Hey guys,

Just wondering if any of you have had strange rashes while on prednisone...I have these little itchy pimples all on my scalp, particularly behind my ears. They're really itchy, and I've noticed that I'm getting tiny bald spots around them...

Has anyone else had anything like this?


Thanks!
Nicky

This could be a scalp fungal infection.

There is a special OTC shampoo called Nizoral. Selsun also makes products that work. Give those a try.
People on high dose prednisone can get skin fungal attacks.
This is due to the reduced immune response in the skin and also the elevated blood sugar the pred causes. If you perspire alot, this also feeding skin fungal organisms.

There is also a liquid anti-inflammatory liquid called Scalpicin.
It works pretty well. The doctor can write an RX for stronger types, but the OTC one can work well and is less expensive.

What Mrs.D said sounds about right

I would add to that, it could also be folliculitis which is a staph infection of the skin. That's common to with steroids. You should really see your primary doctor to be absolutely sure.

Did you ever get rechecked for celiac? That can cause "bumps" too.

Thanks, guys!

I went to the doctor today, and he said that it doesn't really look like a fungal infection, but he gave me an rx for it anyway, just in case...He said that it's pretty mild, whatever I have...

I still haven't been re-checked for the Celiac's...It's weird, because I have had these pimples before, in the same areas--long before I started the prednisone...How does Celiac's cause these bumps?

Thanks!
Nicky

This article is pretty good.

http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologi...s_herpeti.html

Darn it, Nicky, get those tests redone!!!! If you have celiac, your small intestines are being destroyed. Prednisone may even mask celiac - some cases of refractory celiac have been shown to get better with Pred, since it IS an autoimmune disease!!!! GEEZ!!!!!

I get the itchy damn bumps if I get some hidden gluten.

It's a good thought to assume it's the drug but I have to wonder in your case if it is celiac. If the rash spreads, go back in. I had folliculitis on Pred really bad. But then I got an antibiotic and got the lovely secondary infection Clostridium Difficile.

Have a good night . . . and call your doctor (or a gastroenterologist since they deal with celiac) in the morning! Oh, and being on Pred can make the celiac antibodies disappear, just like the MG antibodies would. You may need an upper endoscopy where they take several little biopsies of your small intestines. It's not a horrid test - I had it done.

Annie

Nicky,

Thanks for bringing up the subject. I am not taking Prednisone, but I have similar symptoms and have had them on and off for a long time. Is this related to MG somehow?

I have had an occasional minor rash and/or pimples...on my head, my chin or behind my ears is the usual place, but recently (since MG started) I have started to get a few bumps occasionally on my upper arms and legs and my face. I also have had two long dark hairs on my chin since I was 13. I have been to the doctor about this skin problem in the past and had lots of tests done with no results other than the assumption that these symptoms are related to allergies.

I did learn from my old doctor (this was about 7 years ago) that these skin problems might be due to having an abundance of yeast in my body, but not enough for the doctors to call a yeast infection. I don't remember too many details other than she recommended a change in my diet that included eating less sugar, this reduces the yeast in your body. It is worth looking into.

Now I am curious if there is something elso going on here. I have noticed that since I got MG these skin problems take longer to heal and that it happens more frequently. I guess it is time to go to the doctor again. It seems like with MG there is always another problem to deal with. I am tired of it.

I poured myself a glass of water and remembered one more thing.

Of course!

When I don't drink enough water is when I get skin problems and now that I take Mestinon I need lots of water, so much I feel like I can't keep up with it. Drinking extra water helps and even knowing this I still can't seem to drink as much as I need. Water tastes so yucky with the chlorine and who knows what else is in there. Time to get a new water filter.

Now if I could only get all my water from a natural spring I would love to drink water. I love spring water!

There is probably another cause for the skin problems we have, but definitely adding extra water to your diet helps.

Hey Desert,

Wow...It sounds like we have the same thing! I have them mainly behind my ears, around the hairline and on the chin. I also have 'hives' (very tiny tiny little itchy pimples on my upper arms and thighs). I've had these since I was very young.

It's funny that you mention yeast; I think that you may be right. As soon as I started taking prednisone, seems like my blood glucose skyrocketed. I had never previously been diagnosed with diabetes, but my doc. had given me a monitor to keep tabs on it in March as I was always thirsty and urinating like 15 -times a day, drinking like 10-large bottles of water. I also had problems with yeast infections often at various times in my teens and 20s. I know that yeast loves sugar, so perhaps this is the reason? I know that for some reason or another, MG and diabetes seem to be partners in crime (prednisone or not).

Thanks for the advise...I do drink tons of water and will continue to do so!

Edit: Wanted to add that my wounds heal very slowly as well. I started to notice this in May or so. I thought that it was possibly from plasmaexchanges, but my hemoglobin was practically normal at that time. I know that diabetes causes slow-wound healing. The soles of my feet having been burning a lot too lately, and I found out that I have denervation in my arms. Not quite sure what the denervation is from. It's scary. Oddly, I'm actually hoping it's from neuropathy of some sort as that seems like the lesser of the evils when it comes to what causes denervation. :S

ttys!
Nicky

I did a simple search and found a connection between chronic yeast infections and immune disorders such as MG. I wish I had followed through with my doctors suggestion years ago and change my diet completely.

Here is an example of what I have found (so many web sites on this subject!):
http://www.womentowomen.com/digestio...h/candida.aspx

I am going to slowly change my diet to avoid some of these foods that feed the yeast, maybe it will help.

Is it possible that a chronic yeast infection can cause MG?