More Articles on Steroid Addiction

As promised, I am back with more articles on steroid addiction. It is a good idea to print them out and put them in a folder to take to any doctor's appointments, a little ammunition, as it were.

Anyway, I found a fabulous article that was written in August 2012. the link is here. It is a "must read" for anyone with steroid addicted skin.

Here are some of my favourite excepts from the article:

"Due to inappropriate and uncontrolled use of TC, an under reported and under stressed entity has evolved, namely TC addiction. Convincing arguments have been put to consider several erythema syndromes such as red face syndrome, post-peel erythema, red scrotal syndrome, vulvodynia, perianal atrophoderma, chronic actinic dermatitis, and chronic recalcitrant eczemas under the umbrella of steroid addiction.[54,55] Prolonged and continuous uses of TC on face lead to the development of dermatoses which has been named variously by different workers. In our scenario, it is called “topical corticosteroid-induced rosacea-like dermatitis” (TCIRD)[10] or “topical steroid-dependent face” (TSDF).[11] This has a distinct clinical presentation. Patients are mostly females who keep on using the steroidal cream till they get magical response and continue it later to prevent rebound flare till finally the lesions become persistent."

"It is the tolerance that skin develops to the vasoconstrictive action of TC. After repeated use of topical steroids, the capillaries in the skin do not constrict well, requiring higher dose or more frequent application of the steroid. The ability of the blood vessels to constrict returns four days after stopping therapy."

"We will quickly realize that despite the best efforts undertaken at our level, many of these problems will continue to persist because they were not contributed by us alone. To address them, interventions have to be multidimensional, involving political, educational and legal approaches.[9] Opportunity may have to be seized by the leadership of Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists at every available forum. Political leaders and government officials should be repeatedly apprised of the prevailing situation and the need to curb this menace. Use of media for public education on topical steroid misuse is warranted, and the involvement of general practitioners, nurses. and pharmacists is needed. The legal approach should include the enforcement of the existing legislation related to the control of these drugs, so that TC are not sold without proper prescriptions. Pharmaceutical companies should be made to ensure proper labeling of TC products which should include inserts containing clear “finger tip unit” instruction, preferably with images and chart to show the numbers of unit required for specific areas of the body.[71] This will greatly help in optimal and safe use of TC. The legal aspect should also include measures aimed at strengthening the ethical responsibilities of pharmacists in correctly advising patients about the safety of medicines bought over the counter."

Maybe this article marks the beginning of the tide turning.

During my research I also found this page about Steroid-Induced Rosacea. It is full of useful quotes and links to articles by doctors and dermatologists. In short, it is a great resource for those of us who are suffering.

Knowledge is power and articles like these are our weapons.