“IT FELT NEVER-ENDING”: THE HIDDEN HELL OF TOPICAL STEROID WITHDRAWAL<br />WITH VID AND PIX<br />BY SAM PRINGLE<br />A woman has shared her painful and ongoing experience of Topical Steroid Withdrawal, revealing how the condition has left her skin raw, burning, and barely able to heal.<br />Megan Crome from London, UK, first started speaking about her condition on social media, connecting with others facing the same issue.<br />But now, she's telling the full story behind what she’s been going through, describing it as one of the ‘most misunderstood and isolating health struggles of her life.’<br />Topical Steroid Withdrawal, or TSW, can develop after someone uses steroid creams for an extended period and then discontinues them.<br />She said: “It's really hard for me to find the words to summarise what I’ve been through in the last year.<br />“I definitely experienced the symptoms - redness, a burning sensation, itchiness… then peeling.”<br />Megan told how the worst period hit during the first six months, when her skin flared constantly and she could barely function. She experienced peeling, redness, burning sensations, and extreme discomfort.<br />Then, after some brief improvement, things got worse again. She had what’s known as an 'anniversary flare' - a flare-up that often happens around the one-year mark for people with TSW.<br />Megan said that what makes the condition even harder to deal with is the fact that there’s no official cure. <br />She said: “I reckon this is probably going to affect me for another two years. I’m hoping this summer I’ll improve again but I’m expecting another flare in winter.<br />“This thing is so unpredictable. Everyone’s body reacts differently, and there’s no way to know how long it’ll last.<br />“Google says you can take oral corticosteroids for a few weeks to ease the symptoms. But people in the Facebook groups say that just makes it worse in the long run.<br />“Your body becomes dependent on the cortisol in the creams. When you stop, it doesn’t know how to reduce inflammation anymore. That’s why everything flares up.<br />“I see so many people saying they weaned and still had just as intense withdrawal. It didn’t really help. It’s totally personal - what works for one person won’t work for another.<br />“You just have to give it time. Time is honestly the only thing that helps.<br />“It’s looking a bit better than in my other videos. That’s something.”<br />ENDS
