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What Causes Itchy And Skin Color Bumps On Arms While On Cortisol?
Posted on
Tue, 15 Jul 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 15 Jul 2014
Answered on
Tue, 5 Aug 2014
Last reviewed on
Question : i am 55 yrs old . have been diagnosed with secondary adison's disease. have been on cortisol or hydro cortisone, salsalates and i have very high, almost uncontrollable high blood pressure.
for the past few days , i have been having these painless, non itchy, skin color bumps all over my upper and lower arms. they are every where. yesterday , i used my epi needle and gave myself 0.1 mg plus one decardon shot . and increased my prednisone intake from my usual 0.5-10 mg to 30 mg. also taking pepcid and other antihistamines . they totally went away for 24 hours and they reappeared again. like i said they dont hurt, but i feel somethings are creeping under my skin.
one doctor told me that these are not rashes, but gathering of the regular skin cells together, for autoimmune response.
for the past few days , i have been having these painless, non itchy, skin color bumps all over my upper and lower arms. they are every where. yesterday , i used my epi needle and gave myself 0.1 mg plus one decardon shot . and increased my prednisone intake from my usual 0.5-10 mg to 30 mg. also taking pepcid and other antihistamines . they totally went away for 24 hours and they reappeared again. like i said they dont hurt, but i feel somethings are creeping under my skin.
one doctor told me that these are not rashes, but gathering of the regular skin cells together, for autoimmune response.
Brief Answer:
Hi
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Good day.
Noted the history and curious to see the skin lesions. You could attach them to this question. Please take a snap using a camera or XXXXXXX phone and just upload and attach.
Noted that you have secondary hypocortisolism. What was the reason ? Chronc steroid use or is it due to hypo pituitarism. Did you have rheumatoid arthritis or SLE or similar conditions before ? Did the skin lesions appear after sun exposure?
It may be better to use Hydrocortisone tablets rather than prednisolone for addisons. Hydrocortisone is more gentle and doesnt harm the bone as much as how prednisolone does. Usual dose is Hydrocortisone 10 mg on waking up, 5 mg at noon and 5 mg at 5 pm. ( this will equate to only 5 mg of prednisolone).
Part of your high blood pressure may be due to prednisolone itself. It can also make your skin thin and friable and rash like skin patches can appear.
Please attach a photo so that i can advice you further. I would also like to show this to my dermatology collegue.
Regards
Binu
Hi
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Good day.
Noted the history and curious to see the skin lesions. You could attach them to this question. Please take a snap using a camera or XXXXXXX phone and just upload and attach.
Noted that you have secondary hypocortisolism. What was the reason ? Chronc steroid use or is it due to hypo pituitarism. Did you have rheumatoid arthritis or SLE or similar conditions before ? Did the skin lesions appear after sun exposure?
It may be better to use Hydrocortisone tablets rather than prednisolone for addisons. Hydrocortisone is more gentle and doesnt harm the bone as much as how prednisolone does. Usual dose is Hydrocortisone 10 mg on waking up, 5 mg at noon and 5 mg at 5 pm. ( this will equate to only 5 mg of prednisolone).
Part of your high blood pressure may be due to prednisolone itself. It can also make your skin thin and friable and rash like skin patches can appear.
Please attach a photo so that i can advice you further. I would also like to show this to my dermatology collegue.
Regards
Binu
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hi, I have provided some attachments. Please review them.
Brief Answer:
Hi
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I reviewed the photo with my dermatology colleague. These are Hives and looks like allergic urticarial rashes. Since you are already on prednisolone, the itch and redness would have been masked.
Did you use any new cosmetics, sprays etc ?
Any recent animal/pollen exposure ?
Any nut/food allergy in past ?
You may continue to use Prednisolone and may add calamine lotion to apply on the skin. You may also use an anti histamine like Cetrizine once daily. If you feel that these appeared after exposure to a particular allergen, please try to avoid it.
Regards
Binu
Hi
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I reviewed the photo with my dermatology colleague. These are Hives and looks like allergic urticarial rashes. Since you are already on prednisolone, the itch and redness would have been masked.
Did you use any new cosmetics, sprays etc ?
Any recent animal/pollen exposure ?
Any nut/food allergy in past ?
You may continue to use Prednisolone and may add calamine lotion to apply on the skin. You may also use an anti histamine like Cetrizine once daily. If you feel that these appeared after exposure to a particular allergen, please try to avoid it.
Regards
Binu
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hi, I have provided some attachments. Please review them.
Brief Answer:
Hi
Detailed Answer:
Yes, they do look like urticarial rashes. I hope you read my answer above
Binu
Hi
Detailed Answer:
Yes, they do look like urticarial rashes. I hope you read my answer above
Binu
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
i respectfully disagree. allergic reaction specified for arms?
plus every time i have a hive, they are red and itchy. these are not. and i dont know how else to explain their creepiness. something moves under my skin and drives me nuts. then these bumpy scaly large patches of cells appear.
is there a condition in which, your cells stick together , migrate towards each other or something like that? can it happen in other organs?
no i did not have any exposure to any allergens as far as i know within the last few days.
thank you
plus every time i have a hive, they are red and itchy. these are not. and i dont know how else to explain their creepiness. something moves under my skin and drives me nuts. then these bumpy scaly large patches of cells appear.
is there a condition in which, your cells stick together , migrate towards each other or something like that? can it happen in other organs?
no i did not have any exposure to any allergens as far as i know within the last few days.
thank you
Brief Answer:
hi
Detailed Answer:
Allergic hiives are red and itchy. I did mention that itching and redness could have been masked by Prednisolone. I agree that Allergc hives are usually all over the body. Hives confined to arms and forearm could be due to a a cosmetic exposure. That is the reason i asked if you applied any new creams or lotions etc to the affected areas.
There is no such condition where your cells stick together and appear like this.
From the picture it verymuch appear like urticarial rashes. However, please understand the limitation of not being to examine and feel the lesion. If they are recurring, a punch biopsy of skin may be necessary foe exact diagnosis
hi
Detailed Answer:
Allergic hiives are red and itchy. I did mention that itching and redness could have been masked by Prednisolone. I agree that Allergc hives are usually all over the body. Hives confined to arms and forearm could be due to a a cosmetic exposure. That is the reason i asked if you applied any new creams or lotions etc to the affected areas.
There is no such condition where your cells stick together and appear like this.
From the picture it verymuch appear like urticarial rashes. However, please understand the limitation of not being to examine and feel the lesion. If they are recurring, a punch biopsy of skin may be necessary foe exact diagnosis
Note: For further inquiries on surgery procedure and its risks or complications book an appointment now
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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