Differential diagnoses: Hand rashes
Use BRIAN’s quality-of-life tracker to record and monitor them, then share this with your healthcare team so they can support you. Whether you develop them depends on factors including the dose and how long you take them for. Age can also be a factor with young children and older people more commonly experiencing side effects. Let a member of your medical team know straightaway if you notice any signs of infection.
- If you are concerned about any side effects, regardless of whether they are listed here, talk to your chemotherapy nurse or cancer specialist (oncologist) as soon as possible.
- We also considered information to prescribers or patients on topical steroid withdrawal reactions from other regulators.
- Oral treatment
Only very rarely is it necessary to resort to steroids or immunosuppressive agents by mouth for skin disease on its own. - The rashes seen in lupus can be specific in shape and pattern.
Your dose of diabetes medication may then need to be adjusted. There aren’t usually any severe side effects if you take steroid injections, where to buy illegal steroids a steroid inhaler, or a short course of steroid tablets. However, prolonged treatment at high doses can cause problems in some people.
Steroids (methylprednisolone)
A butterfly-shaped rash over the cheeks and the bridge of the nose is common in lupus. People can get it in one small area on the skin, or it can be widespread. Avoiding sunlight/UV
People who are sensitive to UV light should avoid exposure to direct sunlight and wear a hat and long sleeves to provide a barrier. You should use a sunscreen that has an SPF of at least 50 and a four-star UVA rating.
This is not the same as having an allergic reaction to paclitaxel. This is sometimes referred to as ‘chemo brain’ or ‘chemo fog’, but your treatment team may call it cognitive impairment. If you think you have fatigue, tell your GP or treatment team.
Carer’s Allowance
Paclitaxel is the non-branded name of the drug, but you may hear it called by one of its brand names such as Taxol. All I could say it’s what one sees on various hospital programmes [smiles], you know? You sit in a chair or on a bed and you know, they hang up a bottle, a drip alongside you and fluid is fed into whichever part of your anatomy they’re doing.
Difficulty sleeping
People with lupus might also have a low number of platelets, cells that help the blood to clot. If you find that you are bruising easily or notice bleeding from the gums or nose you should let your doctor or nurse specialist know. Lupus can also affect your white blood cells, which are important in fighting infections. Sjögren’s syndrome
About one third of people with SLE will also have secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS).
Other types of steroids are sex steroids (oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone) and anabolic steroids. The rash is made up of clusters of shiny, slightly raised pink or purple-red spots (papules), usually measuring 1-3 mm in diameter. The rash usually affects the insides of the wrists, around the ankles and on the lower back, but can spread more widely. Lichen planus can also appear in a line where the skin has been scratched or injured (this is called Koebner’s response).
In some cases, there may be patches where the hair doesn’t grow, and this is called alopecia. Rarely alopecia can be more severe and affect large areas of the scalp. This can be distressing, but once a flare-up is brought under control the hair will usually grow back. These patches tend to be well defined, thickened and scaly; they are slightly red in colour and can itch.
If you’re taking steroid treatment, you should avoid using the contraceptive medroxyprogesterone acetate, which has the trade name Depo-Provera. It increases the risk of developing osteoporosis because it reduces the levels of oestrogen in your body, which is important for bone health. These groups of drugs includes ibuprofen, diclofenac (voltarol) indomethacin, celecoxib and etoricoxib. They are commonly prescribed for the control of pain, especially joint pain and can be very effective.