Will a topical steroid cream for eczema affect my cortisol and DHEA saliva tests? Thankyou :)

[Lillie23]

Thanks all x

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Lillie

Yes.

I have the instructions here from when I did my Regenerus adrenal test recently. It says

"Certain medications, including hydrocortisone creams and asthma inhalers, contain cortisol. To evaluate your natural cortisol production, it is recommended to stop using cortisol - containing products 5 days prior to sample collection."

With the Regenerus test there is a form to fill in where you list certain medications, hormones, amino acids, etc, that you take and the last time you used them, as it's important for them to know.

[Lillie23 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Oh man. Only just thought of it. Using it for vulval eczema so 5 days without it will be tricky but will have to do it!

Thanks again, tonight will be my last dose until after the test

[Dora123]

You will be absorbing more if you’re using it on areas of thinner skin (as you are). I’m just starting a clinical trial for my eczema and they’re making me stop any topical steroids for two weeks prior to make sure it’s all out of my system. Called a washout period. I’ve found that when I’ve done bloods for cortisol, five days wasn’t enough for me, but I have eczema all over my body, so it’s a large area and lots used to cover it. Personally, I might wait the whole week at least, but obviously don’t suffer unnecessarily!

[Lillie23 in reply to Dora123]

Ah right thankyou I might give the lab a call! In so much pain down there but I'll just take ibruprofen and hope that will help. Also just realised that I have been taking duloxetine for a few weeks now- do you think that will upset the test too?

[endomad in reply to Dora123]

For fear of stating the obvious are you in a hard water area. I was involved in the water softener/eczema trials by proff hewel williams back in 2003 I am a water engineer. Although double blind tests showed inconclusive, the anecdotal evidence has been 8 out of 10 improvement in eczema, my area of interest is in babies 0-60 months as at age 5 many just grow out of it. Bathing with hard water and soap products exacerbate it. Soft water has been very successful for some but not for anxiety related eczema. Some areas much harder than others i.e basingstoke & hants, epsom, midlands etc. there are some things you can do like oat soaked water, chlorine removal and some areas are covered by one manufacturer for a free softener trial to see if helps before buying. It is a well known connection but not always one that drs ever mention.

[Lillie23 in reply to endomad]

Wow thanks for this. Just looked up how to make an oatmeal bath and it's easy so will definitely be doing this. Anything to get some relief!! Thankyou again

[gabkad in reply to Lillie23]

Meantime cortisone cream used chronically thins the tissues and makes them more susceptible to damage. You need to talk to the doctor about this because it might stop your symptoms but is also making it easier for injury. It's swings and roundabouts.

[Lillie23 in reply to gabkad]

Yes that's what I said to the consultant but she said that's what the raw skin and splits need along with lots of diprobase. I now have a fungal infection between my bum cheeks so got more steroid cream with an antifungal to use now. I just want to not be in pain anywhere in my knickers!!

[gabkad in reply to Lillie23]

Never rub the skin. I.e. do not towel dry. But, do the following:

Zinc oxide based diaper rash ointment helps as well. You'd need to use it forever unless somehow conditions change.

I use it in my armpits and under the breasts. I get eczema from anti-perspirants and get gigantic bigger than a pimple under my breasts. This prevents it all. I only need to use a very little and have been doing it now for 20 years. At least. I use Penaten.

We get older and get 'nappy rash' again.

[Lillie23 in reply to gabkad]

Oh I never rub. I pat dry and use a hairdryer lol. I currently am washing with cotton wool as everything is so tender . Fab thankyou. I only have the eczema down there which is strange. Going to look out for the cream this weekend in shops. Just hope it might come in a tube form

[gabkad in reply to Lillie23]

It won't work inside the vagina because that's mucosa, but it does work on skin. Even if the skin is slightly damp, you can still apply a small amount.

[humanbean]

I've had eczema on my hands for many decades. I got a 90% improvement by optimising as many of my nutrients as I could afford to test. The thing that made the biggest difference, I think, was improving my vitamin B12 and my thyroid hormones.

When I started the B12 my eczema actually got substantially worse for a few weeks (and I got spots for quite a while too). But eventually the eczema and spots disappeared and I was better off than could ever remember being. In total it took about three months from starting the B12, getting worse, then my skin clearing so dramatically.

[Lillie23 in reply to humanbean]

I don't have eczema anywhere else apart from down there which is weird. But the consultant said the bout of thrush I had last year (my first ever experience of thrush) had kicked it all off.

It really is amazing how essential vits and mins are and how Drs don't recognise the role they play.

I'm sorted with b12 as I have my jabs.

I've started on the vit d3 and k2 spray (already got 3 bottles as will only last me 15 days per one and have asked for some for my birthday lol). Need to get my family to buy me those b complex from Amazon. Then look at ferritin rich foods so I'm definitely on my way :).

Just crazy how having hashi's and deficiencies affect you so so much

[gabkad in reply to Lillie23]

Intravaginally, have you tried a Bifidobacter yoghurt. Not lactobacillus. Bifidobacter colonized guts and vaginas. To keep microbiome levels up, eat pulses. They encourage the growth of Bifidos which are a beneficial microbe.

[Lillie23 in reply to gabkad]

No I haven't- I don't eat any yoghurt, don't really like the texture of swallowing it. Good to know about pulses but eating them usually gives me stomach ache and/or diarrhoea. Think I don't tolerate high fodmap foods :(. I'm just so fed up of all my problems. I know I need to eat a better diet but it's expensive, I'm too tired to cook/prepare, I don't feel like eating quite a lot of the time and some good stuff makes me unwell- not to mention eating gluten for 6-8 weeks for my coeliac biopsy . It all sucks