{"id":6611,"date":"2022-03-25T17:40:48","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T17:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/?p=6611"},"modified":"2025-08-14T14:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T14:22:40","slug":"lets-talk-about-protopic-tacrolimus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/2022\/03\/25\/lets-talk-about-protopic-tacrolimus\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;LET&#8217;S TALK ABOUT PROTOPIC (TACROLIMUS)&#8221; <br>BY CARA WARD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_heading-2f39ed33d932d52955c5507c8db10b76\">\n#top .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-2f39ed33d932d52955c5507c8db10b76{\npadding-bottom:0;\n}\nbody .av-special-heading.av-av_heading-2f39ed33d932d52955c5507c8db10b76 .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{\nfont-size:25px;\n}\n.av-special-heading.av-av_heading-2f39ed33d932d52955c5507c8db10b76 .av-subheading{\nfont-size:15px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='av-special-heading av-av_heading-2f39ed33d932d52955c5507c8db10b76 av-special-heading-h3  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '><h3 class='av-special-heading-tag'  itemprop=\"headline\"  ><span class='special_amp'>&#8220;<\/span>LET\u2019S TALK ABOUT PROTOPIC (TACROLIMUS)<span class='special_amp'>&#8221;<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"special-heading-border\"><div class=\"special-heading-inner-border\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0BY CARA WARD<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_three_fourth-826c1c0ca2001783299b013bb6b50dff\">\n.flex_column.av-av_three_fourth-826c1c0ca2001783299b013bb6b50dff{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_three_fourth-826c1c0ca2001783299b013bb6b50dff av_three_fourth  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_one_fourth  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><p><section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><em>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think anyone who hasn&#8217;t gone through something similar will understand the desperation that comes with trying to find something to &#8216;manage&#8217; your &#8216;Eczema.&#8217; Even after knowing that Protopic gave me liver spots when I used it in my teens, and the awful burning sensation I felt when I came into contact with water, I STILL used it again because I was desperate not to use steroids and felt like I didn&#8217;t have a choice. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I felt completely trapped by all this medication and stuck in a vicious cycle. People will end up using Protopic, which they know is bad for them, because we have all been put in a position that no one should ever have to be in, and so we reach for (what we think is) the lesser of other evils because we have been let down as a result of not being made aware of the dangers of medication we used for our skin.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>-Cara Ward, excerpt from \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About: Protopic (Tacrolimus)\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_hr-616cd310f4c6bf63bbd1f033802c1165\">\n#top .hr.hr-invisible.av-av_hr-616cd310f4c6bf63bbd1f033802c1165{\nheight:20px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='hr av-av_hr-616cd310f4c6bf63bbd1f033802c1165 hr-invisible  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner '><span class=\"hr-inner-style\"><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-2de302bf1aa3cf4c9157dbe6f50ac7eb '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>In \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About\u201d Protopic (Tacrolimus)\u201d writer and TSW survivor Cara Ward shares the Protopic experiences of 32 adults. She highlights concerns and health outcomes following Protopic use and how these experiences may have impacted Topical Steroid Withdrawal recoveries. Michelle Li, ITSAN Executive Board member is among those featured and shares her personal experience using Protopic.<\/p>\n<p>Please note: ITSAN does not diagnose or recommend treatment or medication. Individuals going through TSWS (Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome), should discuss treatment options with their doctor. Every medication brings the risk of side effects. All issues pertaining to the care of patients with TSW Syndrome should be discussed with a physician experienced in the treatment of TSW Syndrome. ITSAN maintains a list of member recommended TSWS supportive doctors available under Files in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/ITSANSupport\/?ref=bookmarks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ITSAN&#8217;s Facebook group: Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome Support Group &#8211; Private Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Excerpt from \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About: Protopic (Tacrolimus)\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>By Cara Ward<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-6613\" src=\"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/2-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"665\" height=\"304\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/2-4.jpg 665w, https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/2-4-300x137.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/2-4-450x206.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 665px) 100vw, 665px\" \/><br \/>\nMichelle Li<br \/>\n@eczema_warrior<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Brief overview of your steroid\/immunosuppressant use.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Childhood use of topical steroids like Elocon.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>1-2 years of Protopic use at age 17.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>8 months of topical steroid use unknowingly (disguised as herbal cream).<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2. When did you use Protopic?<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>When I was 17 (I\u2019m 30).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>3. How much Protopic did you use?<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>1-2 tubes.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Did you use Protopic during TSW?<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>No.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Did you use Protopic just before going into TSW?<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>No.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Do you believe that Protopic has affected your withdrawal, and if so, how do you believe it has?<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>Yes, my TSW was the worst on my face which was the only area I applied Protopic. I had raw patches that oozed and they were hard to heal.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>7. If you could go back, would you use Protopic?<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>Absolutely not.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>8. Thoughts on Protopic and your experience of using it.<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>It\u2019s marketed by doctors as a steroid alternative. They assure you it\u2019s safe to use long-term but ultimately, the withdrawal is similar. Why does it burn when applied on the skin? Are the side effects worth the red rash?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read \u201cLet\u2019s Talk About: Protopic (Tacrolimus)\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By Cara Ward<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap av-av_button-5a0acd00138a0a56f515ad31a15873a6-wrap avia-button-left  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><a href='https:\/\/tswcara.blogspot.com\/2022\/02\/lets-talk-about-protopic-tacrolimus.html' class='avia-button av-av_button-5a0acd00138a0a56f515ad31a15873a6 avia-icon_select-yes-left-icon avia-size-medium avia-position-left avia-color-theme-color' target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span class='avia_button_icon avia_button_icon_left' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue803' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Click to View<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_fourth-c8fc129dc35fd1ae2a1e410224d39ea8\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_fourth-c8fc129dc35fd1ae2a1e410224d39ea8{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-av_one_fourth-c8fc129dc35fd1ae2a1e410224d39ea8 av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_three_fourth  avia-builder-el-last  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_image-30b6edb63e41a9deca320f5f0c7bea89\">\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-30b6edb63e41a9deca320f5f0c7bea89 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-30b6edb63e41a9deca320f5f0c7bea89 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-av_image-30b6edb63e41a9deca320f5f0c7bea89 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-8  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-6612 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-6612 avia_image ' src=\"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/lets.jpg\" alt='' title='lets'  height=\"255\" width=\"300\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWhilst TSW symptoms can be so varied, and recovery times are so different, when it comes to the influence of Protopic, there seem to be patterns forming that cannot be ignored any longer.\u201d -Cara Ward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6612,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6611"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6628,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6611\/revisions\/6628"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsan.org\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}