This is going to be a ranty post.
I took my daughter to the doctor today with a suspected ear infection. She had been swimming a lot on holiday and her ear was hurting.
The doctor looked in her ears and explained that she had a lot of wax and that she would prescribe some ear drops. No problem so far.
However, she then noticed a bit of dry skin behind her ear. She seemed very concerned about the dry skin and warned me that if it was left, it may lead to infection. She printed me off a prescription, explaining that she had given me some moisturiser to apply to the dry skin.
So I come out of the office and glance down at the prescription. She has given me olive oil for the earwax and a nice moisturiser called Epaderm for the dry skin.
But hang on. There is a third item on the prescription too. What could it be? Betamethasone valerate and Fusidic acid cream? The same stuff that got my skin addicted. The steroid that is hundreds of times more powerful than hydrocortisone? I don't think so.
What makes me really angry is the fact that the doctor never mentioned anything about a steroid cream. She kind of sneaked it in. And for what! To treat a patch of dry skin? These doctors seem awfully trigger happy about prescribing steroids for ANYTHING these days. How about saying "try this moisturiser for a few days and then if it doesn't work, we will try something different?" No. They go straight to the steroid as the first port of call. And not the weak steroid. The strong stuff.
Needless to say, I scrubbed the steroid cream off the prescription and took the oil and moisturiser instead. I had a nice chat with my daughter about why I will never let her use steroid cream to treat dry skin.
Steroids have their place in medicine. I am not anti steroid. But seriously. Prescribing steroids for every little patch of dry skin is both stupid and dangerous.
Thankfully, I knew all about steroid cream dangers and refused the cream. But how many parents are given this stuff on a daily basis for their children, unaware that they are even using steroids?
Something's gotta give.
6 comments:
Doctors are ridiculous!!! :(
Stupid Doctor!
Good that we now know about Steroid addiction and are able to stop our families from becoming victims of it. I am thankful to have found that our 'eczema' condition was reverseable despite the pain of going through withdrawal. Will need to be watchful on all doctors' prescription.
Rant justified! Mind-boggling!!
Without wishing to sound extremist and melodramatic, I'm pretty sure this is the sort of thing you can *actually* lose your medical licence for...
I'm so glad for your daughter that you know what you're doing! x
Scary. I think they just use it as an "anti-inflammatory" and tout it like that.
My roomie was quick to put TS on a bug bite and I was like what are you doing?? It's an immunosuppressant first and foremost!
Sigh, good thing you were on alert. I'm very wary of any types of prescriptions these days.
Oh my gosh, I think horns would pop out of my head at that point! You did right in being so alert and just think how many innocents get caught in the steroid maze like this?? GRRRR!!!
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