InSKINcurities: Steroids and Antidepressants

Dear Melancholy,

Dealing with skin disruptions and disorders can be quite a bit to handle. And honestly, if your condition becomes chronic, it can have long term effects on your self-image, your self-esteem, your mood.

Friends and family member may become concerned. Someone may even consider  antidepressants to cope with your mood, which probably fluctuates as often as your skin does.

The fact of the matter is,  by the time your condition becomes chronic -- you are probably taking a combination of corticosteroids and antibiotics to cope with the constant inflammation of your skin. 

So how do Steroids and Antidepressants interact? If neither your dermatologist or your psychiatrist can't answer this question... you need to find a new dermatologist and/or psychiatrist. Don't worry. I had to.

Remember, it's your health. It's your life.

(And personally, I think most doctors don't do enough reading anyway. Too many practicing doctors don't keep up with recent medical research, anyhow.  Your best bet would be to find a practicing doctor who also does research, probably affiliated with a university -- at least you know he or she is keeping up with the latest and greatest.)

It turns out that cortisol and other corticosteroids also affect mood, behavior and cognition through "genomic and nongenomic" mechanisms. Many anti-depressants are effective because they increase corticosteroid receptors and actually lower cortisol levels.

Meanwhile your corticosteroids are working to raise cortisol levels.  Cortisol, is an immunosuppressant which when increased lowers inflammatory effects.

On the other hand, the first month I used Cephalexin... it felt like an antidepressant. Taking it seemed to make me feel so great. I asked my doctor if antibiotics had any antidepressant qualities. She assured me they did not. I guess I was just so happy to have beautiful, healthy skin again... Meanwhile, each time I accidently forgot to take the anti-biotic for the day my mood dramatically dropped. But, hey... maybe that's just me.  Sometimes my body does what it wants, anyhow.

Stay healthy, stay aware. 

Love,

Lhea J.

InSKINcurities: Eczema and Depression

Dear Sensitive Skin:

Appearance is everything. Or, so America tells us.

Unless you are draped in the hijabs of the eastern world, your eczema or psoriasis may be very difficult to hide. Every person you meet has a conscious or subconscious opinion about you which is based upon your appearance. More important, is the opinion that you have of yourself.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• How often do you look in the mirror once your skin has broken out? Do you become obsessed with how you look, checking for progress every 5 minutes? Or, do you avoid looking at your reflection at all for weeks, months on end?
• How social are you once your skin has flared-up? Do you socialize as much as usual? Or, do you cancel appointments, break dates, stand up loved ones when your skin has started to react?
• Is your mood based upon how your skin looks when you wake up in the morning?
• Do you actively date? Do you actively network? How often do you meet new people?

There are no right or wrong answers to the questions above. You must evaluate for yourself, what is healthy and what is not with regards to your own mental and social health.

Throughout the country there are more and more Dermatologist/Psychiatrist combinations becoming available for patients with chronic and terminal skin conditions. If your skin condition is beginning to have a severe impact on your mental stability, your mood, visiting a dermatologist and psychiatrist simultaneously may be a great option for you. 

Love,

Lhea J.