Protopic Dependancy

[20yearoldguy]

Does anyone know if Protopic ointment on the face can cause a dependency or rebound? I ask because i feel like i am in need of using it more frequently than before. I appreciate all your help thanks. :)

[maatson]

Guess the best alternative is to give protopic holidays in between and use emmolients during that time. Thus you can avoid tachyphylaxis too.
Do consult your doc.

[20yearoldguy]

Thank you Doctor. Well my face gets flared red itchy dermatitis/eczema and the Protopic helps while I'm on it. But after about a week of stopping it comes back. The remission time is shorter than before. I am scared of using Protopic because of the cancer risk even though my dermatologist says there is no real cancer risk. I also do not want to use steroid creams on the face. Antibiotic creams like metro cream didn't work. i just don't know what to do. Should i stay on the Protopic? Hope you get to read this.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
Protopic cannot cause dependency or rebound but it should always be used under medical supervision as it has plenty of side effects and can cause increased risk of malignancies.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.