to want Dr to find out what's actually wrong with me before prescribing strong medication?

[redacted]

I have some kind of skin problem, some smallish patches of flaky, red, slightly itchy skin. Doc said it was fungal and prescribed anti-fungals. Have had clotrimazole (canesten) and miconozale (Daktarin) - no effect. Trimovate (antifungal with medium steroid in it) worked great and cleared up the patches, but when I stopped it, the rash came back.

Dr is now saying the next step is oral antifungals, but says they can have side effects inc. liver damage. Says he's 'pretty sure' it's fungal and doesnt want to test. I've googled and it does look a bit like some pics of fungal but also looks a lot like eczema. It hasn't really spread anywhere in the 4 months I've had it. The only thing that's worked is the Trimovate which has steroid in it, so it might not be fungal at all.

aibu to want to find out (via scrape test or something) if it is actually fungal before I take potentially dangerous drugs which may have absolutely no effect?

Yanbu, go back and ask to be referred to a dermatologist. I had a rash on my back for years which I was prescribed anti fungal creams for. I was referred to Assura eventually, the Dr said I needed a biopsy. Four months later, I still not had had appointment for biopsy. I insisted on being referred to the NHS hospital. There I had a biopsy, it was basal cell carcinoma, easily removed, does not spread but nevertheless went undiagnosed for years. My feeling is GP,s are pretty crap at diagnosing derma problems. You need to know exactly what it is. Good luck, don't let them fob you off and if your practice refers you to Assura tell them to fuck off, you want to go to the hospital. Assura are utter shit and will not treat you. ce

Thanks bear - I know GPs are not always great at skin stuff as they are not specialists and it all looks a bit the same tbh i.e. red, dry and itchy, so I don't blame them. I'm thinking of asking for a prescription of a stronger steroid just by itself with no antifungal. If that gets rid of it then I will know it's not fungal... I'm guessing an NHS referral will take a while as it's not urgent, does anyone know how much a private appt would be?

yanbu. I suffer from eczema and it's exactly like you describe, small patches of dry, red skin that itches. I'd ask for a second opinion and testing before taking anything that could give me liver damage. Actually no matter what the skin condition was unless it was serious/ had
the potential to be serious, I still probably wouldn't take them.

Exactly strawberry - I would rather just use steroid cream when it got bad and put up with it the rest of the time unless it became really awful.

Mine sort of comes up in dots/spots which then get larger (although never bigger than about 1cm) and they sort of join together. Does that sound like yours? It is not ringworm because it is darker in the middle and fades out, rather than light in the middle with an edge

Where is the rash? Torso, hands, sides of feet, shins, all over?

But yes. Do get a ref. I bet Bupa type places will be able to give you ballpark figures, over the phone, a leaflet, online?

Boys, the rash is under my arm but not in my actual armpit iyswim, just sort of round the outside. I have googled, but cannot see a price list or similar for derms - probably I need to just ring one up as you say.

Hmmm no idea really then, have you ruled out your deodorant/ill filling bras/washing powder sensitivity?

Ring round, prob most places shut to gen enquiries til monday.

I suffer with something very similar. The initial rash is eczema, but because of the position (inner upper arm) its a fantastic place for an infection to thrive. I used trimovate, it was fantastic, but like you as soon as I stopped it the rash would return. Turns out that the near constant use of steroid in thecream was making the site more susceptible to infection as it was weakening the skin (there may be a more thorough medical explanation but this is the gist!). What helped was a strong dose of oral antibiotics to clear the next bout of infection, and the usual remedies for eczema. I pressured gp for a referral to dermatologist who confirmed it was eczema and am now altering my diet with their help to identify the cause of the rash (most likely an intolerance to dairy). Try to avoid overusing hydrocortisone creams as they can do more harm than good and keep the pressure on with the gp- it took more than two yearsfor me to stop getting fobbed off, it wasn't until I went in armed with photos of the rash and a bag full of the various creams etc I'd been prescribed that they took any
notice!

Ah that is very interesting jammie. So did you get rid of it in the end after the anti-bs? Did the dermatologist prescribe that? I have been trying to eat more healthily recently and have pretty much entirely cut out dairy (basically because I have read that it has pretty much no health benefits that you can't get from fruit/veg and is not much good for you). Hasn't changed anything yet but maybe I need to do it for longer or maybe it is being caused by something else. I am trying to lay off the steroid cream as much as possible as I have heard about skin thinning etc.

Boys - don't think it can be anything like that, as I did not change any of those things when the rash appeared, and the rash is not quite where my bra goes, rather just to the side of the cup.

I know I am lucky that this is my only health problem but it does bug me quite a lot tbh!

I have eczema and for about a year it was misdiagnosed as a fungal infection. Probably not helped as treatment with canesten seemed to help (probably because it is moisturising).

I had steroid cream to sort it out and am now keeping it under control with regular moisturising. I hope your issue is as simple.

When - what steroid cream did you have? thanks

Don't be fobbed off. I was for years but I also felt unwell - which I kept telling them. Many many years later I was diagnosed with a form of cutaneous lymphoma. Of course I am not telling you that this is your case - but you need to see a good specialist.

It could also be Tinea versicolor, which is a bitch to get rid of

Clotrimazole & Miconozale do sod all.

First get a referral to a dermatologist.

If it is Tinea versicolor, the best treatment is Selsun 2:50%l.
Its sold as a shampoo but you use it as a body wash and while it take a while 7 weeks for me it does work.

this is after 12 weeks of oral anti-fungal, multiple creams and potions etc..

But get a proper diagnosis first.

Why don't you see if there is a GP with a special interest in dermatology at your practice? They undertake additional training in dermatology and when I saw one about a rash I had for 5 years (that many doctors had seen) she immediately knew what it was and put my mind at ease.

Quicker than a dermatology referral and she gave me the right treatment and it was soon gone!

Thanks, this is really useful. paintyourbox, I will check if they have a derm GP. I feel a bit like I am wasting people's time as it is not all over me or anything, but it is constantly there are does itch/sting especially in the heat... Would be so fab to have it all cleared up

Private dermatology consultation will cost approx £150 depending where you are in the country. You should be seen within a week or so of your GP referring you privately though. Bear in mind, any additional tests or biopsies will be in addition to the consultation fee. HTH

Yep mine is like little dots making up one round patch if that makes any sense. Its also on my upper inner arm.

I was prescribed hydrocortisone which helped loars, and I'm sure you can buy it over
the counter. Definitely get a second opinion.x

Google guttate psoriasis too, but ask for a referral.

Thanks bing - that would sting a bit but if it got bad I could pay it

BOF - have googled, it is not really like that, the edges are more blurry and it is not so crusty (sorry, gross word), only slightly flakey sometimes.

strawberry - fucking annoying, isn't it!

Yes it is! Mine isn't bad at all now, but I used to suffer terribly when I was younger and hydrocortisone used to clear it up lovely. I would try some whilst youre waiting for a second opinion (which I hope you manage to get!)

I have never been able to beat a fungal infection long term without oral anti fungals, it always comes back with creams

How was it for you taking oral antifungals, xylem - was there a risk of side effects with the drug you took and did you get any?

The doctor never mentioned anything but in response to your question, I googled the drug and it is listed as a side effect, I didn't have any problems.