Clobetasone Butyrate 0.05% Cream 30g (Prescription)

Clobetasone butyrate 0.05% is a moderately potent prescription-only steroid (corticosteroid) cream used for a short course to calm a flare of eczema or dermatitis that a mild steroid such as hydrocortisone has not controlled. This prescription pack is a 30g tube, twice the size of the 15g pharmacy (P) pack. At Ways Pharmacy it is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed your skin and confirmed that it is appropriate for the area and the severity of the flare.

How to access this medicine

1. Start your free online assessment. Answer the health questions online and confirm your identity (upload photo ID, or show it on a video call). You also upload clear photos of the affected skin, so the pharmacist can see where the rash is, how far it has spread and whether it looks infected.
2. Pharmacist reviews and speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video to go through your answers and confirm whether this medicine is suitable. Young people aged 12 to 17 can use the online service, but a parent or guardian must be present on the video call. If the photos are not clear enough, the pharmacist may ask you to come into the pharmacy.
3. If suitable, order and pay on this page. Once the pharmacist confirms the medicine is suitable, you order and pay on this page, or call 020 8106 7084. If it is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends self-care instead — you pay nothing, and the pharmacist explains your other options. If you have already paid and the pharmacist finds the medicine is not suitable, you receive a full refund.
4. We post your medicine or you collect it. Orders placed by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from Holborn.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

About this medicine

For a small patch, the 15g pharmacy pack of clobetasone 0.05% (Eumovate Eczema & Dermatitis) can be sold after the pharmacist checks it is suitable, without this assessment. The 30g prescription pack is for flares that need more cream.

Dosage

• Apply a thin layer to the inflamed skin only, once or twice a day
• Use for up to 7 days, and stop sooner once the flare is under control
• One 30g tube is supplied for a course. A further supply needs a new assessment
• Keep using your emollient (moisturiser) every day, but leave a gap between applying the emollient and the steroid
• Do not cover with dressings or wrap the area unless the pharmacist tells you to, and wash your hands afterwards unless you are treating your hands

The pharmacist will confirm how much to apply and for how long. If a milder steroid is likely to be enough, the pharmacist may suggest hydrocortisone 1% for adults instead. If the flare is more severe, the pharmacist may suggest betamethasone valerate 0.1%.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Children under 12 — please see a GP
• Anyone allergic to clobetasone or any ingredient in the cream (it contains cetostearyl alcohol and chlorocresol)
• Skin that looks infected (increasing pain, pus, yellow crusts, a lot of weeping), or a rash caused by cold sores, chickenpox, fungal infection or untreated scabies
• Acne, rosacea or a rash around the mouth (perioral dermatitis) — steroids can make these worse
• The face, around the eyes, the groin, genitals or skin folds, unless the pharmacist specifically advises it — thin skin absorbs steroids more easily
• Severe or widespread eczema, red skin over most of the body, or needing steroid creams again and again without a review — please see a GP
• Tell the pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding, do not apply it to the breast

Get urgent medical help the same day if eczema suddenly becomes painful with clusters of small blisters or punched-out sores, especially with a fever — this can be eczema herpeticum.

Possible side effects

Short courses used as directed are usually well tolerated. Burning, stinging, itching or irritation where it is applied can happen. Using a steroid for too long, over large areas, under dressings or on thin skin can cause skin thinning, stretch marks, visible small blood vessels, easy bruising or changes in skin colour — which is why courses are kept short. Stop and get medical advice if the skin looks infected or the rash gets worse, and tell a healthcare professional if you notice blurred vision.

More about our eczema and dermatitis service.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.