Desoximetasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Desoximetasone is a corticosteroid sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for facial dermatoses, foot dermatoses and hand dermatoses. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Corticosteroid
- Treats (across its forms)
- Facial Dermatoses, Foot Dermatoses and Hand Dermatoses
- Available as
- Topical · Spray/Inhaler
- Sold as
- 2 products — Desoximetasone and Topicort
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $0.40 per gm — not your price
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How Desoximetasone is dosed
From the FDA label for Desoximetasone (application ANDA205594). Other desoximetasone products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Apply a thin film of desoximetasone ointment USP, 0.25% to the affected skin areas twice daily. Rub in gently.
Everything below is the FDA label for Desoximetasone (topical). Desoximetasone is also sold as spray/inhaler, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Desoximetasone side effects
The following local adverse reactions are reported infrequently with topical corticosteroids, but may occur more frequently with the use of occlusive dressings. These reactions are listed in an approximate decreasing order of occurrence: Burning, itching, irritation, dryness, folliculitis, hypertrichosis, acneiform eruptions, hypopigmentation, perioral dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, maceration of the skin, secondary infection, skin atrophy, striae, and miliaria. In controlled clinical studies the incidence of adverse reactions was low (0.3%) for desoximetasone ointment, 0.25% and included mild burning sensation at the site of application.
Who shouldn’t take Desoximetasone
Desoximetasone ointment, 0.25% is contraindicated in those patients with a history of hypersensitivity to any of the components of the preparation.
Every desoximetasone product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $0 | View → | |
| 2 | 70/100 | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $0 | View → |
How long desoximetasone keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some desoximetasone labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 30 days.
Does desoximetasone expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsDesoximetasone and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for desoximetasone: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadDesoximetasone has not been studied during breastfeeding. Since only extensive application of the most potent corticosteroids cause systemic effects in the mother, it is unlikely that short-term application of topical corticosteroids would pose a risk to the breastfed infant by passage into breastmilk. However, it would be prudent to use the least potent drug on the smallest area of skin possible. It is particularly important to ensure that the infant's skin does not come into direct contact with the areas of skin that have been treated. Only the lower potency corticosteroids should be used on the nipple or areola where the infant could directly ingest the drugs from the skin. Only water-miscible cream or gel products should be applied to the breast because ointments may expose the infant to high levels of mineral paraffins via licking. Any topical corticosteroid should be wiped off thoroughly prior to nursing if it is being applied to the breast or nipple area.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised January 18, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about desoximetasone
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 17,868 reports naming desoximetasone, and the FDA flagged 96% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- fatigue8,594 reports
- rheumatoid arthritis8,035 reports
- alopecia8,019 reports
- systemic lupus erythematosus7,845 reports
- abdominal discomfort7,644 reports
- pemphigus7,608 reports
- glossodynia7,400 reports
- swelling6,966 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean desoximetasone caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Desoximetasone?
Desoximetasone is a corticosteroid used to treat Facial Dermatoses, Foot Dermatoses, Hand Dermatoses, Inflammation.
What kind of drug is desoximetasone?
The FDA classifies desoximetasone as a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids mimic the body's natural stress hormone cortisol: they enter cells and bind a glucocorticoid receptor that switches off genes for inflammatory chemicals, calming swelling, redness, and an overactive immune response. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take desoximetasone with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run desoximetasone against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is desoximetasone sold under?
We track 2 desoximetasone-containing products in the U.S.: Desoximetasone and Topicort. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does desoximetasone come in?
Across the brands we track, desoximetasone is currently marketed as topical and spray/inhaler, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic desoximetasone?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic desoximetasone product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Desoximetasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/desoximetasone
- MLA
- “Desoximetasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/desoximetasone.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for desoximetasone on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.