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Itchy rash

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User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 11:56

After a year of Active Surveillance, when my Gleason score was 1, my second biopsy upped the Gleason to 2 and I began hormone terapy in preparation for radiotherapy. Started 28 days of Bicalutamide tablets in December 2018 and had my first injection of Triptorelin just after Christmas. Started a bad skin rash in January which has now spread over most of my body. GP's prescriptions of anti-histamines  and Eurax cream did absolutely nothing. Saw the oncologist on 15th February who said it was unlikely to be an allergic reaction to the tablets but simply an effect of the hormonal changes to my body. My dilemma now is - do I go ahead with the second injection of Triptorelin, or just proceed direct to the radiotherapy course? The oncologist suggested that a second injection wasn't absolutely essential, but could make a marginal difference to survival rates - but left the decision to me. Meanwhile this itch is driving me mad. I can't sleep at night, and am demonstrating enormous willpower by not downing many large drams to deaden the pain. Tried to get an appointment with a dermatologist, but . . you know . . one of the two consultants is off on annual leave, and the other one has a long waiting list. I kind of suspect they might not be able to offer much help anyway. Sigh!

Has anyone out there got any helpful advice?

User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 15:06
Have you considered seeing a dermatologist privately? The cost of a private consultation is not outrageous (typically £150-250) and if it leads to the problem being solved it would seem money well spent. You can generally get a private appointment almost immediately.

Unfortunately even if you don't have the Triptorelin injection, it will probably be weeks if not months before whatever's caused the rash goes away again.

Chris

User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 22:00
Complete waste of time paying to see a dermatologist, this itchy rash is one of the most common side effects of decapeptyl. No idea why your onco didn’t just tell you that!

There isn’t much that can be done - you could ask about a change to Zoladex or Prostap but itchy rash is listed as a common side effect for both of those as well. Stronger prescription anti-histamines might be the best thing to try next.

If that doesn’t work, stopping HT is not the end of the world ... some oncos give radical RT without any HT at all.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 27 Feb 2019 at 00:23
You could ask your GP for a short course of the strong immuno-suppressant corticosteroid, Prednisolone, providing it doesn’t interact with the other drugs you are taking. That might give you some relief for a couple of weeks at least.

Cheers, John.

User
Posted 27 Feb 2019 at 07:57
Perhaps your oncologist would consider putting you back on bicalutimide; for many men it seems to have fewer side-effects. I’ve been on 150mg/day bicalutimide for over 6 months with minimal side-effects.

Chris

User
Posted 27 Feb 2019 at 10:38
Try using Hemp cream every couple of days.Geoff

.

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User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 15:06
Have you considered seeing a dermatologist privately? The cost of a private consultation is not outrageous (typically £150-250) and if it leads to the problem being solved it would seem money well spent. You can generally get a private appointment almost immediately.

Unfortunately even if you don't have the Triptorelin injection, it will probably be weeks if not months before whatever's caused the rash goes away again.

Chris

User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 15:44

Thanks Chris. Yes - I am considering seeing a private dermatologist. However my GP phoned this morning to say she would contact the local hospital dermatology department again on my behalf and see if they can bump me up the list. So I'll give that a few days before setting up a private appointment. The difficulty with the private appointment isn't the cost so much as the inconvenience - I would have to travel a long way to either Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow. I'm also a bit doubtful that a dermatologist could solve the problem - I suspect I will just have to wait till the hormones are out of my system.

User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 21:40

Thank you. I'm sure you are right about the chemicals, and I do try to use only Simple products. I will have a look at Tropic. A friend has just turned up today with a gift of what looks like a rather expensive French lotion called Lipicar-Baume from LaRoche-Posay Laboratoire Dermatologique. Claims to be anti-itching and can even be given to newborns. I'll see how it goes and report back.

 

User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 22:00
Complete waste of time paying to see a dermatologist, this itchy rash is one of the most common side effects of decapeptyl. No idea why your onco didn’t just tell you that!

There isn’t much that can be done - you could ask about a change to Zoladex or Prostap but itchy rash is listed as a common side effect for both of those as well. Stronger prescription anti-histamines might be the best thing to try next.

If that doesn’t work, stopping HT is not the end of the world ... some oncos give radical RT without any HT at all.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 26 Feb 2019 at 22:08
That's very helpful - thanks. I think I have had prescribed three different anti-histamines so far - none of them achieving anything. Occurs to me that I maybe haven't quite conveyed just how ghastly this rash is. I'm like a bleedin' leper - lumps and bumps and scabs all over my body. Can't see my skin ever recovering completely.
User
Posted 27 Feb 2019 at 00:23
You could ask your GP for a short course of the strong immuno-suppressant corticosteroid, Prednisolone, providing it doesn’t interact with the other drugs you are taking. That might give you some relief for a couple of weeks at least.

Cheers, John.

User
Posted 27 Feb 2019 at 07:57
Perhaps your oncologist would consider putting you back on bicalutimide; for many men it seems to have fewer side-effects. I’ve been on 150mg/day bicalutimide for over 6 months with minimal side-effects.

Chris

User
Posted 27 Feb 2019 at 10:38
Try using Hemp cream every couple of days.Geoff

.

User
Posted 27 Feb 2019 at 12:35
What an amazingly helpful lot you are! I have just tried Aveeno menthol skin relief cream, and so far (10 minutes!) think it's the best yet. It's COLD . . . . which is just what I want. Also I am learning that it is important to think carefully about clothing. I was wearing a hairy cotton work shirt this morning, and have just changed into a lightweight, smooth, 100% cotton summer shirt - and it feels so much better. So cotton is important - but not brushed cotton.
 
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