Tazarotene in combination with topical corticosteroids

The use of a topical corticosteroid in combination with tazarotene has theoretic appeal because each drug has a different mechanism of action, and it is therefore likely that combination therapy will offer additive or synergistic effects. For example, the steroid may promote a rapid initial response together with minimization of erythema during the treatment period, and tazarotene may prolong the duration of the therapeutic effect and lower the probability of relapse. The results of a large, controlled clinical trial in which corticosteroids of various potencies were added to tazarotene therapy showed that tazarotene plus a medium- or high potency corticosteroid produced greater and more rapid efficacy, and superior tolerability, than tazarotene plus placebo cream.