which exposures are significantly increased by strong CYP3A inhibitors can increase the risk for Cushing's syndrome and adrenal suppression.
Mechanism: Taking darunavir with betamethasone can cause the steroid to build up in your system because the body cannot clear it properly.
Corticosteroids primarily metabolized by CYP3A betamethasone, budesonide, ciclesonide, dexamethasone, fluticasone, methylprednisolone, mometasone, triamcinolone ↑ corticosteroid Co-administration with corticosteroids (all routes of administration) of which exposures are significantly increased by strong CYP3A inhibitors can increase the risk for Cushing’s syndrome and adrenal suppression.
Mechanism: This combination prevents your body from clearing betamethasone properly, leading to much higher levels of the drug in your blood. This can cause your adrenal glands to stop working correctly.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I use this cream on my face?
Can I cover the treated area with a bandage?
What should I do if the cream gets in my eyes?
How long should I use this cream?
Can children use this cream?
What are the signs of skin atrophy?
Can this cream cause other skin problems?
What if I accidentally swallow some of the cream?
Can I use this with other steroid creams?
Who should not use this cream?
What are the common side effects of betamethasone?
Does betamethasone interact with other medications?
What drug class is betamethasone?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for betamethasone?
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Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for betamethasone
The FDA label for betamethasone (sold under brand names such as Diprosone, Luxiq) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Topical Corticosteroid class. This cream treats skin problems that cause swelling, itching, and redness. Official labeling lists 5 commonly reported side effects, including Stinging (in adults), Skin getting thinner (in children), Spider veins (in children).
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. Voluntary reports accumulate over the lifetime of a drug and reflect wide-ranging clinical use. The database also lists 2 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.45.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: September 26, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages