Dermatovate in the U.S.?
from Jim M.

I’m a trucker who used to run to the Texas valley a lot. Over the border in Mexico there is a cream sold at the pharmacies called Dermatovate.  Anyone know where I can find it here in U.S.?   This stuff worked for me.  I have a mild case of P on my elbows and knees.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks,   -Jim M.

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Ed’s Response:  I doubt whether you can buy it over-the-counter in the U.S., Jim.  My web search revealed that Dermatovate contains clobetasol and is sold, also, as Temovate cream (available in the U.S. by prescription) and Tegretol (outside the U.S.).

There’s no wonder it worked for you.  Clobetasol propionate, the active ingredient in Temovate but also available here as a generic, is one of the most potent corticosteroids prescribed.  It’s generally agreed that the strength is either inhibited or mitigated by the base, with creams being the least effective and gels (and/or ointments) being the most effective.  Clobetasol propionate is available across the range of bases, including as a foam in Olux.

If you don’t use a dermatologist here you might get your GP to prescribe one or more of these formulations of clobetasol.  I know how you feel.  It’s the best topical corticosteroid in my experience, too.  It’s the unmentioned ingredient that made Skin-Cap work so well for so many several years ago.  Of course, once it was discovered, the FDA made Skin-Cap go away in the U.S. until the manufacturers would agree to have it tested and approved as a prescription compound with clobetasol as its active ingredient.  (Which they’ve never done.)

Why does clobetasol propionate require a prescription?  As a powerful corticosteroid it can be overused and cause serious side-effects, including thinning of the skin and circulation problems in and under the skin.  Even more drastically, if the steroid systematizes into other areas of the body, via the blood stream, it can cause whole other litanies of grief.  As a prescribed drug, doctors are supposed to supervise its administration and watch for these bad things, ideally catching them before they are serious.  -Ed

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