Protopic
I've used protopic for my facial eczema - Emma, Preston, UK
I have suffered with eczema for 35 yrs and my dermatologist prescribed protopic 4 yrs ago as I seem to have tried every treatment going. I have facial eczema which flairs up due to allergies (normally pets, dust, etc), and I only use protopic ointment in an evening as it tends to burn my skin and itch like crazy. I can't get over the fact though, that I scratch my face like crazy but when I wake up in the morning is cleared! I don't tend to have to use it very often now as my skin is a lot clearer -- touch wood. (July 2008) Contact Emma
Protopic - Lack of benefit to me - Balissa, UK
I have had eczema for most of my life, flaring up now and again. At the moment it is pretty bad and I have been prescribed Protopic 0.3%. I have been using it on my forehead and scalp for about two weeks now. The initial burning has eased but I am now getting a stinging sensation on my face when I wash with even tepid water. Particularly on my cheeks (and that isn't a site where I use the ointment). Sensitivity to hot and cold is highlighted as a side effect but this facial stinging hasn't. This hadn't been pointed out to me at the time. So far, I haven't seen the benefits over other topical steroids such as Fucibet. (March 2007)
Using protopic on my hands - Zoe, UK
I have been suffering from severe atopic dermatitis on my hands for only about a year now, it was just one of them things that appeared one day out of nowhere and I've had it ever since. I work in catering so it obviously isn’t very helpful for my career as it means I’m constantly having to apply creams and wear gloves at work and the frequent hand washing that you undergo in food preparation irritates it and makes it worse.
I have been prescribed a whole bunch of different creams and ointments throughout the last year from my doctor and only in the last 6 months have I been appointed a specialist dermatologist and he has decided to try me on Protopic
I have been applying it for about a week now and so far it seems to have done nothing except make my hands worse. They don’t appear any worse but they ache so much more than before. My fingertips have a constant burning sensation if I touch something only moderately warm they feel like they’re on fire. Yesterday I took the dog for a walk, it was only a little cold out, I wore no gloves, but when I came home into the warmth the change in temperature gave me chilblains in my fingers.
Also, I’m not entirely sure if this is connected, but another side affect I suspect, is that I keep having peculiar hot/cold flushes in my face which makes around my eyes burn and my cheeks blush bright crimson. I had read that this could happen if you drink alcohol whilst using Protopic but I don’t drink and it seems to be happening anyway.
For the long term affects of Protopic, I’m not really sure of, as I said, I’ve only been using it for about a week, but as yet, no positive results in the curing of my dermatitis. (November 2006)
Protopic; a double edged sword - Kim, Hamilton, USA
My daughter who is 16 years old has had eczema for 14 years. The past four years she has been using Protopic and it works wonders. She had severe eczema and allergies and asthma. I am wondering if there is a connection between her always getting boils, infected hair follicles and staph infections related to Protopic. She has also had had herpes virus. I think the side effects of Protopic are like a double edged sword. She cannot live without the cream and she uses it everyday. If anyone else has had these problems please let me know. (February 2006) Contact Kim
Protopic and steroids can work if used properly - Clio, London
Hello, I have had atopic eczema since six months old. I previously had asthma and hayfever which I have now grown out of. I would like to say to people do not be lulled into a false sense of security with Chinese or any other herbal medicine. Remember herbs are very potent and natural does not equal "safe" Also don't rule things such as steroids or Protopic as these can be very effective when used properly by someone who knows what they're doing. Any medicine is dangerous if misused. Whatever path you choose be it conventional or complementary, above all quality of life is paramount. (February 2006)
Protopic as a treatment for eczema is excellent - Lindsay, Bristol, UK
Protopic works excellently for me. For 6 months my eczema had been growing worse and was really getting me down and stressed out, and generally affecting my life in a big way. When I was prescribed Protopic I was dubious about using it because of the unknown long-term effects, but I was also desperate to have a normal face again. My eczema cleared up within two days on my face, arms and hand. I could not believe it. I did get a spotty sort of rash for one to two days which I think was a side effect but it soon went away. I am finding, though, that I have to keep using it. I don't know if anyone else is having to do this? I am quite worried about the long-term effects of Protopic... but as a treatment for eczema, well it's just been excellent for me. (November 2005) Contact Lindsay
Protopic is my first choice - Darrell, Menlo Park, USA
I am 42 and I've had eczema for 40 years. I recently got prescribed protopic for the first time and was confounded by the fact that it was in ointment form. I told the pharmacist this must be a mistake, since this prescription was for my face and there's no way I'm putting ointment on my face. He told me I would have to contact my doctor, so I did, but to my dismay the doctor's nurse assistant told me it only comes in ointment form. This seemed absurd to me and unconvinced I later goggled "protopic cream", the first result I clicked on took me to this site and Cheryl's story, she also lives in the bay area, and this coincidence as well as her inspiring story led me to click on her contact link. Her genuinely positive response encouraged me to try it out. I've never contacted anyone like this on the web before and was surprised how motivating it is, consequently I applied protopic with unusual rigor, I say unusual because I have had eczema for 40 years and don't give much hope to any treatments, eczema comes and goes, ups, downs, yada, yada, yada. Of course protopic surpassed my expectations and I'm elated, it worked as quickly as a steroid, but without the scabbiness and scaring, sorry for the grossness, but for me, as quick as a steroid is, it's hard to just let the steroid do it's thing without trying to hasten it or make the healing less unsightly, resulting in even more scaring. So protopic's seemingly invisible healing is definitely an advantage. Not sure how effective it will be long term, but the next flare up I get, protopic will be my first choice to extinguish it. As for the risks, it's a no brainer, I want quality of life now please. (October 2005) Contact Darrell
Is this drug safe? - Meri, Argyll, UK
I am concerned, as a previous user of this drug, that there is no indication of where to find out more info about it. As you are no doubt aware strong concerns are now being raised about the safety and use of this drug in the vast majority of cases (i.e. it is supposed to be a drug of last resort and is being named as a possible carcinogen). Not complaining, just wouldn't want you to be giving an unbalanced picture. (October 2005) Contact Meri
Protopic helped me - Cheryl, San Francisco, USA
In 2002 I began struggling with a mysterious skin itching redness and chapping around my eye area and a redness burning at the corner of my mouth that was getting to be crusty looking. It made me look older and I was becoming depressed at my aging appearance at 41. At first I was prescribed cortisone ointment but that didn't help. Then a new doctor at Kaiser told me it was eczema and recommended the newest ointment out on the market, Prozac. Just in the nick of time the miracle cure was there for me. I tried it and it actually showed signs of healing within 24 hours! This was after 8 months of no real results with other cortisone treatments. Within 3 days it was completely gone and my skin looked great! Three years later, I find I no longer need Protopic but only very rarely for very minor flare-ups every 6 months. When I apply the ointment, the flare-up goes away within hours. When I read about the cancer risk recently I thought, it was worth the risk. I don't care if there is a small cancer risk because we risk our lives every day in a dangerous world. Eczema was very depressing to have and I was relieved there was something to get rid of it almost immediately. (May 2005) Contact Cheryl
Protopic helps my son - Mary Cres Atienza, Bacolod City, Philippines
My 1 year old son has severe atopic dermatitis. My husband and I are both doing our best to help him. We have tried traditional medicine however, it was not effective for our son. We even tried steroidal medicines, but after a week, it starts to flare up again. He can't sleep well at night due to itchiness. Our doctor gave us some creams for atopic, but still it was not effective. Just last week, we went to our doctor for a check up because he had an eye allergy "allergic conjunctivitis" this pediatrician introduced the protopic ointment .03% ointment. She told us to use it for 2 weeks. So she gave us a sample of it (10g.) and really it was so effective. We just used it for a week! So we decided to buy it. However this ointment is not available yet in all drug stores in our city. Maybe because it was so expensive that others can't afford to buy anymore. For now we don't know yet when to get this ointment because our doctor told us to use it for two weeks, but just yesterday the ointment tube was already empty. Well for those who have not yet tried the protopic cream, try it yourself it might also be effective for you... (February 2005) Contact Mary Cres
Protopic has only helped a bit - Pete, Las Vegas, USA
I am 22 yrs old, and I have suffered with eczema for about 3 years now. My dermatologist had me try Elidel. I was very excited to try it, but it did absolutely NOTHING for me!!! She then put me on Protopic and told me it works better for adults with moderate eczema than Elidel because Protopic is a little bit stronger. It has helped, but only a little bit. (January 2005) Contact Pete
Last Reviewed: 4 October 2010
Next Review Date: 4 October 2012
