What may be at the pharmacy
Generic products are available. Dovonex is a familiar former brand name; the tube may show only calcipotriene.
US cost and coverage snapshot · checked August 16, 2026
Generic calcipotriene products are available; Dovonex is a familiar former brand name.
Vendor estimate checked August 16, 2026: roughly $55–$80 with a coupon for a common 60 g calcipotriene 0.005% cream prescription. Prices vary, and this is not a standard vitiligo treatment cost.
Coverage is plan-specific. Its FDA-approved indication is psoriasis, not vitiligo, so off-label use can affect coverage or authorization.
- GoodRx (opens in a new tab): Current discounted cash estimate for calcipotriene cream · vendor · low confidence · checked August 16, 2026
Patient-community context · anecdotal
What some people described online
The one linked discussion mentioned calcipotriene as part of a larger plan, making benefit and side-effect attribution impossible. One discussion cannot support a reliable community summary.
These are self-selected posts, not clinical evidence. Diagnoses, products, other treatments, and adherence cannot be verified. There is no denominator. The posts cannot establish efficacy, frequency, typical experience, safety, what caused an experience, or support a treatment recommendation.
These posts are registered as Tier 6 lived experience for question discovery. They are not citations supporting a treatment claim. Relationship status: not established.
- Community discussion · multi-treatment · March 2024Pseudonymous poster in an online support group · Lived experience - not evidence · published March 16, 2024 · checked August 16, 2026The author is pseudonymous. Their identity, product use, other treatments, adherence, and financial or organizational relationships cannot be verified.
Compare this topical with another option
Is calcipotriene approved for vitiligo?
No. The current US label is for plaque psoriasis, not vitiligo. Calcipotriene is a vitamin D analog. In psoriasis, it slows excess skin-cell growth and calms the inflammation that builds into plaques. In vitiligo, it is sometimes added off-label alongside phototherapy. The theory is not that the cream repigments skin on its own, but that it may help light treatment work better. The vitiligo guidelines I read found too little reliable evidence to treat it as a routine option. Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
- Sources cited, not yet graded
Calcipotriene is the US name for calcipotriol. Most of the vitiligo research I read studies the combination with phototherapy, not the cream by itself.
Considerations
- Depends on you
Limited evidence does not establish whether calcipotriene adds benefit for a particular person, body area, age, or phototherapy pairing. A combination result cannot isolate what this cream contributed on its own.
Questions for your clinician
Why is this lower-confidence option being considered for me?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.What evidence applies to the exact product, body area, and phototherapy pairing?
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What does the pooled evidence say about combining it with phototherapy?
A 2022 systematic review pooled 14 studies, 642 patients, testing a vitamin D analog added to phototherapy against phototherapy alone. Combining either calcipotriol or tacalcitol with narrowband UVB was linked to more people responding overall. Broken out by analog, calcipotriol specifically showed a smaller effect (a relative risk of 1.24) than tacalcitol (2.25) - a statistically significant difference. The review found no added benefit when a vitamin D analog was combined with PUVA or excimer light instead of narrowband UVB. Evidence
Why this matters
- Sources cited, not yet graded
The review I read separates calcipotriol results from tacalcitol results. That analog-by-analog number is the one that applies to calcipotriol specifically, not the larger pooled headline figure for “either analog.”
Considerations
- Depends on you
A relative risk of 1.24 is a modest pooled effect, not a guarantee. It describes calcipotriol paired specifically with narrowband UVB - not PUVA, not excimer light, and not calcipotriene used alone.
Questions for your clinician
Is narrowband UVB part of my plan, or a different light treatment?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.How much of this pooled benefit is realistic to expect for me?
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What did a specific trial find?
One right-left comparison trial tested this directly. Twenty people with generalized vitiligo received narrowband UVB on both sides of the body, with calcipotriol added twice daily to one side only. Overall, 55% (11 of 20) reached cosmetically acceptable repigmentation - but the trial did not find an advantage on the calcipotriol side. At the 24th session, the side without calcipotriol actually did significantly better. By the 48th, 72nd, and 96th sessions, there was no significant difference between the two sides. Evidence
Why this matters
- Sources cited, not yet graded
This is the trial I read that compares calcipotriol added to narrowband UVB against narrowband UVB alone, on the same person, side by side.
Considerations
- Depends on you
One trial of 20 people cannot rule out a different result in a larger group or a different vitiligo pattern. Its own finding, though, is that adding calcipotriol did not help, and briefly looked worse.
Questions for your clinician
Given this trial found no added benefit, why does calcipotriene fit my plan?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.Would you expect a different result for me, and why?
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How often is it used, and for how long?
The psoriasis label directs applying a thin layer twice daily. The label’s own safety and efficacy data cover an 8-week treatment period - for psoriasis, not vitiligo. The one trial that tested it directly for vitiligo used that same twice-daily application. Alongside it, patients had narrowband UVB sessions on a clinician-set weekly schedule, up to 96 sessions total. Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
- Sources cited, not yet graded
The label I read states the twice-daily frequency and 8-week trial period for its approved psoriasis use. The vitiligo-specific trial used that same twice-daily schedule over a much longer course, tied to its phototherapy sessions.
Considerations
- Depends on you
Neither source sets a vitiligo-specific duration. Off-label use means your prescriber sets the actual schedule and review point for you.
Questions for your clinician
What exact schedule do you want me to follow, and for how long?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.When would we know if it is not helping?
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What label warnings and skin reactions should I understand?
The psoriasis label reports skin irritation in about 10%-15% of patients - the most common reaction - and rash, itching, dermatitis, or worsening of psoriasis in about 1%-10%. Reports since approval also include contact dermatitis. The label instructs not to use the cream on the face, and lists hypercalcemia or vitamin D toxicity as contraindications, along with calcium-related and ultraviolet precautions. Those label facts help define safety questions; they do not establish vitiligo benefit, support a self-directed combination, or predict personal risk. Evidence
Why this matters
- Sources cited, not yet graded
I read the current label for the exact product’s form, strength, contraindications, warnings, and reactions. The percentages above come from psoriasis clinical trials, not a vitiligo-specific safety study.
Considerations
- Depends on you
A psoriasis label does not tell you how often effects occur in people using it for vitiligo alongside phototherapy. Nothing you read online can show whether the medicine caused a new skin finding or symptom.
Questions for your clinician
Which label warnings matter for my health history and other medicines?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.Which of these reactions should I just watch, and which should prompt a call?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.Which changes should make me contact the care team?
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What if I am also using or considering phototherapy?
Tell both the prescriber and phototherapy team. The calcipotriene label tells patients applying it to sun-exposed skin to avoid excessive natural or artificial sunlight. It separately tells physicians they may wish to limit or avoid phototherapy in patients using this product. That is a direct tension with the off-label vitiligo practice of pairing calcipotriene with narrowband UVB - the exact combination most of the vitiligo evidence is about. That conflict needs an explicit, coordinated answer; it is not permission to combine them on your own. Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
- Sources cited, not yet graded
The product label I read sets a US regulatory caution against added ultraviolet exposure. Vitiligo research on this medicine specifically studies it paired with phototherapy - the same combination the label cautions about.
Considerations
- Depends on you
The label and the vitiligo research answer different questions and were not written to reconcile with each other. Only a coordinated prescriber and phototherapy team can resolve this for your specific schedule.
Questions for your clinician
How does the label’s phototherapy caution affect my specific plan?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.Who is coordinating the calcipotriene and phototherapy instructions?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.Who resolves conflicts in my written instructions?
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What is worth tracking while you use it?
Keep a simple, dated record: when you started, that you are applying it twice daily, and which phototherapy sessions you attend alongside it. Add a same-conditions photo (same light, distance, and angle) each time. The one trial that tested this exact combination found no advantage by session 96. That is a reason not to judge results from an early look, and to bring your dated record to whatever check-in point your prescriber sets. Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
- Sources cited, not yet graded
A dated, comparable record is what lets a scheduled check-in actually answer whether adding calcipotriene is doing anything beyond the phototherapy itself.
Considerations
- Depends on you
A photo log does not replace a clinical exam and cannot by itself tell you whether a reaction has started.
Questions for your clinician
What should I track between now and my next check-in?
Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.When would we decide to stop the calcipotriene and continue phototherapy alone?
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Evidence and update context
This optional layer shows the evidence boundary I reviewed as of 2026-09-19.
- What this evidence supports
- Calcipotriene is the US name for calcipotriol. Most of the vitiligo research I read studies the combination with phototherapy, not the cream by itself.
- What it does not establish
- Limited evidence does not establish whether calcipotriene adds benefit for a particular person, body area, age, or phototherapy pairing. A combination result cannot isolate what this cream contributed on its own.
Pending clinical review
This statement has a dated source and is waiting for a clinician's sign-off.
Pending clinical review
This statement has a dated source and is waiting for a clinician's sign-off.
Pending clinical review
This statement has a dated source and is waiting for a clinician's sign-off.
Pending clinical review
This statement has a dated source and is waiting for a clinician's sign-off.
Pending clinical review
This statement has a dated source and is waiting for a clinician's sign-off.
Pending clinical review
This statement has a dated source and is waiting for a clinician's sign-off.
Pending clinical review
This statement has a dated source and is waiting for a clinician's sign-off.
Applicability check
Who was studied?
These fields show what the cited evidence reports about the people and body sites behind outcome or safety claims. “Not reported” means the reviewed source omitted the field; “Pending exact source review” means SteadySkin has not made that determination yet.
A 2022 systematic review pooled 14 studies, 642 patients, testing a vitamin D analog added to phototherapy against phototherapy alone. Combining either calcipotriol or tacalcitol with narrowband UVB was linked to more people responding overall. Broken out by analog, calcipotriol specifically showed a smaller effect (a relative risk of 1.24) than tacalcitol (2.25) - a statistically significant difference. The review found no added benefit when a vitamin D analog was combined with PUVA or excimer light instead of narrowband UVB.
- Age range
- Not reported
- Condition subtype
- Vitiligo, across the pooled studies.
- Severity or extent
- Not reported
- Sample size
- 14 studies, 642 patients. Each tested calcipotriol or tacalcitol added to light treatment. The by-analog breakdown does not give its own sample size for calcipotriol alone.
- Geography and care setting
- Not reported
- Skin tone or phototype
- Not reported
- Race
- Not reported
- Ethnicity
- Not reported
- Body sites
- Not reported
What that means for this page: This is a pooled review across studies using calcipotriol, tacalcitol, or both. Studies used different types of light: narrowband UVB, PUVA, excimer light. The calcipotriol-only figure (RR 1.24) is smaller than the tacalcitol-only figure (RR 2.25). It applies only to the narrowband UVB pairing. The review found no added benefit for a vitamin D analog paired with PUVA or excimer light. It is not a prediction for one person, one patch, or one body site. It sets no dose or schedule.
One right-left comparison trial tested this directly. Twenty people with generalized vitiligo received narrowband UVB on both sides of the body, with calcipotriol added twice daily to one side only. Overall, 55% (11 of 20) reached cosmetically acceptable repigmentation - but the trial did not find an advantage on the calcipotriol side. At the 24th session, the side without calcipotriol actually did significantly better. By the 48th, 72nd, and 96th sessions, there was no significant difference between the two sides.
- Age range
- Not reported
- Condition subtype
- Generalized vitiligo.
- Severity or extent
- Not reported
- Sample size
- 20 patients. Each was their own comparison: narrowband UVB on both sides, calcipotriol added twice daily to one side only.
- Geography and care setting
- Not reported
- Skin tone or phototype
- Not reported
- Race
- Not reported
- Ethnicity
- Not reported
- Body sites
- Not reported
What that means for this page: This is one small trial in 20 patients with generalized vitiligo. It found no added benefit from calcipotriol over narrowband UVB alone, at any session count. It found a disadvantage at session 24. It cannot rule out a different result in a larger group or a different vitiligo pattern. It is not a prediction for one person.
The psoriasis label reports skin irritation in about 10%-15% of patients - the most common reaction - and rash, itching, dermatitis, or worsening of psoriasis in about 1%-10%. Reports since approval also include contact dermatitis. The label instructs not to use the cream on the face, and lists hypercalcemia or vitamin D toxicity as contraindications, along with calcium-related and ultraviolet precautions. Those label facts help define safety questions; they do not establish vitiligo benefit, support a self-directed combination, or predict personal risk.
- Age range
- Not reported
- Condition subtype
- Plaque psoriasis, the label’s approved indication - not vitiligo.
- Severity or extent
- Not reported
- Sample size
- The label’s clinical-trial adverse-reaction rates come from its 8-week psoriasis trial period. It reports no exact number of subjects for these percentages.
- Geography and care setting
- Not reported
- Skin tone or phototype
- Not reported
- Race
- Not reported
- Ethnicity
- Not reported
- Body sites
- Not reported
What that means for this page: The percentages above come from the label’s own psoriasis trial population, over 8 weeks. That is not a vitiligo-specific safety study. Neither figure estimates one person’s risk, or how often a reaction happens in someone using calcipotriene for vitiligo alongside phototherapy.
Tell both the prescriber and phototherapy team. The calcipotriene label tells patients applying it to sun-exposed skin to avoid excessive natural or artificial sunlight. It separately tells physicians they may wish to limit or avoid phototherapy in patients using this product. That is a direct tension with the off-label vitiligo practice of pairing calcipotriene with narrowband UVB - the exact combination most of the vitiligo evidence is about. That conflict needs an explicit, coordinated answer; it is not permission to combine them on your own.
- Age range
- Not reported
- Condition subtype
- Not reported
- Severity or extent
- Not reported
- Sample size
- Not reported
- Geography and care setting
- One source is the current US calcipotriene label. The other is the 2021 UK vitiligo guideline. Neither reports a study population for this point.
- Skin tone or phototype
- Not reported
- Race
- Not reported
- Ethnicity
- Not reported
- Body sites
- Not reported
What that means for this page: The label sets a US caution against added ultraviolet exposure. It separately tells physicians they may wish to limit or avoid phototherapy in patients using this product. Vitiligo research on this medicine studies it paired with phototherapy - the same combination the label cautions about. Neither source resolves this conflict for one person. That needs a coordinated prescriber and phototherapy plan.
The current calcipotriene label describes local skin reactions, calcium-related and ultraviolet precautions, an instruction not to use the cream on the face, and hypercalcemia or vitamin D toxicity contraindications in its labeled psoriasis context; those facts do not establish vitiligo benefit.
- Age range
- Pending exact source review
- Condition subtype
- Pending exact source review
- Severity or extent
- Pending exact source review
- Sample size
- Pending exact source review
- Geography and care setting
- Pending exact source review
- Skin tone or phototype
- Pending exact source review
- Race
- Pending exact source review
- Ethnicity
- Pending exact source review
- Body sites
- Pending exact source review
What that means for this page: The label is for psoriasis rather than vitiligo. Exact population and body-site extraction remains pending, and it cannot establish a vitiligo-specific adverse-event rate or personal risk estimate.
Evidence behind this page
Sources
Each evidence badge opens the source and its limits. The full list stays available here.
- GoodRxPatient education · Patient education, tier 5Relevant relationship disclosed
- Published
- SteadySkin last checked
What this source can and cannot tell you
Why the independence label says this: GoodRx is a commercial pharmacy-price and coupon marketplace; displayed prices can vary by prescription, pharmacy, location, and time.
What this source supports
Supports only the dated discounted-cash estimate recorded for a common calcipotriene cream prescription.
What it does not support
It does not establish vitiligo benefit, insurance coverage, coupon eligibility, or a personal price.
Claim-specific review for this source is still in progress. Only the source-level evidence and limits are shown here.
- DailyMed, U.S. National Library of MedicineRegulatory · Regulatory / guideline, tier 1Relevant relationship disclosed
- Published
- SteadySkin last checked
What this source can and cannot tell you
Why the independence label says this: The National Library of Medicine hosts DailyMed. The product company submits the label to FDA, so it is authoritative for product labeling but not independent vitiligo evidence.
What this source supports
Supports the psoriasis indication, 0.005% cream strength, current tube presentations, local irritation and dermatitis reports, the instruction not to use the cream on the face, contraindications for hypercalcemia or vitamin D toxicity, and calcium-related and ultraviolet precautions. Its Dosage and Administration section supports applying a thin layer twice daily, and that the label’s own safety and efficacy data cover an 8-week psoriasis treatment period. It supports that the label advises patients to avoid excessive natural or artificial sunlight and separately tells physicians they may wish to limit or avoid phototherapy in patients using this product. Its clinical-trial adverse-reaction data support skin irritation in about 10%-15% of patients (the most frequent reaction) and rash, itching, dermatitis, or worsening of psoriasis in about 1%-10%; post-approval reports separately support contact dermatitis, including allergic contact dermatitis.
What it does not support
It does not approve calcipotriene for vitiligo, establish vitiligo benefit, support a self-directed combination, or state a vitiligo-specific frequency, duration, or adverse-reaction rate. Its 8-week duration and adverse-reaction percentages are from psoriasis clinical trials, not a vitiligo population.
Claim-specific review for this source is still in progress. Only the source-level evidence and limits are shown here.
- International Immunopharmacology (Liu X, Yao Z, Wang Y, Chai L, Zhou X)Systematic review · Clinical research, tier 2Independence not established
- Published
- SteadySkin last checked
What this source can and cannot tell you
Why the independence label says this: Funding independence was not established in this review; the authors are affiliated with a single academic center and no commercial sponsor was identified.
What this source supports
Supports that this review pooled fourteen trials and within-patient studies, 642 patients. Each tested a vitamin D analog (calcipotriol or tacalcitol) added to phototherapy, against phototherapy alone, for vitiligo. Supports that adding either analog to narrowband UVB beat narrowband UVB alone on three measures: more patients responding (RR 1.67), less treatment failure (RR 0.43), and more excellent responses (RR 7.48). Supports that, broken out by analog, tacalcitol plus narrowband UVB had a larger effect on response (RR 2.25) than calcipotriol plus narrowband UVB (RR 1.24). That gap between the two analogs was itself statistically significant (p = 0.002). Supports that the review did not find better results when a vitamin D analog was combined with PUVA or excimer light instead. Supports that reported side effects across the pooled studies were minor and temporary.
What it does not support
The pooled, either-analog headline figure (RR 1.67) is not a calcipotriol-specific result. The review’s own by-analog breakdown shows calcipotriol’s effect (RR 1.24) was smaller than tacalcitol’s. It does not establish benefit for calcipotriol combined with PUVA or excimer light, predict an individual result, or set a dose or schedule.
Claim-specific review for this source is still in progress. Only the source-level evidence and limits are shown here.
- Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine (Ada S, Sahin S, Boztepe G, Karaduman A, Kolemen F)Randomized trial · Clinical research, tier 2Independence not established
- Published
- SteadySkin last checked
What this source can and cannot tell you
Why the independence label says this: Funding independence was not established in this review.
What this source supports
Supports that this trial enrolled 20 patients with generalized vitiligo. It compared two sides of the body, within the same patient, single-blinded. Each patient received narrowband UVB, on a clinician-set weekly schedule, up to 96 sessions total, on both sides. Calcipotriol 0.005% went on one side only, twice daily. Supports that 55% (11 of 20) of patients reached cosmetically acceptable repigmentation overall, counting both sides together. Supports that the side without calcipotriol did significantly better than the calcipotriol side at the 24th session. Supports that no significant difference between the two sides was found at the 48th, 72nd, or 96th sessions.
What it does not support
It does not find an added benefit from calcipotriol at any session count studied. Its one early-session finding favored the side without calcipotriol. It is one small trial of one regimen. It cannot rule out a different result in a larger group, a different vitiligo pattern, or a different phototherapy schedule, and it is not a prediction for one person.
Claim-specific review for this source is still in progress. Only the source-level evidence and limits are shown here.
- British Journal of Dermatology (Eleftheriadou V, et al.)Guideline · Regulatory / guideline, tier 1Independent source
- Published
- SteadySkin last checked
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports the clinical history and assessment domains, evaluation of associated autoimmune conditions, its recommendation for thyroid function and antithyroid antibody screening, current classification context, treatment-option map, psychosocial assessment, medical photography and the limits of pediatric evidence. Its classification table defines mucosal vitiligo as the oral or genital mucosae. One mucosal site alone is filed as undetermined or unclassified. Its differential diagnosis table lists genital or extragenital lichen sclerosus among the conditions that can be mistaken for vitiligo. That table also lists eczema, psoriasis, lichen planus, pityriasis alba and piebaldism. It calls autoimmunity a contributor to the pathogenesis of vitiligo. It reports an earlier review finding a possible negative impact on intimacy and sexual functioning. It tells clinicians to discuss the psychosocial impact of living with the condition. R28 offers a skin camouflage visit to people who want one. R10 to R14 name potent or very potent topical steroids as the first choice, with a topical calcineurin-inhibitor cream as an option for the face. These are different creams with different proof behind them. R20 names narrowband UVB as the first light option. It says the skin often does better on the face and trunk than on hands and feet. It says there is not enough proof to use any one current pill alone for vitiligo that is not changing. R25 and Table 2 keep cell grafting for vitiligo that is not changing and did not respond to other care. They also say a doctor cannot always tell if the vitiligo has truly stopped changing.
What it does not support
It was designed for UK care and reviewed literature through May 2019; it does not establish a universal testing plan, prescribe an individual plan, or establish current US labeling or coverage. Its differential diagnosis table is a list, not a method a reader can apply to their own skin. It does not say how to tell any two of those conditions apart. It gives no figure for how often vitiligo affects genital skin.
Claim-specific review for this source is still in progress. Only the source-level evidence and limits are shown here.