Rash from pred withdrawal?

[Pris80]

I'm currently suffering from a rash that looks like strawberry allergy, little red bumps all over my body, but not having strawberries has had no effect. tried cutting out other foods but rash still there and very itchy and the compulsion to scratch till my skin is raw is hard to ignore. I've had trouble from tree pollen in the past and am used to not having certain fruit. Not on any new medication.

A Google search reveals that there is such a thing as a rash from withdrawing pred after a short term of use. I've been on pred for 7 years and am currently doing the recommended very slow taper from 10 mg to 7 1/2 which I will finish in about another 2 weeks; could that be the cause?

[Sophiestree]

Does a antihistamine work at all?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

10 to 7.5 even using a slowed taper is a big jump!!

Several people have had allergy type problems as they get to lower doses. I developed an allergy to something in the structure of wheat starch, not gluten and just the highly commercialised wheat used in food manufacturing. At higher doses of pred it improved a lot and I could eat occasional portions and sourdough breads. It would return if I was able to reduce the pred and I had to be more careful what I are.

You may not be in any new medication - but have you had a different supplier? Sometimes it is the fillers that cause the problem.

And yes - try an antihistamine. Helped me.

[Pris80 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you PM Pro. Good that you identified what was causing the trouble.

When I said reducing from 10 to 7 1/2, I meant using the slow taper recommended on this site, DSNS. I went from 10 to 9, following it very closely exactly as it is written, then 9 to 8, then 8 to 7 1/2 over a period of more than three months. As I haven't managed to get lower than that before I hope it isn't the pred that's causing the rash because I was hoping to carry on with the very slow taper to get rid of the foggy brain I seem to have had for the last seven years.

Just trying to eliminate all possible causes of the rash so I can do something about it! The site I found on Google wasn't about Polymyalgia Rheumatica, but about use of steroids in general.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pris80]

Oh, OK, that's fine then

[tangocharlie in reply to PMRpro]

And I eventually worked out that as I lowered my Pred dose I started getting 'allergies' which by my own research I eventually found to be down to mast cell activation. it may be that the steroids suppressed reactions as when I went back up to a high dose they stopped. A few others have mentioned similar problems on here and I've written posts on what I discovered. I'm still trying to get answers from Immnology. Two different rheumatologists said they see this often in patients with PMR weaning off steroids but they don't know how to join the dots. I'd advise keeping a food and symptoms diary for a while. Of course rashes can also be serious so if worried go to A&E

[Pris80 in reply to tangocharlie]

Hi Tango Charlie, thank you for your comment. I had something similar to the rash I have now, in my forties after a very stressful period in my life which was diagnosed by the hospital as Pityriasis Rosea. The cure...steroid cream. that worked and I haven't been troubled with it since, till now.

This is so similar that I am inclined to think it must be the same thing and linked to my tapering of my steroid dose, or possibly a recent stressful event, or possibly both . ~I'm just hoping my GP will have some answers.

[tangocharlie in reply to Pris80]

My GP was clueless. Said she'd never heard of mast cell activation, it was way beyond her. Rheumatologists have told me they see these 'allergic' type reactions a lot with patients and it may well be linked to the autoimmune conditions as our immune systems have gone haywire. I eventually got referred to Immunologists but they're not much help, they are only concerned with reactions that might kill you like Ig nut allergies. The problem only came to light as I reduced steroids, untill then I guess th steroids were suppressing any reactions