Contraceptive pill
The pill affected my eczema - Rosalie, London, UK
Last November I developed sever eczema all over my neck, back, shoulders, front and arms. I am only recovering now and even though the itching is still there it is much much more bearable. I have never ever experienced eczema like it. It was not only itchy but extremely painful, my skin would weep constantly and get so hot it felt as though I was burning. I also constantly felt a tingling under my skin as though it was crawling. I went to my GP and quite frankly I shouldn't have bothered. The treatments were the usual harming steroid cream which I used in desperation and which predictably did not work. I then went to see a Chinese herbalist - again no luck. I spent a fortune on water softeners and various "organic" product and spent even more on homeopathy.
During all these months I became very depressed and tried not to leave the house. At my lowest I felt as though I didn't care to live anymore. It has been a very hard eight months but I want to just say to others who know how I felt that there is hope. One day I realised that the eczema had to be caused by something that I was doing on a daily basis as it seemed to never clear up. That's when it struck me that the contraceptive pill I had started taking two years ago had caused a bruising on my skin which I didn't even think could have been down to the pill. I stopped taking it a few months later but remember now that that was when my skin started to itch a lot and became very sensitive. Unfortunately the eczema is still on my nipples and is very painful but it is nothing compared to what I had all over my body a few months ago. I have now been off the pill for about four months and my skin is a lot clearer, although it is still very dry. I definitely know that the pill was to blame as the difference is far to great for it to have cleared up on its own. So I urge women with severe eczema to question what method of contraception they are using and to not lose hope. (July 2007) Contact Rosalie
Last Reviewed: 29 September 2010
Next Review Date: 29 September 2012
