Eczema Prescription Alternatives

A long time suffer of eczema. I have struggled over the years and spent a considerable amount of time and money finding temporary relief for the itching and burning. Recently, my company downsized and I lost my job. Losing my insurance, forced me of the prescription medications, I had been on Biologics for a considerable period of time and I was shocked to find out my out of pocket cost would be in the range of $1,000 a mount. As such, I was used to and forced me become a little more frugal and seek out new remedies like Eucerin and seaweed bath powders.

For those of you who do not know what eczema is it is an allergic skin disorder which causes dry, rough spots on the skin that can often times cause blisters, cracks, and bleeding. Some people have it worse than others and not everyone will experience bleeding or the more severe manifestations.

I wanted to learn more about over the counter products options, so I started to research to see what was available. Being used to prescribed medications, I was shocked by the number of products on the market and the price associated with some of the "treatments". Based on my research, I found 3 core product groups worth delving into:

There are many lotions and creams on the market that can help, especially things like low-dose hydrocortisone cream and Eucerin. These products can all be purchased at your local drugstore and usually range in the $7-15 range. They are good for very temporary relief of 4-6 hours between applications.

There are interesting but very inexpensive household items like oatmeal (used for baths) or oddly enough Crisco shortening to smooth over your body (a poor man's body butter if you will). These products can be found for just a few dollars at your local grocery or natural foods store. They tend to last a little longer than the lotions listed above.

There are a unique sub-genre of "naturals" that feature Dead Sea Salts, Seaweed, Licorice Plant, Aloe Vera and more other commonly found natural ingredients. Having used standard lotions in the past as part of my regiment and not loving the idea of rubbing Crisco over my body, I started to spend a bit more time on naturals. These products tend to be a little more expensive and are usually found online or in larger skin care chains like Bath & Body Works.

After a bit more research, I started to hone in on Naturals, I started to read a bit more Irish seaweed as a treatment and saw it could be turned into everything from body butters to bath powders, indeed a versatile plant!

One product I started to run into on blogs as I searched was from Seaweed Bath Company. They make many different kinds of natural products to use in the bath to help in the treatment of your eczema. While I was a bit dubious at first, I read about the founder who suffers from Psoriasis and after a bit of time on the site I was convinced. So, I bought a few small bath powders at around $4 each they seemed worth testing. Here I sit, 4 weeks later and I am happy to report the seaweed bath products actually worked! While most things pale compared to the Biologics I was on, these baths are very soothing and they have helped to provide me some relief at a very reasonable cost.

It's unfortunate that it took me losing my job to start digging around online to find better options, but now, I am happy I did (well, not lose my job, but you guys get it!) I wish anyone who suffers from either eczema or psoriasis much luck in finding a treatment that works for them. There is no one size fits all solution, but hopefully you'll do your own research and find your own treatment that works!