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not a cure but...

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sue44933
sue44933

I suffered from constant itching for many years so by the time I was diagnosed with LS, I was already doing everything I could to alleviate the symptoms such as washing with aquas cream etc etc. I finally realised that it was LS after googling the symptoms and after this was confirmed by the doctor, I was prescribed eumovate and told to follow the instructions. I did this, the LS disappeared and I forgot all about LS until, of course, a few weeks later it came back. I began to use the steroid more and more frequently until I was using it 2 or 3 times a week. I finally hit rock bottom when I was using it to go to bed and would wake up in the morning with an itch. During this time I was trying anything and everything but nothing seemed to help. I googled a link between LS and zinc so I dug out an ancient tub of Sudocrem and applied it. Almost immediately, I found some relief and for the first time in many years, I went for two weeks before the itch returned. In the meantime however, I had discovered emu oil. I bought some on line and tried a new regime of applying the emu oil for moisturising and the sudocrem as a barrier cream and I am delighted with the results. I haven't had an itch now for two months. I can't promise that this combination will work for everyone but it certainly worked for me and I urge anyone suffering from LS to try it. 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Morrell1951
    Morrell1951 sue44933

    Posted

    Interesting, Sue, that you were not prescribed the most potent cream/ointment – clobetasol propionate .05% as most of us have been. I looked up eumovate and found it's Clobetasone butyrate, classed as a moderately potent corticosteroid.

    Was this itching after menopause? Is it your only symptom of LS? If so you would have had a biopsy to have LS confirmed. Dr. Goldstein theorizes that women are underdiagnosed because only pre-pubescent girls and post-menopausal women (in other words, low estrogen) complain of itching as their primary reason for seeing a doctor. My gynae has almost as many LS patients as Dr. G. and she disagreed with this estrogen component, says it hasn't been proven.

     

    • sue44933
      sue44933 Morrell1951

      Posted

      Before the menopause I used to get bouts of thrush which were treated with gynodactarin. The first time I suffered from itching after the menopause, I assumed it was thrush as usual but the gynodactarin didn't work. To begin with, the only sympton was the itch which was relentless and was driving me mad. Then came the white patches. The doctor didn't order a biopsy because she said that she could see what it was. The eumovate was very effective to begin with but when I found myself having to take it more frequently with less effect, I searched elsewhere. Even if the LS eventually comes back, I will have had some time being steroid free and that can only be a good thing.   
  • jen01988
    jen01988 sue44933

    Posted

    I also won't say that this will work for everyone, but I had been taking Clobetasil when my symptoms would flair up. That seemed to be every couple of weeks. For other reasons, I changed my diet to vegetable- based. I mostly cut out dairy, processed oils,  refined sugars, and refined flours  (when I say mostly, it means 85-90% of the time)? I ate lots of raw and cooked veggies, fruits, beans, raw nuts, seeds, avacados, whole grains, and I ate meat about 2-3 times in a month (much more sparingly than I had before), and within a couple of moments, my LS symptoms disappeared completely. This was not something I had expected. This summer I eased up with my diet a bit, and the LS symptoms started creeping back. When I started to become more strict again, they would disappear again. Like I said, I'm not sure this would be the case with everyone, but I thought I would share it. If you are interested in the book that I read that caused me to change my diet, it is called Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I don't know what exact food that triggered LS for me, but I know now that foods can hurt or heal.
  • cazblue
    cazblue sue44933

    Posted

    I found that not only was the steroid cream difficult to apply, it actually made me more sore and uncomfortable. Like you I found a very old tub of sudocrem and applied, instant relief! I had tried emu oil but as a vegetarian this did pose some real ethical dilemmas for me. As it was I found it offered no relief so stopped using that. I do know that whilst on holiday I drank rather too much cola and the burning, itching sensation and sleepless nights returned. As you say not a cure all for all but if it helps just one other person it's a tale worth telling
  • suzanne00
    suzanne00 sue44933

    Posted

    Hi Sue--Really appreciate your and others sharing on what's helped.  Though I think that this has been explained before, wondering since I live in the USA, what is sudocrem?  --Suzanne
    • cazblue
      cazblue suzanne00

      Posted

      Hi Suzanne,

      sudocrem is zinc oxide cream sold as a treatment for nappy (diaper ) rash.

  • Roselee
    Roselee sue44933

    Posted

    Before I was diagnosed with LS , I had a slight irritation round my anus now and then felt like a bit chapped, as I had never heard of LS , I just used sudocrem and it went better within a day or two at the most, thought it was the best cream ever. Since I was diagnosed and have started burning around there Dermovate has not cleared it completely and have been using it for weeks, I have used the odd time of the sudocrem, but I am going try it again, will let you all know how it goes. X
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