Signs It’s Time to Check on Your Eczema Treatment
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Signs It’s Time to Check on Your Atopic Dermatitis Treatment
Not sure if your current regimen is working as well as it should? Here are some of the most common signs that it’s time for a check-in.
1. You’re Experiencing New or Worsening Symptoms
“If your eczema is under control — for example, your regular regimen of moisturizing your skin and using topical medications is working — you probably don’t need to check in with your dermatologist, says Dr. Piliang. “But, if you suddenly develop areas where your medicines aren’t working, you develop itching, or, overall, things get a lot worse, you should call your doctor,” she says.
Even if your eczema has been largely under control, it’s possible for it to change over time. Sometimes, people come into contact with a new irritant or develop a new allergy that causes the disease to flare up again, which makes the medication no longer work, according to Piliang.
Outside stressors can also affect your disease and bring on flares, she says. “Maybe you’re doing fine on your regimen and then something happens — an example would be the COVID-19 pandemic — and your stress levels go through the roof. When that happens, your treatments may not work like they did before that,” she says.
2. You’re Tired of Keeping Up With Your Skin-Care Routine
It can take a lot of effort to keep your eczema symptoms at bay, so it’s not surprising that you may, at times, be tempted to give up your skin-care regimen altogether. “Sometimes, people just get fed up with it,” Piliang says.
Problem is, when people stop sticking to their routine, that’s when they tend to get a flare, she says. If you’re getting tired of your skin-care treatment — for example, it’s too time consuming — talk to your doctor before you stop it. “We can help,” she says.
3. You Started a New Treatment but Can’t Cope With Worsening Symptoms
Sometimes, a drug can take a few months to start working. In the meantime, it might be hard to deal with the worsening symptoms, Piliang says. It’s always a good idea to ask your doctor how long it will take for the new medication to kick in, she says. This way, you can manage your symptoms as much as possible until then.
If you’re absolutely miserable and you have to wait longer than you’d hoped — maybe two or three months before starting to feel better — your doctor may be able to prescribe an additional, faster-working medication that will help ease your symptoms until the first one kicks in, Piliang says. “Sometimes, in a case like that, we’ll do a round of systemic steroids in the beginning to tamp down the inflammation and give the medication time to work,” she adds.
4. Your Symptoms Are Interfering With Your Day-to-Day Plans
Eczema can really affect your quality of life. “Especially if you have moderate-to-severe eczema, it can impact school performance, work performance, and relationships with family and friends,” says Piliang.
A study published in September 2021 in the Journal of Dermatology followed 93 people with atopic dermatitis. When they began the study, most of the participants reported problems at work because of itchiness, fatigue, pain, and mental health. With treatment, they found significant improvements in their ability to work and quality of work life after 48 weeks.
If you find yourself missing out on activities because of your eczema symptoms, in either your work or personal life, you should talk to your doctor about changing up your treatment.
5. Your Health Insurance Status Changes
It happens all too often: You and your doctor have tried different medications and found the ones that work for you — and then your prescription drug coverage changes. When that happens, you may not know whether your insurance will continue covering your current medications. “It can be really discouraging and frustrating,” Piliang says.
But, if you talk to your doctor, they can send a letter to your insurance company explaining that you’re being treated successfully with a certain medication, and hopefully, the coverage can continue, she says. “It takes a lot of work on your doctor’s part and on your part to get that to happen, but that’s something you can work on with your dermatologist,” she adds.
6. The Side Effects of Your Medication Are Bothering You
The side effects of eczema medications, including itching, stinging, and burning, can be very bothersome, says Piliang. Plus, if you’re using a topical medicine, you may not like how it feels on your skin. “Some of the ointments we use for eczema can be greasy. When you put it on, it gets all over your clothes and leaves stains, and so you don’t want to use it,” she says. If you don’t want to use the medication because of the side effects or the application of it, that’s a sign that you may want to try a different treatment.
7. Your Previously Well-Controlled Symptoms Are Coming Back, Despite Following Your Treatment As Directed
“If your treatment stops working as well as it once did, that’s a time to come in,” Piliang notes. People sometimes feel guilty when they have a flare, and that may keep them away from checking in with their provider, she adds.
What Are My Options When It Comes to Changing My Eczema Treatment?
Once you’ve talked to your doctor about any concerns you’re having with your atopic dermatitis treatment, there are a few options you can explore together. Your doctor may, for example:
- Tweak the dose of your medication Many people with eczema start with topical treatments, and doctors can increase the strengths of those medications, if needed, according to Piliang. “It may be just going to a stronger topical medication for flares,” she says.
- Recommend supplementing your current treatment plan with another drug In some cases, if your symptoms are no longer well controlled, your doctor may step up therapy to a more aggressive treatment, says Piliang. “We may add systemic medications,” such as biologics and Janus kinase inhibitors (also known as JAK inhibitors).
- Recommend switching to a new treatment altogether There are times when it’s appropriate to switch treatments, according to Piliang. This can include situations in which your symptoms aren’t well controlled or you’re experiencing unpleasant side effects from your current regimen.
- Ask you to do some trial and error to find the right treatment or combination of treatments It can take some time to find the right eczema treatment, so you shouldn’t feel bad about telling your doctor if a medication isn’t working, says Piliang.
“If there were one perfect treatment that worked for everybody in the same way, we wouldn’t need all the different options that are available,” she says. “There’s no reason for you to suffer because your treatment isn’t the right one for you.”
View the companion visual Web Story on Severe Eczema Treatment.
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