Rash Issues

[pooh55811]

I have had a mild rash all through treatment and it has been taken care of by benadryl and hydrocortisone cream. About a week before I finished Incivek (so about 2 and 1/2 weeks ago) I got a real bad rash on my forearms. It was bright red, raised (like hives almost), and confluent. It kept getting worse and my thighs got it too as well as my abdomen. I finished Incivek on Sunday, 12/18. I started taking more benadryl. By Friday Dec. 23, neither the hydrocortisone nor the benadryl was helping. It was spreading and itching constantly.

It looked like the moderate rash on this site:
http://www.incivek.com/hcp/assess-and-manage-rash

I went to see the doctor and was prescribed Fluocinonide ointment. I also started taking zyrtec once a day in the morning and kept on taking the benadryl 50 mg at night. It took 2-3 days to really make a dent in the bright redness but the itching stopped almost immediatly after using Fluocinonide (using it am and pm). It is still there, some darker red areas and still some bright red areas, but somewhat less confluent and definitely not as raised.

Personally, I think I should have started on this regimen about a week earlier than I did so the rash would not have progressed so far. Regardless, it is working and that is why I am posting. I just thought it might be helpful for others with rashes to see what is working for me. It might work for others (although I know it won't work for all).

(And my empathy definitely goes out to everyone who has had bad rashes throughout treatment. I was lucky to have such a mild one for so long and also I am lucky this regimen is working.))

[pooh55811]

One thing I think that helped the fluocinonide work for me is that it is in ointment form. It really stays on the skin for a long time and does not wear off or rub off. It is quite a mess, though, LOL. It gets on everything. My sheets have ointment on them and so do some of my clothes. If I know I have to go some place and wear a coat, I wait until I get back home to put the ointment on. I don't go out much except for lab work and doctor visits so I can stay greased up most of the day. It works, at least for me, so I will put up with the greasy feeling. It sure beats itching to death, LOL.

I know all remedies do not work for all, but I think it is good to share so we can try the other remedies if the one we are using does not work.

[toby47]

Good that your cotisone is working. I got a rash at wk 11 and kept it thru wk 19. Same thing started on arms spread to chest and eventually everywhere.I had clobex spray and like that it kept things in check and stopped the itching along with claratin until it spread all over. the spray said to use only on a percentage of your body and not continually.After a few weeks I used it mainly on my upper chest and neck, one week using it and one week not using it, to stop its buildup.Even with that I developed skin marks,like broken blood vessals, on my upper chest where I had used it the most, not a big deal.The rash would lighten up in one area and get redder in another then just started to fade one day and that was the end of it.Hope yours leaves soon.

[indy531]

My rash sounds the same as yours in my thighs, back, shoulders and forearms-fluocininide didnt help. Clobetasol gel worked, but only take antihistime during the day, otherwise cotton mouth is unbearable.My rash began day 2 of tx, even before Victrellis.

[TDM62]

It will go away.I had the same symptoms except the rash was on my back and legs.I had no reaction at all the first sixty days.
My Dr perscribed Halobetasol Propionate which cleared it up

[Advocate1955]

I'm glad the things you're trying are working for you.
My husband's NP prescribed the following for the Inc rash:
Hydroxyzine  HCL, 25 mg, 1 – 2 tablets every 6 hours as needed Triamcinolone, 0.025% OINT, twice per day as needed
She also recommended:
Eucerin cream and Eucerin body wash
We put tea tree oil (available over the counter in drug stores) on the blisters that developed with the rash when it was at it's worst.  In comparing his rash to the pictures of the Inc rash, I would say that his was also moderate.  What we found was that the rash started on one part of his body, got bad there, and then moved to another part of his body, got bad there, and then moved again.  It left his skin dry and peeling after the redness and welts went away.
Advocate1955