I may have Iatrogenesis

[malada]

According to Wikipedia I may have Iatrogenesis.   To quote:

Iatrogenesis is the causation of a disease, a harmful complication, or other ill effect by any medical activity, including diagnosis, intervention, error, or negligence.  

Timeline: in my 20s I saw a dermatologist about a persistent rash on my legs.  He said it was para psoriasis and there was nothing he could do and it would go away. 

I had been on Dilantin   for my epilepsy for over a decade and one of the side effects is skin rash.

In my 40s I was still suffering the same rash now covering 70 percent of my body and I sought our another dermatologist.  Coal tar did nothing so he tried light box (UVB) treatment.  That cleared me!  Hooray!  UVB treatment treats inflammation - which *any* rash will cause - including drug related.  He retired and no more UVB.  The rash returened to 90 percent of my body.  

in my 60s I switched to Keppra as an anti seizure medication because Dilantin had rotten my bones.  One of the (not often mentioned) side effects is skin rash!  Needless to say, my rash continued. 

About a year and a half ago I found another dermatologist who gave me other psoriasis drugs which did nothing.  I found someone   
.giving light therapy and again my rash started to fade.  As I mentioned earlier UVB will reduce any rash because it treats inflammation.  Then the rash spread to my scalp with flaking and itching.  Then it got  with eruptions and bleeding and pus.  I had become infected.   The first eruptions happen over a year ago.  Biopsies showed that it was a drug related rash.  

My neurologist disagreed.  I continued to suffer.  

I lost 85 percent of my hair. 

Finally, my rash went extreme and my infection grew dramatically sending me to the hospital.  6 days of intravenous antibiotics knocked it down but I'm still taking oral antibiotics.  I could have gone septic if I wasn't treated and treated HARD.   They also switched me to another anti seizure medication.  The rash is fading. 

So I may never had psoriasis or any other related skin ailment for over 50 years, but a reaction to my anti seizure medication.  A half century of treatment and suffering for all the wrong reasons. 

Hopefully my new dermatologist - who had extensive experience in exactly this kind of condition - will step me through the rest of it.  My scalp is still oozing so I may need outpatient infusion.  I'll totally cool with that.  First, heal the infection on my scalp.  Stretch goal is to grow my hair back.  
 
If I didn't laugh at all of this I'd be curled up in the corner crying.     

Comments

[dewline]

I was on Dilantin for almost a decade because epilepsy. I am now starting to get used to the idea of osteoarthritis as a fact of my life. The idea that the medication and the bone issues could be linked is Disturbing.

[malada]

There are bone building drugs out there. Go bug the system to get them. The come in pill or twice yearly injections. It will help with the osteoarthritis. I'm on the six month injections. It's not a cure but it can help.

[dewline]

I think I have a relative who gets the injections.

[warriorsavant]

No idea what you had or why (although sympathy for the suffering), but ALL drugs list "skin rash" somewhere in the side effects.