Tag: rash

Feature #17: Mireya & Sara

mireya-pinedaMireya P.

Age: 25

Career: AR Retention Specialist

When did you cease using topical steroids: April 15th 2016

What type did you use: Triamcinolone ointment

What is your favorite product for comfort? I love the Aquaphor ointment, Shikai Tea tree shampoo and conditioner (cured my scalp), and garlic. I used to take baths with Dead Sea salt or Epsom salt, ACV, tea tree shampoo and garlic (gave me so much relief and prevented infections).

What is the hardest thing to deal with during this condition? The hardest part of TSW is how unpredictable it is and not knowing if or when it will be over. Missing time with my loved ones and not being able to sleep!

What is the first thing you will do when healed? Spend the day at the beach with my loved ones and eat my favorite food.

Sara Evanssara-evans

Age: 26

Career: I co-own a Kombucha & Dairy-Free Ice Cream shop with my partner, but haven’t worked since August due to TSW.

When did you cease using topical steroids: August 20 2016

What type did you use: Triamcinolone 0.5%

What is your favorite product for comfort? CBD oil & Hanna Andersson pajamas

What is the hardest thing to deal with during this condition? The hardest part of this journey is the time I have lost. The itch disappears, pain fades, skin heals, but time is something you can never get back.

What is the first thing you will do when healed? The first thing I want to do once I am healed is lay in the sun with my pets.

Not Just A Dermatology Subject

Dermatologists are not the only ones allowed to prescribe topical steroids. Other persons whom prescribe these drugs are general practitioners, our family doctor. However, they are not specialized in this area. We already know some dermatologists push past the guidelines, but GPs are even less educated on steroids and all of their adverse effects if overprescribed or prescribed incorrectly.

In the FDA Evaluation and Research paper, they point out how our GPs can be truly hurting us. “… family physicians frequently prescribed betamethasone dipropionate and clotrimazole to children younger than 5 years of age and for use on genital skin disorders.”

Not only should this super potent steroid be prescribed with utmost caution to adults, but then add an anti-fungal (clotrimazole) into the mix, and you’ve got mega trouble. NEVER mix antifungals with topical steroids, and never use a steroid on a fungal infection. It is also stated in topical steroid inserts to never use these topical steroids on the genitals since it is extremely sensitive and most likely under occlusion (diaper).

This paper also talks heavily about research they constructed from 202 cases. The median age was 7 years old, a mix of both genders, and drum roll…. A median of topical steroid use for 169.3 days. That comes out to a little over 5.5 months of consecutive use. The shortest time was 1 day, and the longest was 7 years. This is why people have steroid phobia from this type of disregard for topical steroid guidelines.

If doctors wish to have the trust of their patient, then patients need to see that doctors can be trusted. We are the ones who have to endure the consequences. We are the ones who will have to suffer. There has to be open and honest communication on a level playing field. So many lives can be saved from needless pain if topical steroids were not only used strictly by a guideline (NOT by someone’s discretion), but also to know that the guideline set is correct and appropriate.