Newbie needing advice!

[steff300]

Hi Everyone,
I'm new here so not totally sure how this works so please bear with me! I've had eczema all my life but since having my 2nd son who's now 2, I've had severe eczema all over my body, I've been treated with topical steroid and antibiotics which did nothing or very little, I got a referal to a dermatologist a few weeks ago who said that they can't treat it with cream as it's too extensive. They offered light therapy but given that I'm photosensitive it's a no go for me, so the other option open to me is drug therapy. The 2 drugs they've advised and I have to decide between are the immunosuppressent cyclosporine and the retinoid acitretin. Obviously these are serious drugs and natually I'm apprehensive about taking either, I'm 24 and don't want to cause myself any damage in the long term. So I'm on a mission to find out more about these drugs, I've looked at all the medical sites and although very helpful regarding side-effects etc they're lacking very much in personal experience of the drugs. I'd love to hear back from anyone who has used either of these drugs and what their experiences were, and also if anyone has any suggestions on alternative drugs that may be helpful to suggest to the doctor as a possible alternative.
I will be greatful for any replies. I feel rather desperate now and would give anything for just one nights itch free sleep!!
Steph

[rshearer]

I don't know too much about those drugs but my daughter has eczema and what worked for us was to switch all of our household products to products that are made with natural ingredients. Everything from what we cleaned our house with, to laundry and dish soap. This has helped her tremendously. I have also used some of the products on children I have babysat that have had eczema and it reduced the symptoms significantly. When they first came to my house they scratched and scratched and by the time they left, they were no longer scratching and their face was no longer red. I would be more than happy to tell you what products I use and what has worked the best for us.