eumovate has stopped working on DS's eczema - can I get your advice on what to do next

[whenwillisleepagain]

DS is 2.5 and has moderately bad eczema which we kept on top of with emollient 4 or 5 times a day and used eumovate on some small patches where it was worse. All this worked pretty much ok from when he was 16 weeks until about 4 months ago. The eumovate doesn't seem to be having much effect and I'm going back to our GP later this week to ask if we can review it and maybe step up to something stronger, as DS has now got eczema on more of his body than ever before and it's spreading every day & he's waking at night with the itching, which is fairly recent. Swiched to epaderm on GP's advice 3 weeks ago, previously liked doublebase (and like many of you, have tried lots of other creams along the way). I try and do other things that work for LOs with eczema: extra rinse on washing machine, got a water softener a month ago, keep him cool at night, only wears cotton clothes.

I'm sure the hot weather is not helping but I feel must try some other measures.

The 2 things I'm thinking about are: getting rid of carpet in DS's bedroom and trying him on a dairy free diet. I'd be really interested and grateful to hear if anyone thinks these two things are worth trying - or got other suggestions. Everything I read about eczema says there is no conclusive evidence about diet, but I know from MN that others think it's helped. Thank you so much.

my DS has just got rid of his exzema

it has taken 7 months or so

Aveeno cream really helped and he also had a course of ABs as it was infected which helped to clear up abuot 60%

a bath every other night, plus oilatum in the bath when he did bathe - no soap though

loads of cream - will have to check what we had but was much greasier than doublebase

also bandages on the worst bits to stop him scratching

the GP also advised washing any soft toys on his bed and also putting them in the freezer to kill any mites

the GP was sure my DS's was environmental as it flared up quite out of the blue, although he had always had the odd patch from when he was 7 months old

Yes a course of antibiotics may be in order.

A very enthusiastic seconding of AVEENO.

The bath oil and cream have virtually eradicated DD2's eczema.

You can get them on prescription and they are both really easy to use. The cream is absorbed really easily - which is handy because I usually have to chase her around the room to apply it!

I have read lots of threads on here and I know different people find different things helpful, but lots of people mention Aveeno.

We also use Surecare washing liquid.

thank you - haven't tried aveeno for some time, may revisit it. Also, rubyslippers, thanks for the prompt about the soft toys - DS has a heap of them in his cot and I have never got round to doing the freezer thing, I must!

Is there any chance DS could have sensitised to the epaderm? If he's been on it for 3 weeks and his skin has worsened at any point since the switch then it could be that?

Why did the GP suggest switching? Just out of interest... DD was on epaderm until about a month ago when the GP suggested we switch away from it to Unguentum as it looked like her skin had started to react to the epaderm.

The hot weather isn't a help at all is it! It's hard to tell now what's eczema and what's heatrash... btw, we're doing a patch test of Aveeno on one of DD's legs and seeing how it fairs against the Unguentum, so far so good.

Oh and we do the oats in a muslin in the bath to soften the water which really helps. Much better than Oilatum we found.

p.s. if there are specific patches of red skin that aren't responding to the eumovate that could suggest an infection worthy of anti-bs (oral or topical depending on how deep down the infection might be - it's not always visible on eczema skin).

Totally forgot to actually answer your questions

Getting rid of carpet - yes, but probably only really helpful if it's the whole house from what I've heard from others

Dairy - if you are going to try excluding, give it at least 6 weeks and you need to be really strict, i.e. nothing that even contains dairy derivatives like milk powder which can appear in a surprising number of sauces, flavourings etc. I'm on dairy and wheat free for BF 6 month old DD at the moment and it does seem to be helping - the flares are less awful, but the eczema is still there and still needs several times a day emollient, cotton clothes etc...

CClady, thanks ever so much. I was beginning to wonder about the epaderm too. Quite apart from anything else, it must be very heavy and sticky in this hot weather. GP used to be a dermatologist, so I normally trust her judgement on things, plus so much easier to go to GP practice rather than to hospital if you don't have to. however am now thinking of asking for dermatology referral, not least because we could then access extra support from eczema nurse etc

and yes, I think will try and oats at bathtime - have been using a product called cetraben for about 2 years, but now we have the water softener, might be a good time to try some different things at bath time. It's just a constant process of adjusting bits of lifestyle isn't it! But so worth it if you can get some improvement

Hi whenwillisleepagain, my dd has had very bad eczema in the past too. I do believe changing food help in my experience but through the help of skin prick tests. Her dermatologist sent her along for these and then we knew the problem foods and allergens. She was allergic to many veg,fruit ect to which you dont imagine along with pollens and dustmites. I would definately seek a dermatology refferral. Yes epaderm is very heavy this weather for sweating. We use diprobase and dermol for bathing as a soap sub. Dd's eczema has definately worsened recently due to the high pollen at the min, another thing to bare in mind. I would say washing bedding at 60 degrees and freezing teds, removing carpet are all good steps to possibly help. We have a blind in dd's room too.

If you suspect pollen at all then maybe try not to open his window esp when high. Do you find he gets hives? Maybe keep a little diary of foods/activities and see if there is are any links to when he is worse or has hives. Slow process but does sometimes alert you to certain things.

Hi,
My 7mth old ds's ezcema has mostly cleared up since I gave up dairy 2 months ago- am still BFing. Obviously I haven't introduced dairy into his diet either. It's worth trying to see if thats the trigger but for a 2.5 yr old I would first try and see a dietician to make sure you supplement his diet with the correct foods. I asked my gp to refer me, which he has even though he was a little sceptical, but my appointments not til Sept !
Also I use soap nut shells to do all our washing www.inasoapnutshell.com and use white vinegar as softener - oh just reread your OP and see you now have a water softener. I'd like one just to get rid of all the limescale around the house !
Also once tried epaderm on ds' face, but it just made it worse.

hth

we are struggling with similar issues for our 16mth dts. dairy free has definitely helped (consultant's recommendation) although I am now wondering if cutting it out has made them even more sensitive to it as they seem to react worse than ever if they do inadvertently have it. We have just been given a load of aveeno so am looking forward to trying it. The other creams haven't seemed to help. What is the oats in the bath thing? I would always far rather try something natural

this stuff is amazing.

created by a mum whose daughter had really bad eczema and was fed up of using steroid cream. All natural ingrediants, not cheap but lasts ages

Hi, just adding my experience..DD has eczema since a 2 week baby..having tried many preps, found a protocol which has been working for the last 2plus years..I shower her everyday with lukewarm water but use soap only on alternate days or once in 3 days etc depending on the weather and where she has been playing etc. soap is only a white soap (have tried oatmeal, diprobase etc for bathing but presently soap seems to be fine when used sparingly) imediately after bathin, a quick pat to take away the water followed by liberal use of : equal amounts of diprobase and aveeno cream mixed in my palm and applied generously. when she was younger I used the emollients twice a day and now use it once a day- may have to go back to twice a day in winter. for flare ups have used mometasone (elocon) in the past and found it better than eumovate, dermovate etc. havent needed to use steroid for a year now. for her hair, I use infaderm shampoo from boots.
have used epaderma and she was covered in rash he next day. others have worked a bit but never took away all the eczema till i tried the above combination- hoping it works for others

Epaderm - I love it at times (eg on feet as it is so thick) but it contains SLS!

Pollen count - my daughter's eczema goes bananas with a high pollen count, and heat. Skin prick tests showed allergies to pollen (grass), dustmite, cats, peanut. She was previously cows milk allergic. Foods Matter website is a gem of info.

Aveeno - great stuff too for us but everyone is different.

Maybe ask pharmacist about Eumovate - why the change - any change to the ingredients?

thank you so much everyone. I am just glad to have some practical tips to follow up rather than sitting around worrying. Really interesting to read the mixed views on epaderm - had heard SLS caused problems for some people but hadn't looked at what's in epaderm.

DS was definitely struggling with pollen earlier this year with tree pollen, but I am not so sure that the grass pollen is as much of a problem (no hives, no sneezing, but then he is on antihistamines).

Victoriagirl - the oats thing (although others might correct me) is when you cut the foot off an old pair of tights, put a handful of porridge oats into it, tie a knot and then hold it under the tap as you're running the bath, or I think some people mabye use it to wipe over the skin as well.

Victoriagirl - Hello - I have added to your post about feet and eczema - sorry for the delay.

Adding my 2p worth! DD2 9mo baaaaad excema since only tiny got miles better on dairy and soya free diet also no wheat tomatoes bananas etc etc. Confirmed egg allergy amongst others. Epaderm didn't work and seemed to make her more itchy now back on diprobase and eumovate still seems to work for her on the bad bits. Hands covered with cotton socks pretty much 24-7, fan on all night long. Tried aveeno bath and oilatum but now we scrub her with Johnsons Top to Toe and randomly it seems to be working. (DH's idea..) Still itchy though looking fab compared to the days of people looking into the pram and struggling to hide their horror!

Id happily bet my house on the body shops hemp hand cream (use all over body) working. Go into your local store, ask for a free sample pot and try it. Its about £9 per tube but I swear to god its a miracle cure. Good luck!

We (me and dcs) avoid Doublebase, seems to aggravate the skin; it certainly stings on mine. Instead we use Aveeno and Dermol.

It sounds from your description as if the eczema might have become infected and dc could need anti-b from the gp.

Eumovate comes in different strengths but gps are often reluctant to increase the strength as it thins the skin but when applied only to the directed area it works well. In combination with Calmurid, is the only creams that works for us.

Couple of other things: are you using sun-tan lotion on dc? Might that be irritating him? Have swapped to E45 lotion as the only non-aggravating cream I can find, although it makes them look like little white ghosts. And do you line-dry your clothes? Sometimes pollen in the air is a problem.

Our eczema is exacerbated by dairy but is not the cause. Cream and strong-flavoured cheddar particularly are not good but other dairy products are ok. Strangely cheeses made in the west country that have quite a distinctive taste are the worst aggravators.

Doublebase is great stuff. We have just swapped to Hydromol as a soap subs. instead of aqueous. He has neoclarityn in the morn. and Ucerax (hydroxyzine)antihistamine at night to help him sleep.We were only presribed the Ucerax yesterday and were told to start on 2.5ml and work our way up to as much as 7 mls if we need to. He still woke up scratching last night so probably neeed to try 3 mls tonight. He has started on Eumovate which seems to work.
Has anyone else had Ucerax prescribed and did it work?

when , definitely get rid of the carpets & cuddly toys , he might be highly allergic to dust mites ( that's what triggers my dd & my eczema) . i have had REALLY bad eczema since i was a baby myself but 2 years ago i got wooden floors put in & changed our sofas to leather ones within a few weeks i LOST my eczema completely . my dd still has it she attends a hospital & i swear by AVEENO , if your lo is bad at the moment he might need antibiotics to help clear him up as none of his usual creams will work while he is infected , oilatum in the bath is great , hope he feels better soon

I have discovered this amazing cream and bath treatment from America called Aveeno Baby (not Aveeno). They only sell Aveeno Baby line in the US but they are much better than any other cream in the UK (I have tried Oilatum, Doublebase, E45, Dermo 500, Aveeno, Cetraben etc, you name it I have tried it!)I use the Aveeno Baby Bath Treatment sachets and the Soothing Relief Cream for my son. His skin is much smoother and his eczema is much better after I use them. I now order them on the internet. Although the shipping cost is quite high, it's worth it!

I realise this is absolutely years ago, OP, but I'm in the same position with my 2.5 year old now and wondered if you could remember if anything worked?