Young white female presented with a history of chronic eczema or atopic dermatitis. She had this condition over several years all over her body. The chronic skin condition not only affected her physical wellbeing but negatively affected her mental wellbeing as it was very visible across her face and limbs. As a result, she had not maintained a full time job for two years.
She was using a topical steroid cream, cortisone for about one and a half years, as recommended by her doctor. After some time of steroid use, the patient was disappointed with the progress of the her skin condition, And in fact, when the patient googled the fact that steroid creams were actually bad for the skin, she was even more alarmed. So, the patient decided to suddenly stop using the cream without consulting Doc.
For the next two months, the patient had difficulties controlling her temperature when it was either cold or hot, persistent dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, and her entire skin was swelling and oozing. She did not, however, visit the doctor because her parents told her that her reactions were the result of her own mental and psychological problems, not because of any other issues.
Finally, the patient decided to go see the doctor and explained everything, including how she found out that steroid creams were not good for her and why she stopped it suddenly and the additional conditions after she stopped using the steroid creams.
The doctor explained that when you administer exogenous (originating from outside the patient) corticosteroids, it disturbs the negative feedback loop. The body stops producing its own corticosteroids, because the it is constantly receiving it from outside sources. So, when the patient stopped using the steroids, it has severe adverse effects on the body and can push the body into an adrenal crisis. The Doctor mentioned that in some cases the death rates for adrenal crisis like the one that the patient suffered from by stopping the steroid cream is extremely high, as much as 50%.
