Tag: protopic

Feature #31: Magda & Elspeth

Magda RoszMagda Lima

Age: 23

Career: Property Manager

When did you cease using topical steroids: April 2016

What type did you use: I’ve only used steroids topically: Hydrocortisone- eyelids, neck , Betamethasone valerate and many more but I can’t remember them all. Immunosuppressants : elidel, protopic

What is your favorite product for comfort? Dead sea salt + Himalayan salt baths, castor oil, calamine lotion- when oozing, tubular bandages

What is the hardest thing to deal with during this condition? The hardest part for me was first 9 months when I was red from head to toe, horrendously itchy and I could not sleep! I am now 12 months in and still having good and bad days, the worst areas now are face, neck and hands.

What is the first thing you will do when healed? Put make up on! Enjoy my life again!

Elspeth JellisonElspeth

Age: 35

Career: Speech Language Pathology Grad Student (Finally graduating May 2017 – Woo-hoo!)

When did you cease using topical steroids: July 7, 2016

What type did you use: OTC hydrocortisone, Dermasmoothe, Clobetasol .05%. Also used Elidel and had 3 or 4 short bursts of oral steroids. This was all during a year and a half period.

What is your favorite product for comfort? Safe Soda (Pharmaceutical grade sodium bicarbonate). I started using this around 8 months TSW and it really changed my life. Funny Youtube videos also saved my sanity during my toughest periods of TSW.

What was the hardest thing to deal with during this condition? The hardest part of TSW was the feeling that I wasn’t even me anymore. I was in so much pain and so sad all the time that living felt like a chore. I also hated how I felt I couldn’t be there for my husband and son the way I wanted to be.

What is the first thing you will do when healed? My skin has already improved enough to accomplish my first goal which is to enjoy a vacation with my family. This weekend I’m going to go get a dog, which I’ve wanted to do for ages but haven’t felt well enough to for a long time. I still have some left to go on my healing but I’m grateful to be able to enjoy life again.

 

Another New Drug

Very recently a new drug was introduced to the atopic dermatitis community: Eucrisa

This drug is different from Protpic and Elidel, which are immunosuppressants (Tacrolimus cream/ointment) that inhibit T-lymphocyte activation and the transcription for genes which encode IL-3, IL-4 and IL-5. (source) These drugs come with their own risks, one of which is the black box label (possible cancer causing agent).

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Not exactly the best drug alternative from topical steroids, but we all know about topical steroids and their effects.

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But now we have the new Eucrisa to examine.

I have been trying to do a little reading about it. It is not like Protopic and Elidel. It is a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE-4) inhibitor.

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The trial seemed to fair well with most participants, although there were some adverse reactions. The most severe one was hypersensitivity to the active ingredient, crisaborole. Infections, from what I read in the source material, was the highest issue (11.7% of trial patients).

The trial lasted 28 days where participants applied the drug twice, daily. This is the expected prescription for the drug. Since we do not know much more about the new drug, I personally stress sticking to this prescription and NOT using this drug for more than those 28 days. Is there a tapering protocol in effect? Not that I can see. Just cessation after the 28 days .

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I hope this helps everyone out a bit if their doctor suggests using this new medication, or the Protopic/Elidel. Again, personally, I would steer clear of the immunosuppressant creams and ointments. They seem to have many of the same effects as topical steroids.

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