A MUM was left in agony and unable to care for her kids after withdrawing for the steroid creams she’d used for 13 years.
Bryony Brew, 30, was first prescribed topical corticosteroids (TCS) when she was pregnant with her daughter and started getting patches of itchy skin on her belly.
Bryony Brew, 30, was prescribed topical steroid creams for 13 years – not knowing you’re only supposed to use them for a couple weeks at a time
Within a few weeks of going off the creams, Bryony’s body went into ‘full withdrawal’
The mum of four said she looked like a ‘raw lobster’ and couldn’t walk from the pain
Looking back, the mum-of-four from the Isle of Man thought doctors should have asked about her diet and stress levels before prescribing the powerful creams.
“It was so quick,” she recalled of the prescription process.
“I wasn’t made aware that steroids are only intended to be used thinly, and for maximum of two weeks at a time,” she went on.
Bryony continued using topical steroids for 13 years.
She said: “I had them on repeat prescription and would use almost daily.”
In July 2022, Bryony was shocked to find out about the damage long-term steroid use could cause.
A friend told her: “It affects your nerve endings, blood vessels, so many things.”
In retrospect, Bryony said: “I don’t know how doctors get away with not warning people about this.”
She decided to quit cold turkey and stop using the creams for her eczema.
The first few weeks without steroids were ‘manageable’, Bryony recalled.
“Then my whole body went into withdrawal,” she said. “It was scary.”
“Everything I was doing was painful,” she told The Sun.
Her skin felt like it was being pricked by ‘shards of glass’, she recalled.
“I looked like a red raw lobster from head to toe. My skin was oozing,” she added. “My skin honestly smelt disgusting – like rotten flesh.”
Bryony said she ‘wouldn’t wish the pain on anyone’.
“I would rather give birth ten times over then go through the pain of my skin in that state,” she stated.
The mum of four initially tried to keep working – even though she was struggling to walk. And as looking after herself and her children became harder, Bryony chose to move in with her parents.
“I wasn’t capable of being the mum I usually am,” Bryony remembered.
What is topical steroid withdrawal?
The term ‘topical steroid withdrawal’ refers to a constellation of symptoms that may emerge in the days and weeks after a person stops using topical steroid medication.
The potentially debilitating symptoms of TSW can include:
burning
weeping
flaking
shedding
peeling
spreading
swelling
redness
wrinkling
thin skin
pus-filled bumps
cracking
itching
nodules
pain
insomnia
hair loss
shivering
fatigue
depression
and disability
Topical steroid withdrawal reactions have been reported in long-term users of topical corticosteroids after they stop use.
Her kids – the youngest of whom is seven and the eldest 13 – struggled with the change in routine and seeing their mum suffer.
On top of the constant pain, Bryony’s mental health plummeted.
She initially joined the International Topical Steroid Awareness Network (ITSAN), a support group formed to raise awareness about topical steroid withdrawal.
While it was helpful to have a community of people going through the same thing, the mum said she found it hard to grapple with the idea that she might go through the withdrawal for years.
Bryony took herself off the group when she was at her worst because she was ‘really depressed’.
She said: “I went into a complete depressed state and was crying, as I couldn’t sleep. It was horrendous.”
Thankfully – about five months after swearing off steroid creams – Bryony’s symptoms started to abate.
She started using a natural baby moisturiser called MooGoo which, to her relief, soothed her sore and flaky skin in just a few days.
Bryony’s skin is still bit itchy now, she said, as it’s not fully healed – but it looks and feels worlds better than it did just a few months ago.
She even gets frequent compliments on it, which she said was ‘incredible’.
“I am so proud of myself for healing my skin naturally,” Bryony said.
“If sharing my story can help even one person then I will broadcast it from the rooftops.”
The mum had some reassuring words for anyone choosing to take themselves off topical steroid creams.
“It does feel like it’ll never get better. But after six months, it does,” she promised.
She said a lot of patience is needed, as well as a good circle of friends and support.
Bryony’s skin instantly felt better after using the natural baby moisturiser MooGoo
Bryony now gets frequent compliments on her skin
“I am so proud of myself for healing my skin naturally,” Bryony said Read More