Coming Off the Cream: Topical Steroid Withdrawal Stories

Inside this volume

Fifty first-person accounts describe topical steroid withdrawal, the burning, flaking and sleeplessness some people report after long use of steroid creams stops. Writers came to it through childhood eczema, psoriasis on a postman's shins, a lightening cream bought at a Lagos market, a pharmacy mixture for a groin rash that turned out to be fungal, and steroid cream on the lips for seven years. They include a nail technician who lost her studio, a firefighter, a long-haul trucker managing his hands from the cab, an emergency room nurse who first rolled her eyes, and parents of a four-year-old and a ten-year-old. Places run from Columbus to Cork and Osaka to Buenos Aires. Writers describe vacuuming flakes every morning, deferring a university term, asking a law firm for adjustments, a week in hospital with blisters, an eye doctor's findings after years of eyelid cream, asking about allergy testing, and a free clinic without insurance. One tried the no-moisturiser method and abandoned it; another spent heavily on promised shortcuts. A retired librarian's withdrawal ended in about six months, while a retired school bus driver describes two and a half years and counting. Not every account ends cleanly: some went back to steroids under a doctor's care, and some still live with flares.

Who it's for

For people wondering about the cream in their drawer, those in the middle of a long flare, and the parents, partners and grown children helping them through it alongside their doctors.

Format · Instant download · PDF & EPUB · Fifty first-person accounts · PDF: 228 pages

A collection of personal testimony, offered as companion reading — not medical advice.

• 50 single-author testimonies from real people
• A short, plain-language introduction to the topic
• Editor's note, contents page, and curated resource list
• Professional interior typesetting and an original cover

Every purchase includes a print-quality PDF (best for desktop, tablet, and printing) and a reflowable EPUB (best for Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and phones). Files are DRM-free. You can download both instantly from the order-confirmation screen, and we email them to your inbox as well, so your books are always within reach.