oral ateroids, antibiotics, allergy testing etc

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Michelle
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:16 pm
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by Michelle on Thu May 14, 2009 10:58 am

Oral Steroids

Hi

I have 2 daughters with severe eczema, the youngest 3 has just had a course of oral steroids for a week, which are the only things that cleared her skin. And now she has finished the course she is having a bad flare, they were considering the cyclosporin for her but keep putting it off. Due to side effects!

Does anyone know how often you can have the oral steroids as our next apt is not till end of August! I do not like the idea of her being on steroids, but we are constantly using the elecon at the mo, and nothing we can use on her face keeps it at bay.

Now I have seen what the steroids can do for her, I just want her to be like that again! Typical the more side effects the better result! They have both been on steroid creams their whole lives and as soon as we come off them they flare again! Have considered homeopathy but, almost scared in case it makes them worse!

Just want to help my girls!

Any advice would be great!

Thanks

Michelle

annp
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:07 pm
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by annp on Mon May 25, 2009 3:15 pm

Re: Oral Steroids

Hi michelle, I have just finished a course of oral steroids and I am in my 50.s yes it seems like a miracle cure and I felt great my whole body was clear for 2 weeks, now I have got a really bad flare up, like your little girl you cannot stay on them long and I only have them about twice a year.
Been on cyclosporin did not help my skin had bad side effects and you have to have a lot of blood tests for your liver function.
Sorry I could not be more helpful
kindest regards
Ann

Helen
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:33 am
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by Helen on Tue May 26, 2009 1:18 pm

Re: Oral Steroids

hi there, i am a long term sufferer, i have had a lot of courses of dteriods where i have been on them for 6 months, the side affects can be bad, i am 23 and my skin is very thin already, they are gereat for clearing up skin, but not good for long term, i am on a tablet called Azathiroprine, and like the person said before me you do have to go for regular blood tests to check for any liver/kidney problems. if you girls are that bad they may have to go on the tablets, but i will assure you they will not put younge children on a too high a dose, if u do get your girls to take these please do not expect a mirical it takes roughly 3 months to see an improvment, so the 1st few months will still be hard, for now i could suggest putting creams in fridge so they are cold when out on, cold flannels help cool the itch, regular baths with their creams/oils, dont rub dry, dab dry then wont open any sore patches, you can even give them piriton thats really good for the itch and takes the redness down :) i hope this helps a little

Michelle
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2008 8:16 pm
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by Michelle on Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:19 am

Re: Oral Steroids

Hi

Thanks for your advice, after speaking to the Dermatologist, the girls are now on Protopic and Elidel again. It seemed to help before but they ended up keep getting infected?

They are still considering cyclosporin for the little one, will have to wait till August to see how it goes!

Thanks again

Michelle

mars
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:15 pm
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by mars on Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:48 pm

Re: Oral Steroids

just new to the site, my son is 11 and has suffered severe eczema all his life. recently had infection in tummy and back so was put on antibiotics. he then had a severe reaction to them and was put on prednisolene steroid tabs as he was completely covered in open sores. they made a great difference but once finished the flare up was awful for him and for us his parents. two months on he was put back on them as his ears were so cracked and infected. we are waiting to see skin specialist AGAIN to see what he says this time. i am going to ask about opinion on patch testing and am considering trying homeopathy. hope you have had better luck with treatments.

mars
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:15 pm
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by mars on Tue Oct 27, 2009 6:00 pm

oral ateroids, antibiotics, allergy testing etc

My son is 11 and has suffered severe eczema all his life. Flare ups have been getting worse. He recently had infections in tummy and back so was given strong antibiotics. unfortunately he took a very bad reaction to these and I had to take him to A&E. We stopped taking the antibiotics and he had to be given oral steroid tablets for 21 days. They helped his skin heal but once he came off them things flared as bad as ever. Last week he had big hacks behind both ears as well as open sores on most of his body. He was given a cream antibiotic this time to treat ears and was put on steroid tablets again. He is on strong steroid creams etc all the time now as we can not seem to break the cycle. I am trying to find out about allergy testing and possible homeopathic treatment and wondered if anyone could tell me any more about these? Any information appreciated. Thanks.

itchyhippy
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:08 am
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by itchyhippy on Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:03 pm

Re: oral ateroids, antibiotics, allergy testing etc

Hiya,
i feel sorry for you parents who's children suffer - it must be horrible not being able to help them!
Having suffered from eczema all my life one of the most annoying things about it is that each case is different and different things will trigger different people off! its soo irritating!! i dont know much about homeopathic remedies but i have used antibiotics to treat flare up's before - it might be a case of finding the right type of antibiotic that works for your son.
as far as alergy testing goes, this can be extremely useful to establish what his triggers might be - in the meantime perhaps consider giving him antihistemines - even the normal ones you can buy over the counter might help - these might just keep any alergens under control until you establish what it is.
one of my biggest triggers is stress - this is quite a common one to so maybe you should think if there's anything that might be causing him stress - other than his skin itself of course!
hope this information is helpful - i dont know a lot but i can tell you my experiences.
hope he feels better soon x

mars
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Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 3:15 pm
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by mars on Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:01 pm

Re: oral ateroids, antibiotics, allergy testing etc

Thanks for your reply. Its very hard to see your child suffer and feel helpless! He takes an antihistamine tablet each evening to try and help him sleep. I think he has become immune to them a bit as they dont do much for him. I will speak to specialist about patch testing at our next appointment and will take it from there. At least if something showed up that was an allergy it would be a step on the right road! Will keep you posted. x

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AnnaB
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by AnnaB on Wed Oct 28, 2009 11:39 pm

Re: oral ateroids, antibiotics, allergy testing etc

If infected eczema is struggling with antibiotics or is a bad infection then insist that a swob is taken so the they can confirm the correct antibiotics are being used. My son had to have his foliculitus burts so they could test one of the spots, he was not happy but as a parent it is worth it, a little pain for the gain of knowing the correct antibiotics are being used.
AnnaB
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ellesea
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Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2009 11:48 am
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by ellesea on Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:54 am

Re: oral ateroids, antibiotics, allergy testing etc

I'm so sorry - your poor son must be feeling awful. I wonder what is his diet like? Maybe this would help - I've only ever had it on my hands arms and face but cleaning up my diet has helped tremendously - especially avoiding dairy. You can always ask a nutritionist that has worked with eczema patients what they recommend but I definitely felt so much better when I ate more veggies in my diet rather than processed comfort food. If he struggles with this he should see it as a goal - if in 4 weeks of healthier eating habits he doesn't see a difference then he can eat whatever (that's what my nutrionist told me and it worked!) : )

I woudl get infections on my hands all the time because I would scratch - and now I use tea tree oil which is a natural antiseptic, it has a strong smell but it works really well for me.

I personally feel and recommend going for natural remedies and if you think of all the money you've spent in treatments wouldn't you rather go for organic food that will be much more satisfying? All the best, xx

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