To warn you about steroid cream?

[Chancewouldbeafinethlng]

I use steroid cream quite often for eczema flare ups etc, I had no idea your skin could suffer from withdrawal of it!
Here is an idea of what can happen if you consistently use steroid cream and then stop. This is called TSW.

I just wanted to put it out there as tbh I have never ever been told not to consistently use the creams. Doctors have always just prescribed it and assumed I know how to use.

It’s not me in the photo btw. It’s an Instagram account following her journey through TSW
Louigi skin

I’ve always been told to use for no longer than 5 days, then have at least 5 days break before starting again.

Fucking. Hell fire.
Is that you OP?
It looks so painful and awful.
Is there anything to help.
Dear God

Bless you! Ds has eczema and it says on his tube to not use for longer than a certain amount of time

You obviously have a good doctor raver as I’ve never been told that and neither has my DH who uses a lot due to psoriasis.

Just seen your update.
If that's skin...I have prednisolone very , very often for asthma and I am shuddering to think what my insides look like.
That is shocking it I've used steroid cream a couple of times and always was warned about severe side effects
Is it cortisone cream she was using

So scary isn’t it. It’s definitely made me think about my cream usage.
Apparently women are most likely to suffer TSW

My gp prescribed this to for months and it caused me to get really bad peri oral dermatitis I looked like a lepper, I only had a patch of dry skin next to my nose to start with.

That’s awful! My daughters steroid cream came with a leaflet warning to use short term only

Again I've had this, perioral dermatitis and it sucks. Lots of support groups online. I'm free of it now. It took: 6 weeks antibiotics, cold turkey from steroids, new make up (mineral based), new skin care very much natural and zinc based. Zinc pure powder for example made into paste. Going cold turkey makes it worse but my skin is still clear now 18.months later once it was out of system.

Holy shitballs

I use hydrocortisone cream 1% (I think), is that one of the kinds which can cause this?

That poor woman in the photo. That's very painful and sore looking.

Yes cortisone creams need to be used very carefully. 1% isn’t very strong but as said above don’t use beyond 5 days.

Good to hear you are over it cotton. Was yours as bad as this woman’s? I honestly had no idea this could happen.

YABU, OP. I know all about TSW. To the pp who says use 5 days on, 5 days off. That is not what dermatologist advised me. And TSW still happened. Topical steroids are very dangerous, and should only ever be used as a last resort, after conclusive testing, diets, etc

We've always been told to wean. So use for x amount of time (14 days for current cream ) and then every other day for a week.

No, mine was around my muzzle area, not a nice description but it describes the pattern. When I went cold turkey it went all over my face, but not this angry . I am lucky I had a very experienced gp who recognised it. He's retired now unfortunately (for me). I was about to pay privately for a specialist.

I have a dermatologist for mine and he says when it I'd being used you should not skimp ie use generously for a few days to get under control then stop rather gigantic not using enough

Whenever I have bought hydrocortisone 1%cream from pharmacy they always say not to use on the face and also to use no longer than 5 days.

Oh my. I use it on DS' eczema. Not every day though. Is yours as bad as the poor lady in the pic, OP?

@nannewnannew - my Dr is happy for me to use it on face (inc eyelids etc) for a few days.

In my exp, eczema is quick to spread if not kept under control.

Moisturising every day - using approx 500ml per week. 5 times per day if needed.

I've used it for about 40 years, GP keeps handing me the prescription. Never been mentioned.

My dh and dd both use Elocon cream for eczema on either their hands or legs . Anytime , the prescription is collected , the pharmacist comes out to discuss the precautions . They only use it occasionally and potent ones like these can’t be used on the face.
I buy 1% Hydrocortisone over the counter every few months . I always get the 3rd degree about what I want it for plus a lecture on the maximum number of days it can be used .
A lot of people who abuse potent prescription steroid creams buy them illegally online .

I've used steroid creams for a very long time now. I always understood that I wasn't supposed to use it on my face even though I have from time to time(and worried about it) and I've always been advised to use it sparingly rather than applying it generously.

As dry skin is also a problem often leading to flare ups, I was advised to use a small amount of steroid cream on the affected areas and then apply a moisturising cream/lotion over that so a sort of layering approach which has worked well for me.

That picture looks like the face skin would feel unbearable.

DH had TSW, it is so debilitating. He was given steroid cream for an small patch of eczema on his face, every time it cleared up he stopped using the cream as advised but the GP, it would then flare up but worse, back to the GP who prescribed a stronger cream each time. It ended up like the photo over 70% off his body. We went private and saw a specialised, they prescribed a cocktail of drugs, over a year later it hadn't got better and he was unable to leave the house other then medical appointments.

He found TSW and their face book support group. GP and private specialist discounted it, said there is no proof. He went cold turkey on all drugs and it was hell for him, took two years to be close to recovered and he still has flare ups years later.

Since then we have learn his hairdresser and one of our neighbors have also had TSW but not to the same severity.

It might be helpful to read the patient information leaflet for every medication you take rather than relying on (recalling) what a busy and tired GP says or said months or years ago.

I expect prescribing of topical steroids and of opiates/opiods to be increasingly restricted and for patients wanting these to increasingly complain about how difficult it is to get these from drs who aren't being 'reasonable or helpful'.

Having used extremely strong ones my entire life, I think it's a different thing from person to person. I have gone 6 months plus without any without issues.