# Did Nizoral dandruff shampoo go out of business? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 6, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420 "2011-09-06T18:47:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/1 "2011-09-06T18:47:32Z")
None of the drugstores in Tampa have had any on the shelves for months and nobody can tell me why not. What’s up? ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/2 "2011-09-06T18:58:27Z")
[http://www.pharmalot.com/2011/07/jj-a-manufacturing-switch-shampoo-shortages/](http://www.pharmalot.com/2011/07/jj-a-manufacturing-switch-shampoo-shortages/) Quote from above: > [@](#): > > Once again, Johnson & Johnson is running low on a product due to a manufacturing issue. This time, the Nizoral anti-fungal shampoo - the only over-the-counter shampoo that is a salve for dandruff and psoriasis - has been out of stock for weeks and the health care giant is blaming a switch in manufacturing facilities that will keep supplies diminished for the rest of the year. As someone who works retail OTC, I’ve got to agree with the conclusions drawn in the above article about J&J’s damaged reputation in the eyes of both consumers and retailers. Most of their OTC medicines are _still_ difficult to get (and they’ve pretty much given the pediatrics market to the competition) two years after the initial recalls began happening, they managed to damage their Neosporin and Band-Aid brands with long shortages earlier this year, they hurt their tampon business with months-long manufacturing-related shortages. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/3 "2011-09-06T20:46:35Z")
It does seem odd to me that they can not sub out the manufacture while they sort out their factory issues. I know of one toothpaste manufactory that does work for many different brands of toothpaste [exroomie works for Sheffield Pharmacuticals. It was great, we got all sorts of stuff from the over run bin, we didn’t have to buy toothpaste for almost 5 years:D] ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/4 "2011-09-07T00:53:51Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > None of the drugstores in Tampa have had any on the shelves for months and nobody can tell me why not. What’s up? We’ve had the same problem up here. My husband got a prescription for the generic from his doctor and we’re getting it from the mail order pharmacy at about a third of the cost of Nizoral. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/5 "2011-09-07T01:02:44Z")
You can find [Dermarest](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?ds=pr&pq=psoriasis&hl=en&sugexp=gsis,i18n%3Dtrue&cp=12&gs_id=c&xhr=t&q=psoriasis+shampoo&qe=cHNvcmlhc2lzIHNo&qesig=XaP3yjDMuxuYt7cbApbT5g&pkc=AFgZ2tmSjN8URwHuSWh5_vmYAS6UmtG-JNOXF74AcETZz2n8XuuKP2hSWK0OEQUCUx7vSNYOHUg3ehERzTPw5JqGshxluluQsA&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1020&bih=609&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=30137461833708103&sa=X&ei=S8JmTtTNGfK00AGXpszJCw&sqi=2&ved=0CGoQ8wIwAA) at Walmart or Walgreens. Good stuff at a fraction of the price of Nizoral. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/6 "2011-09-07T01:15:56Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > You can find [Dermarest](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?ds=pr&pq=psoriasis&hl=en&sugexp=gsis,i18n%3Dtrue&cp=12&gs_id=c&xhr=t&q=psoriasis+shampoo&qe=cHNvcmlhc2lzIHNo&qesig=XaP3yjDMuxuYt7cbApbT5g&pkc=AFgZ2tmSjN8URwHuSWh5_vmYAS6UmtG-JNOXF74AcETZz2n8XuuKP2hSWK0OEQUCUx7vSNYOHUg3ehERzTPw5JqGshxluluQsA&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1020&bih=609&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=30137461833708103&sa=X&ei=S8JmTtTNGfK00AGXpszJCw&sqi=2&ved=0CGoQ8wIwAA) at Walmart or Walgreens. Good stuff at a fraction of the price of Nizoral. Not the same product at all. Nizroral is an OTC half strength version of a prescription product. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/7 "2011-09-07T01:22:24Z")
We contacted the manufacturer and got the same response…shortages due to manufacturing issues. How does a company expect to stay in business if they can’t/won’t manufacture their product. Very frustrating. I looked for it online and the Rx prices were considerably higher than the OTC version. I wonder if you’re paying less because of a prescription copay plan? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/8 "2011-09-07T01:47:51Z")
I bought a bottle on Monday and there were plenty in stock in my local pharmacy. A different source, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/9 "2011-09-07T01:57:17Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Not the same product at all. Nizroral is an OTC half strength version of a prescription product. Obviously, I didn’t say it was the same product. I was offering an alternative product that worked for me - someone who used to use Nizoral and found this alternative product to be effective. (as did many others, if you read the reviews in the link I provided) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/10 "2011-09-07T02:23:20Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Obviously, I didn’t say it was the same product. I was offering an alternative product that worked for me - someone who used to use Nizoral and found this alternative product to be effective. (as did many others, if you read the reviews in the link I provided) I did indeed read the material in the cite. Just wanted to establish it was not a generic substitute for the product asked for. Not trying to ruffle any feathers so please don’t take it that way. It would be nice if there was a generic version available in the States without having to mail order it. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nizoral-dandruff-shampoo-go-out-of-business/595420/11 "2011-09-07T17:07:58Z")
Generic version would be Ketoconazole 1% shampoo. Alternatives would be selenium shampoos (Selsun blue) or salicylic acid shampoos (Capasal/Dermarest). See [here](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dandruff/DS00456/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs).