[Misc] Why is topical steroid withdrawal still not being recognised and diagnosed?

Beauty Tips For Body Care
I am part of an ever growing online community of people suffering from TSW. I know hundreds of people suffering from it in the UK. One Facebook group alone has 12k+ members. Yet every time I speak to a GP or derm about TSW, either they’ve never heard of it, or they act like they know all about it and say they don’t believe in it.There is mounting evidence to suggest TSW is a real condition. But without recognition and diagnosis, patients are being left in the dark to navigate this dangerous iatrogenic condition alone. Without sufficient medical support, sufferers resort to internet advice and can become seriously ill and suicidal. I’m tired of seeing new people join our community everyday, suffering so immensely at the hands of doctors who have not been educated on how to safely prescribe and monitor topical steroid use.It seems that dermatology is moving away from steroid use for severe cases. While this may seem like a good thing, all I see is TSW cases being diagnosed as ‘severe eczema’, the patient is subsequently encouraged to move onto some other form of treatment, which is astronomically more extreme such as immunosuppressants and biologic injections. I don’t see these as long term solutions, just replacing one drug with another. Eczema shouldn’t be this extreme a condition needing such extreme treatment - it is TSW that these drugs are treating.Surely if TSW was finally recognised, doctors could look out for it and support patients who have become dependent on steroids, helping them to safely withdraw. Then more importantly, they could work on preventing this condition in the first place by carefully monitoring steroid usage and giving the patient specific instruction on how to use them. I wholeheartedly believe TSW cannot be the patient’s fault - the responsibility lies with the doctor and how the medication was prescribed. The only warnings ever given are ‘steroids can thin the skin’. This is not good enough.It is widely recognised that steroids should not be used long term. But they are the front line treatment for AD - a chronic, long term illness. So whilst they were never intended to be used long term, they are the only solution and are being used as such. Instead, doctors should be focusing on treating the cause of flare ups, perhaps directing AD sufferers to a reliable app where they can track their condition and potential triggers.Until TSW is recognised and sufferers are given proper support, doctors and derms will continue to experience the so-called phenomena of ‘steroid phobia’, and patients will continue to suffer and be blamed.
Girls Blog 2015
Submitted by HollyBee11