Mometasone Furoate
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Elocon and Elocon Alcohol Free.
It does not contain all the available information.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you using Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free against the benefits it is expected to have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine.
You may need to read it again.
What Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free is used for
The name of your medicine is Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free. It contains the active ingredient called mometasone furoate.
It is a type of cortisone and belongs to the group of medicines called corticosteroids. Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free is classified as a high potency topical corticosteroid.
There are three forms of this medicine: cream, ointment and lotion.
Elocon and Elocon Alcohol Free are used on the skin to relieve the redness, swelling, itching and discomfort of many skin problems such as:
psoriasis
eczema
other types of dermatitis.
Elocon Lotion is also used on the scalp and hairy parts of the body.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Before you use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free
When you must not use it
Do not use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free if you have an allergy to:
any medicine containing mometasone furoate
any other corticosteroid
any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
shortness of breath
wheezing or difficulty breathing
swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
rash, itching or hives on the skin.
Do not use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free if you have:
a viral skin infection (such as cold sores, shingles or chicken pox)
a fungal skin infection (such as thrush, tinea or ringworm)
tuberculosis of the skin
acne rosacea
inflammation around the mouth
skin conditions with ulcers.
Ask your doctor if you are not sure whether you have any of these conditions.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.
If you are not sure whether you should start using this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Before you start to use it
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergies to:
any other medicines
any other substances, such as foods, dyes or preservatives.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding.
Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.
Tell your doctor if you have any other medical conditions, especially if you have an infection.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell him/her before you start using Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free .
Using other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using other creams, ointments or lotions or taking any other medicines. This includes any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free may interfere with each other.
How to use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free
How to use it
Apply a thin film of Elocon Alcohol Free Cream or Elocon Ointment or a few drops of Elocon Lotion to the affected skin or scalp once daily. Massage gently until it disappears.
It is important to use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free exactly as your doctor has told you. If you use it less often than you should, it may not work as well and your skin problem may not improve. Using it more often than you should may not improve your skin problem any faster and may cause or increase side effects.
How long to use it
Do not use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free for more than four weeks at a time unless your doctor tells you.
If you forget to use it
If you forget to use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free, use it as soon as you remember and then go back to your normal time for applying Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free. Do not try to make up for the amount you missed by using more than you would normally.
If you swallow it
Immediately telephone your doctor or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have swallowed Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
You may need urgent medical attention.
Keep the telephone numbers of these places handy.
While you are using Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free
Things you must do
Tell all doctors and pharmacists who are treating you that you are using Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free .
Tell your doctor if you feel that Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free is not helping your condition or if your skin condition worsens or appear to be infected.
Tell your doctor if, for any reason, you have not used Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free exactly as prescribed.
Otherwise, your doctor may think that it was not effective and change your treatment unnecessarily.
Things you must not do
Do not use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free under dressings or on large areas of skin unless your doctor tells you.
Do not use plastic pants or tight fitting nappies if Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free is to be used on the nappy area of young children.
Do not use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free in or near the eyes.
Do not give Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free to anyone else even if their symptoms seem similar to yours.
Do not use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free to treat other conditions unless your doctor tells you.
Your doctor has prescribed Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free especially for you and your condition. If you use it for another condition, it may not work or make the condition worse.
Things to be careful of
Do not use large amounts for a long time.
If you use large amounts for a long time, the chance of absorption through the skin and the chance of side effects increases.
Only use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free on skin areas that rub together such as under the arm or in the groin area if your doctor tells you.
Only use Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free on the face if your doctor tells you.
If improvement does not occur within one week, tell your doctor.
Side Effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are using Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free.
This medicine helps most people with skin problems, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some side effects.
Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Elocon and Elocon Alcohol Free are generally well tolerated.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
itching
burning
tingling/stinging
thinning of the skin
appearance of small blood vessels on the surface on the skin
stretch marks or streaks on the skin
acne/pimples/lumps on the skin/blisters containing pus
redness
boils/abscesses
dermatitis
increased size of affected area/worsening of disease
numbness
dry skin
inflamed hair roots
vision disturbances or blurred vision
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.
Side effects that may happen with oral or injectables corticosteroids may also occur with corticosteroids used on the skin, especially in infants and children.
After using Elocon or Elocon Alcohol Free
Storage
Keep Elocon and Elocon Alcohol Free in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.
Do not refrigerate Elocon and Elocon Alcohol Free.
Do not store Elocon and Elocon Alcohol Free or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it on a window sill or in the car.
Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.
Keep it where children cannot reach it. Keep the medicine away from pets.
A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
If your doctor tells you to stop using this medicine or the expiry date has passed, ask your pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.
Product Description
What it looks like
Elocon Alcohol Free Cream is a white to off-white cream. It is packed in 5g, 15g, 45g and 50 g tubes.
Elocon Ointment is a white to off-white ointment. It is packed in 5g, 15g, 45g and 50 g tubes.
Elocon Lotion is a colourless to light yellow lotion. It is packed in 30mL bottles.
Ingredients
Elocon Alcohol Free Cream contains:
mometasone furoate 1 mg/g
soft white paraffin
hexylene glycol
aluminium starch octenylsuccinate
hydrogenated phosphatidylcholine
white beeswax
purified water
titanium dioxide
phosphoric acid.
Elocon Alcohol Free Cream does not contain any preservatives.
Elocon Ointment contains:
mometasone furoate 1 mg/g
soft white paraffin
hexylene glycol
white beeswax
purified water
propylene glycol monostearate
phosphoric acid.
Elocon Ointment does not contain any preservatives.
Elocon Lotion contains:
mometasone furoate 1 mg/g
isopropyl alcohol
propylene glycol
hydroxypropylcellulose
sodium phosphate monobasic dihydrate
phosphoric acid
purified water.
Elocon Lotion does not contain any preservatives.
