Skin cream withdrawal pain 'like being electrocuted' left footballer stuck in bed

Meilir Rowlands says he doesn't recognise himself when he looks in the mirror due to TSW

A 21-year-old who went from being a keen footballer to "bedridden" after he stopped using a steroid cream to treat his eczema says, at his lowest point, it felt like he "was being electrocuted every second".

Meilir Rowlands has lived with eczema his whole life, and had used topical steroid creams prescribed by his doctor "on and off" since he was a baby.

But when he tried to stop using the cream about three years ago, his skin progressively got much worse and he later discovered he had topical steroid withdrawal (TSW).

NICE advises that TSW reactions are rare, but can occur with "long-term or inappropriate" use of topical steroids, particularly moderate to high strength.

Eczema affects approximately 10% to 20% of children and 2% to 10% of adults worldwide, according to the National Eczema Association.

The condition causes areas of the skin to appear red, dry and itchy.

Meilir is one of about 500,000 people in Wales living with eczema - but never expected what would happen when he stopped using his cream

Meilir, from Landwrog in Gwynedd, was prescribed topical steroid creams to treat his eczema - a common treatment for many of the eight million people who have eczema in the UK.

Over the years, he said, the strength of the prescription creams got stronger and stronger. When he stopped taking them halfway through his first year at university, the inflamed areas of skin were no longer like what he had always dealt with, instead covering most of his body.

He later discovered he was experiencing TSW, which meant his body was reacting to the topical steroids being stopped.

His face and neck were among the affected areas - places he had never used the steroid creams before.

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"At the start, it was more of me being confused and a bit scared of what was happening to me... but, during the last few months, I've just felt so exhausted with it all, especially after trying everything possible to help myself and my skin.

"I've been bedridden throughout most of it, struggling to get out of bed to do simple tasks. I just felt so depressed... I was doing nothing while my mates went out and enjoyed their university life."

Meilir says he was a sociable and sporty student before TSW left him in constant pain

Steroids - also called corticosteroids - are medicines used to treat a range of conditions such as eczema and asthma.

The NHS advises that most people will not have side effects