Clotrimazole and Betamethasone (Topical)

Brand Names : Lotrisone, Lotriderm

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For clotrimazole and betamethasone combination, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or to clotrimazole (e.g., Gyne-Lotrimin, Lotrimin), betamethasone (e.g., Valisone), butoconazole (e.g., Femstat), econazole (e.g., Ecostatin, Spectazole), ketoconazole (e.g., Nizoral), miconazole (e.g., Monistat, Monistat-Derm), terconazole (e.g., Terazol 7), or to any of the other corticosteroids. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as preservatives or dyes.

Pregnancy - Clotrimazole and betamethasone combination has not been studied in pregnant women. However, for the individual medicines:

• Clotrimazole - Clotrimazole (e.g., Gyne-Lotrimin), used in the vagina, has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in studies in rats or humans. However, clotrimazole (e.g., Mycelex), given by mouth, has been shown to cause a decrease in successful pregnancies, but no birth defects, in rats and mice.
• Betamethasone - Studies in animals have shown that corticosteroids, given by mouth or by injection, may cause birth defects, even at low doses. Also, some of the stronger corticosteroids have been shown to cause birth defects when applied to the skin of animals.

Therefore, this medicine should not be used on large areas of the skin, in large amounts, or for a long time in pregnant patients. Before using this medicine, make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or if you may become pregnant.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether topical clotrimazole and betamethasone combination passes into the breast milk. However, clotrimazole and betamethasone may be absorbed into the mother's body and risk-benefit should be considered.

• Betamethasone - Corticosteroids, given by mouth or by injection, do pass into the breast milk. They may cause unwanted effects, such as slower growth rate of nursing babies.

Children - Clotrimazole and betamethasone combination may rarely cause serious side effects. Some of these side effects may be more likely to occur in children, who may absorb greater amounts of this medicine than adults do. Long-term use in children may affect growth and development as well. Therefore, it is especially important that you discuss with the child's doctor the good that this medicine may do, as well as the risks of using it.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of clotrimazole and betamethasone combination in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are using any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of clotrimazole and betamethasone combination. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Bacteria infections of the skin or
• Diaper dermatitis (diaper rash) on your child or
• Skin diseases causing impaired circulation, such as stasis dermatitis - Betamethasone may make the condition worse

• Herpes or
• Vaccinia (cowpox) or
• Varicella (chickenpox) or
• Other virus infections of the skin - Betamethasone may speed up the spread of virus infections

• Tuberculosis (TB) of the skin - Betamethasone may make a TB infection worse