Dexamethasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid sold in the U.S. under 11 brand and generic names, for addison disease, brain edema and bursitis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class: Corticosteroid
Treats (across its forms): Addison Disease, Brain Edema and Bursitis
Available as: Topical · Tablet · Injectable · Spray/Inhaler · Spray/Inhaler, metered · Implant · Elixir · Solution · Insert
Sold as: 11 products — Decaderm, Decadron and Decadron-La, and others
Prescription?: Prescription only
Generic available?: Yes
Half-life: about 4 hours
What the pharmacy pays: about $0.24 per ml — not your price

How Maxidex is dosed

From the FDA label for Maxidex (application NDA013422). Other dexamethasone products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

One or two drops topically in the conjunctival sac(s). In severe disease, drops may be used hourly, being tapered to discontinuation as the inflammation subsides. In mild disease, drops may be used up to four to six times daily. Not more than one bottle should be prescribed initially, and the prescription should not be refilled without further evaluation as outlined in PRECAUTIONS above.

Everything below is the FDA label for Maxidex (). Dexamethasone is also sold as topical, tablet, injectable, spray/inhaler, spray/inhaler, metered, implant, elixir, solution and insert, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Maxidex side effects

Glaucoma with optic nerve damage, visual acuity and field defects; cataract formation; secondary ocular infection following suppression of host response; and perforation of the globe may occur. Clinical Studies Experience In clinical studies with MAXIDEX, the most frequently reports adverse reactions were ocular discomfort occurring in approximately 10% of the patients and eye irritation occurring in approximately 1% of the patients. All other adverse reactions from these studies occurred with a frequency less than 1%, including keratitis, conjunctivitis, dry eye, photophobia, blurred vision, eye pruritis, foreign body sensation, increased lacrimation, abnormal ocular sensation, eyelid margin crusting, and ocular hyperemia. Postmarketing Experience Additional adverse reactions identified from post-marketing use include corneal erosion, dizziness, eye pain, eyelid ptosis, headache, hypersensitivity reactions, and mydriasis. Frequencies cannot be estimated from the available data. The following additional adverse reactions have been reported with dexamethasone use: Cushing's syndrome and adrenal suppression may occur after use of dexamethasone in excess of the listed dosing instructions in predisposed patients, including children and patients treated with CYP3A4 inhibitors.

Who shouldn’t take Maxidex

Contraindicated in acute, untreated bacterial infections; mycobacterial ocular infections; epithelial herpes simplex (dendritic keratitis); vaccinia, varicella, and most other viral diseases of the cornea and conjunctiva; fungal disease of ocular structures; and in those persons who have shown hypersensitivity to any component of this preparation.

Every dexamethasone product we track (11)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Dexamethasone products
#	Drug	Rating	Type	Form	Generic?	Pharmacy pays
1	Decaderm	70/100	Prescription	Topical	Generic	$0	View →
2	Decadron	70/100	Prescription	Tablet	Generic	$0	View →
3	Decadron-La	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$0	View →
4	Dexacort	70/100	Prescription	Spray/Inhaler	Generic	$0	View →
5	Maxidex	70/100	Prescription	Suspension	Generic	$0	View →
6	Ozurdex	70/100	Prescription	Implant	Generic	$0	View →
7	Dexamethasone	Not yet rated	Prescription	Elixir	Generic	$0	View →
8	Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate	Not yet rated	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$0	View →
9	Dextenza	Not yet rated	Prescription	Insert	Generic	$0	View →
10	Dexycu Kit	Not yet rated	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$0	View →

What dexamethasone pills look like

Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.

Dexamethasone pill imprints
Imprint	Strength	Colour	Shape	Maker
54;960	0.75 mg	blue	round	—
54;892	4 mg	green	round	—

Combination products containing dexamethasone

A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.

Dexamethasone recalls

From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.

How long dexamethasone keeps

The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some dexamethasone labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 24 hours.

Does dexamethasone expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

Dexamethasone and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

Little information is available on the use of systemic dexamethasone during breastfeeding. Short-term use of dexamethasone is unlikely to affect the breastfed infant. An alternate corticosteroid might be preferred for long-tern use. Local injections, such as for tendinitis, are not expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. Medium to large doses of corticosteroids, including dexamethasone, given systemically or injected into joints or the breast have been reported to cause temporary reduction of lactation. See also Dexamethasone, Topical.

Full LactMed record for dexamethasone: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised June 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about dexamethasone

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 323,107 reports naming dexamethasone, and the FDA flagged 85% 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:

fatigue18,622 reports
diarrhoea18,507 reports
nausea15,466 reports
pneumonia15,189 reports
plasma cell myeloma14,665 reports
neutropenia12,723 reports
pyrexia12,476 reports
thrombocytopenia11,610 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean dexamethasone 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 August 25, 2026.

How long dexamethasone stays in your system

The elimination half-life of dexamethasone is about 4 hours. This is the plasma (terminal) elimination half-life — the label states the mean terminal half-life is 4 hours. Dexamethasone's anti-inflammatory/biologic effect lasts far longer than its blood levels (commonly cited biologic half-life ~36-54 hours), which is why it is dosed less often than the short plasma half-life implies; the drug is largely cleared from the blood within about a day (roughly 4-5 half-lives, ~1 day), but this clearance window is not the same as a drug-test detection window. Dexamethasone is ~77% protein-bound and metabolized by CYP3A4 (renal excretion is less than 10% of clearance), so strong CYP3A4 inhibitors/inducers can lengthen or shorten exposure. The manufacturer notes the effect of renal or hepatic impairment on its pharmacokinetics has not been formally studied.

HEMADY (dexamethasone) tablets — FDA label, Clinical Pharmacology (DailyMed) ↗

Half-life is how long the body takes to clear half a dose. It is not the same as how long a drug test can detect it, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.

Related calculators

Steroid conversion (this vs prednisone, dexamethasone…) →How long it stays in your system →

Frequently asked questions

What is Maxidex?

MAXIDEX (dexamethasone ophthalmic suspension) 0.1% is an adrenocortical steroid prepared as a sterile topical ophthalmic suspension.

What kind of drug is dexamethasone?

The FDA classifies dexamethasone 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.

How long does dexamethasone stay in your system?

The elimination half-life of dexamethasone is about 4 hours — that is how long the body takes to clear half of a dose. This is the plasma (terminal) elimination half-life — the label states the mean terminal half-life is 4 hours. Dexamethasone's anti-inflammatory/biologic effect lasts far longer than its blood levels (commonly cited biologic half-life ~36-54 hours), which is why it is dosed less often than the short plasma half-life implies; the drug is largely cleared from the blood within about a day (roughly 4-5 half-lives, ~1 day), but this clearance window is not the same as a drug-test detection window. Dexamethasone is ~77% protein-bound and metabolized by CYP3A4 (renal excretion is less than 10% of clearance), so strong CYP3A4 inhibitors/inducers can lengthen or shorten exposure. The manufacturer notes the effect of renal or hepatic impairment on its pharmacokinetics has not been formally studied. Half-life is not the same as how long a drug test can detect the drug, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.

Can you take dexamethasone 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 dexamethasone 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 dexamethasone sold under?

We track 11 dexamethasone-containing products in the U.S.: Decaderm, Decadron, Decadron-La, Dexacort, Maxidex, Ozurdex, Dexamethasone and Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate, and 3 more. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does dexamethasone come in?

Across the brands we track, dexamethasone is currently marketed as topical, tablet, injectable, spray/inhaler, spray/inhaler, metered, implant, elixir, solution and insert, 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 dexamethasone?

Yes. Our catalog lists 2 generic dexamethasone products 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.

Has dexamethasone been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement database lists at least 5 recall records whose product description mentions dexamethasone. The most recent: Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection (Feb 4, 2026). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.

Cite this page

APA: pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Dexamethasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dexamethasone
MLA: “Dexamethasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dexamethasone.

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 dexamethasone on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.