Prescription Oral Treatments for Eczema
Here is an overview of FDA-approved prescription oral treatments for eczema.
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What are prescription oral treatments?
Oral treatments are medicines that are taken by mouth in the form of a pill for eczema. For children, oral medicines are liquid. These may include immunosuppressants and oral JAK inhibitors. These medicines require a prescription from a doctor (as opposed to over-the-counter products you can purchase without a prescription).
Oral steroids
Oral steroids, also known as corticosteroids or systemic steroids, reduce inflammatory proteins and tighten blood vessels under the skin to reduce redness and swelling. Systemic steroids are generally not recommended for routine treatment of eczema due to side effects and recurrence of eczema after stopping. In emergency situations, they should be used only for a short period of time to treat extremely severe eczema symptoms in children and adults.
If you are taking oral steroids for the short-term treatment of eczema, it’s important to work with your doctor to use and subsequently taper off this therapy appropriately and move to a longer-term treatment solution.
Oral immunosuppressants
An immunosuppressant helps control or suppress the immune system in order to slow down the symptoms of eczema. In eczema, when the immune system “switches on” for various reasons such as stress, allergens, irritants, dry skin, illnesses, it produces inflammation in the skin. It is this inflammation that causes the symptoms common to most types of eczema such as redness, itching and swelling. Immunosuppressants can be used to help stop the itch-scratch cycle of eczema, to allow the skin to heal and reduce the risk of skin infection. They are prescribed for moderate to severe eczema in children and adults.
Oral JAK inhibitors
Oral janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are a nonsteroidal medicine for long-term or chronic treatment of moderate to severe eczema. The inflammation in eczema is caused in part by immune system messengers called cytokines that are increased in the blood and the skin. Several of these inflammatory cytokines exert their effects through a chemical signal pathway inside cells known as the JAK-STAT pathway (janus kinase-signal transducer and activators of transcription). JAK inhibitor medicines can target the JAK-STAT pathway to block these immune signals and inhibit the inflammatory effect of key cytokines involved in eczema.
Topical JAK inhibitors work similarly to oral JAK inhibitors but are prescribed for mild to moderate eczema in adults and children.
FDA-approved prescription oral treatments
Oral corticosteroids, systemics and janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors
How they work: Taken by mouth as a capsule, tablet or liquid to slow down or selectively block parts of the immune system to reduce inflammation, which causes symptoms such as redness and swelling.
| Category | Treatment | Brand name | Who it’s for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral steroids | Prednisone (PRED-ni-sone) | Prednisone Intensol | Systemic steroids should be used only for a short period of time to treat extremely severe eczema symptoms in children and adults. | $ |
| Oral steroids | Prednisolone (pred-NISS-oh-lone) | Pediapred, FloPred, Orapred, Millipred, Prelone, Veripred | Systemic steroids should be used only for a short period of time to treat extremely severe eczema symptoms in children and adults. | $ |
| Systemic immunosuppressants | Azathioprine (AY-za-THYE-oh-prin) | Azasan, Imuran | Children and adults with moderate to severe eczema | $ |
| Systemic immunosuppressants | Cyclosporine (SYE-kloe-SPOR-in) | Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune | Children and adults with moderate to severe eczema | $$ |
| Systemic immunosuppressants | Methotrexate (METH-oh-TREX-ate) | Trexall, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Xatmep | Children and adults with moderate to severe eczema | $ |
| Systemic immunosuppressants | Mycophenolate mofetil (my-coh-FEN-oh-late MOW-fet-ill) | CellCept | Children and adults with moderate to severe eczema | $ |
| Oral JAK inhibitors | Abrocitinib (AB-ro-SIT-i-nib)* | Cibinqo | Ages 12 years and older; People with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis that is not adequately controlled with other systemic drug products, including biologics. | $$$$ |
| Oral JAK inhibitors | Upadacitinib (OOH-pad-i-SIT-i-nib)* | Rinvoq | Ages 12 and older; People with moderate to severe eczema that is not adequately controlled with other systemic drug products, including biologics. | $$$$ |
*Generic option not available
Atopic dermatitis treatment guide
Download a full list of all current FDA-approved treatments for atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema.
Medically reviewed on April 21, 2025.
