An active ingredient is the component of a medication that’s responsible for its effects. In addition to providing a therapeutic benefit, an active ingredient can also cause adverse or unintended effects that could cause mild discomfort, or worse.
When medication is prescribed for you, the beneficial effects should outweigh the adverse effects. Furthermore, adverse effects should be tolerable. If the active ingredients in any medication cause substantial or intolerable side effects for you, then the drug is usually discontinued.
According to the FDA, an active ingredient is any component that provides a pharmacological activity or other direct effects in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or animals.
Active ingredients are also known as therapeutically active ingredients or pharmaceutically active ingredients. In addition to active ingredients, most medications also contain inactive ingredients, such as colors, binders, and preservatives.
What Is Dovate cream?
Dovate topical cream or ointment contains the active ingredient clobetasol propionate which belongs to a class of drugs called topical corticosteroids. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. Generally, each gram of the 0.05% cream contains clobetasol propionate 0.5 mg in a cream base of cetyl alcohol, chlorocresol, citric acid, glyceryl monostearate, glyceryl stearate/polyethylene glycol 100 stearate, propylene glycol, purified water, sodium citrate, stearyl alcohol, and white wax.
This cream works by activating natural substances in the skin to reduce swelling, redness, and itching. Dovate cream also reduces the activity of your immune system. This prevents inflammation and itching and treats your skin condition.
Dovate cream is used to help relieve redness, itching, swelling, or other discomfort caused by skin conditions. This medication is used to treat a variety of skin conditions (e.g., eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, allergies, rash). Clobetasol reduces the swelling, itching, and redness that can occur in these types of conditions. Dovate Cream may be used as part of a combination therapy. This means you may need to take it with other medications. Dovate Cream is used cosmetically by dark-skinned women for skin whitening, although this use is controversial.
Active Ingredient: clobetasol propionate
Inactive Ingredients: hypromellose, propylene glycol, mineral oil, polyoxyethylene glycol 300 isostearate, carbomer 1342, sodium hydroxide and purified water.
What are the side effects of Dovate cream?
Dovate cream can cause side effects. The most common side effects of Dovate cream include:
- burning, irritation, and itching of the skin where you applied the drug
If these effects are mild, they may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. If they’re more severe or don’t go away, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Serious side effects
Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life-threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency. Serious side effects and their symptoms can include the following:
Adrenal insufficiency. Symptoms can include:
- low blood pressure
- fainting
- dizziness
- tiredness
Cushing’s syndrome. Symptoms can include:
high blood sugar or blood sugar in your urine, with symptoms such as:
- urinating more often than normal
- intense thirst
- intense hunger
- high blood pressure
Interaction
Dovate creamcan interact with other medications, vitamins, or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well.
To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, vitamins, or herbs you’re taking. To find out how this drug might interact with something else you’re taking, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with Dovate creamare listed below:
Corticosteroids
Do not take these drugs with clobetasol. Doing so can cause dangerous effects in your body. Examples of these drugs include:
- prednisone
Taking Dovate creamwith other corticosteroids may cause the steroids in your body to build up to dangerous levels. This can cause Cushing’s syndrome and high blood sugar. It may also stop your adrenal glands from working well.
Dovate cream warnings
Dovate creamcomes with several warnings.
Allergy warning: Dovate creammay cause allergic skin reactions that are difficult to heal. Your doctor may do a skin patch test to check if you have an allergic skin reaction. Symptoms of a skin reaction can include:
- skin irritation that doesn’t heal
This drug may also cause severe allergic reactions. Symptoms can include:
- trouble breathing
- swelling of your throat or tongue
If you have an allergic reaction, call your doctor or local poison control center right away. If your symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Don’t take this drug again if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to it. Taking it again could be fatal (cause death).
Drug transfer warning
This drug may transfer to other people if they touch your treated skin. Be sure to wash your hands well with soap and water after you apply it.
Warnings for people with certain health conditions
For people with liver problems: This drug is processed by your liver. If you have severe liver problems, your body may not be able to break down this drug as well. This could cause the drug to build up in your body. This may increase your risk of side effects.
Warnings for other groups
For pregnant women: Dovate cream is a category C pregnancy drug. That means two things:
- Research in animals has shown adverse effects to the fetus when the mother takes the drug.
- There haven’t been enough studies done in humans to be certain how the drug might affect the fetus.
- Talk to your doctor if you’re pregnant or plan to become pregnant. This drug should only be used if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk.
For women who are breastfeeding: Dovate creammay pass into breast milk and cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Talk to your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.
For seniors: The kidneys, liver, and heart of an older adult may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This raises your risk of side effects. Your doctor may start you on a lowered dosage or a different treatment schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body.
For children: Dovate creamtopical cream has not been confirmed as safe and effective for use in children younger than 12 years. Most form of the drug, has not been confirmed as safe and effective for use in children younger than 18 years.
This drug may cause children’s adrenal glands to work more slowly. It may cause children to develop Cushing’s syndrome, grow more slowly, and gain weight. This drug can also increase brain pressure in children. Your child’s doctor can tell you more.
