Price
10 tablets of dexamethasone with a dose of 8 mg per tablet cost just under 22 euros. However, dexamethasone is only available on prescription. If a cash prescription is submitted, 5 euros per prescription are charged.
There are numerous different dosages (0.5 mg, 1.5 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg, 8 mg) and pack sizes. 100 tablets of dexamethasone á 8 mg cost about 123 Euro. Dexamethasone is also available in drop form.
For example Monodex 1mg/ml. Here 50 small bottles of 0.4 ml cost about 28 euros. The eye drops are also available on prescription.
Dexamethasone in tablet form
Dexamethasone is available as tablets in a dose of 0.5 mg, 1.5 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg or 8 mg. The package sizes vary from 10 to 100 pieces. The recommended dose depends strongly on the underlying disease and should be determined by the treating physician.
If taken over a longer period of time, all of the side effects listed above may occur. The lowest price for 20 tablets of 0.5 mg each is 13 Euros. The tablets are only available on prescription, so that they usually cost only 5 Euros for a patient with health insurance.
Dexamethasone as ointment
Dexamethasone is contained both as a cream and as an ointment. The cream contains only dexamethasone and is intended for use in inflammatory skin conditions. The cream is available only on prescription.
25 mg cost about 15.50. If you present a prescription from the health insurance company, you will have to pay 5.40 Euro. The ointment on the other hand is a combination preparation of dexamethasone, a disinfectant and an anti-fungal drug (nystatin).
It is used for inflammatory skin diseases with simultaneous fungal infestation. The ointment is available only on prescription. 20 g of Nystalocal ointment cost 21 euros.
On cash prescription 5 Euro. Dexamethasone in ointment or cream form may cause side effects such as skin irritation with burning and itching of the skin and allergic reactions with rashes up to anaphylactic shock. Long-term use can lead to thinning of the skin, changes in hair growth and streaking of the skin. The so-called steroid acne, an acne of the skin caused by a long-term therapy with glucocorticoids, can also occur as a side effect.
Dexamethasone as eye ointment/eye drops
Dexamethasone eye drops are available in different preparations. There are preparations containing only dexamethasone as the active ingredient and numerous combination preparations. These combination preparations usually consist of dexamethasone and an antibiotic.
One example is Isoptomax® eye drops that contain dexamethasone and the antibiotic neomycin. Another example is combination products containing dexamethasone and the antibiotic gentamicin. All these preparations are used for the treatment of eye inflammation.
If it is a combination preparation with an antibiotic, it is used for inflammation of the eye with simultaneous bacterial infection. Depending on the ophthalmologist‘s instructions, the drops should be given into the affected eye once or several times a day. Possible side effects include a slight burning sensation in the eye and dilation of the pupil.
Long-term use may increase the risk of developing increased intraocular pressure (glaucoma). If dexamethasone is applied locally, there are usually significantly fewer side effects than with systemic therapy. All eye drops containing dexamethasone are available only on prescription and therefore usually do not cost more than 5 Euros for patients with health insurance. In addition to the eye drops, there is also dexamethasone eye ointment for use in inflammatory diseases of the eyes.
