BRITS who use a common skin cream could be at risk of a life-threatening complication, experts have warned.
Patients who lather on topical steroids to treat conditions like eczema and psoriasis have been reminded they are at risk of adrenal suppression, according to the UK medicine's watchdog.
The condition, also called Addison's disease, happens when the gland responsible for producing the essential hormones cortisol and aldosterone gets damaged.
It can arise from "overuse of topical steroids" and is "life-threatening" and "needs urgent treatment”, the Medicines Healthcare and Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.
About 10.5million tubes of topical steroids - at varying degrees of strength - are prescribed to patients with different skin ailments each year.
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The new warning, published this week, comes after 267 people reported reactions similar to topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) over the last two years via the Government's Yellow Card Scheme.
TSW refers to a combination of symptoms that may emerge days, weeks, and months after a person stops using certain medications.
Typical signs include skin redness, burning, stinging, intense itching, peeling of the skin or oozing open sore.
They happen because the body becomes reliant or addicted over a long period.
After a separate report by the MHRA in 2021, guidance on the risks of TSWs is now included as patient information with all topical steroids.
Despite this, TSW is still not a properly recognised condition.
Patients also reported suffering from other side effects, including skin thinning, generalised pustular psoriasis, Cushing’s syndrome - which happens when there is too much cortisol in the body.
In response to the new report, the MHRA said the cream will be labelled with more information about its strength and the associated risks.
It said the changes aim to help patients avoid “important risks” associated with long-term high-potency topical steroids.
It added that while “topical steroids are highly effective, when prescribed and used appropriately”, they can “rarely lead to serious side effects”.
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