Topical Steroid Withdrawal

Posted Tue 20 Oct 2026 15.01 by Richard

Hi, I'm new here. I was curios to find out if anyone has had a similar experience to me and what you done about it. I have been on Topical Steroid treatments more or less daily for the last 10 years. I have had different GP's and they all prescribe me topical steroids and tell me to use daily. I have never been told i need to have breaks between treatments or warned of any side affects. to cut a long story short recently i have had a bad flare up so went to the doctors. and was told i need to take a 4 week break. I have had terrible flare up since (2 weeks in) sore/burning sensation in parts, very itchy. so I am not been sleeping because of this and feel depressed. after 2 weeks I went back to GP who agreed I am having bad withdrawal symptoms and was given 2 weeks worth of Betnovate and told to come back in 2 weeks. I am now worried that I have become dependent on topical steroids and breaking the cycle is going to be a uphill struggle. has anyone had a similar experience and what did you do about?

Posted Sun 8 Nov 2026 17.29 by Mark

I had also been using steroid creams more or less continuously for years. Two things I found useful when I moved away from continuous use: First, I reduced the amount of cream I used every day a little before stopping completely. This way it is a gradual reduction rather than a sudden stop. Second, I tried to increase the length of the break over time. Initially I only managed a two week break after two weeks of using the cream. Over time I could increase the break to about six weeks (after two weeks of steroid cream use).

Posted Mon 9 Nov 2026 21.22 by CBMan

Ever since I was prescribed topical steroids I have been told to keep to a 1 month on, 1 month off regime - which generally I stuck to. I had my second course of UV treatment just over a year ago which seems to have been much more long lasting than the first. Once I started the course of UV I could only use the topical steroids on days when I didn't have a UV session and since it finished I have only using steroids about once a week.

Posted Today 11.34 by Acrazydoglady

Hi Richard - I had a horrendous withdrawal after only a very short time, not sure if this is due to Covid jab being my trigger for plaque psoriasis, but I posted via this post with a few pics when I did diet, as I had no other medical support available during covid - https://psoriasisuk.org.uk/forums/topic.aspx?ID=6686 - as I thought if I remained on steroid long term until I could get a dermatology appointment - I was going to have an even worse time getting off them - although please note - what works for one person doesn't work for another! Stay strong & I hope you find something to help you, as I so agree lack of sleep is a huge issue, and I would hope your GP has referred you to dermatology to help you with TSW (topical steroid withdrawal)

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