ReviewClinical drug investigation2021
Steroid Phobia: Is There a Basis? A Review of Topical Steroid Safety, Addiction and Withdrawal.
Review in Clinical drug investigation, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 43 citations in OpenAlex.
- Examining the Unanswered Questions in TSW: A Case Series of 16 Patients and Review of the Literature.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Topical steroid withdrawal: dissecting the controversy.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- PDE4 Inhibitor-Responsive Dermatoses: An Emerging Concept in Dermatology.The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology · 2025Review
- Mapping Online Discourse on Topical Steroid Withdrawal: Accuracy, Safety, and Supporting Evidence.Cureus · 2025Article
- Topical Steroid Withdrawal: Perspectives of Dutch Healthcare Professionals.Acta dermato-venereologica · 2025Article
- Topical steroid withdrawal: self-diagnosis, unconscious bias and social media.Skin health and disease · 2025Article
- Topical Steroid Withdrawal in Atopic Dermatitis: Patient-reported Characterization from a Swedish Social Media Questionnaire.Acta dermato-venereologica · 2025Observational
- Breaking the cycle: a comprehensive exploration of topical steroid addiction and withdrawal.Frontiers in allergy · 2025Review
- Reviewing the Evidence Base for Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome in the Research Literature and Social Media Platforms: An Evidence Gap Map.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Review
- MHRAThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Therapeutic Effect of Liquiritin Carbomer Gel on Topical Glucocorticoid-Induced Skin Inflammation in Mice.Pharmaceutics · 2024Article
- Topical steroid withdrawal treated with ruxolitinib cream.JAAD case reports · 2024Article
- Attenuated effects of topical vinpocetine in an imiquimod-induced mouse model of psoriasis.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2024Article
- Short-term effect of a moderate-potency topical corticosteroid on epidermal biophysical parameters in patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis: A randomised controlled study.Malaysian family physician : the official journal of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia · 2024Article
- The ameliorative effects of topical gemifloxacin alone or in combination with clobetasol propionate on imiquimod-induced model of psoriasis in mice.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2024Article
- Incident psoriasis under treatment with tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients-analysis of the BiKeR registry.Rheumatology international · 2023Article
- Review
- Qualitative analysis of topical corticosteroid concerns, topical steroid addiction and withdrawal in dermatological patients.BMJ open · 2022Article
- Skin Allergy Research Society and Society for Eczema Studies Joint Task Force Guidelines of Care for Management of Atopic Dermatitis for Adults, Children, and Special Populations in India: An Evidence-Based Review and an Expert Consensus.Indian journal of dermatologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
There is a growing concern amongst patients about topical corticosteroid (TCS) side effects, with increasing discussion of topical steroid addiction (TSA) and topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) particularly on social media platforms. However, the acceptance of TSA/TSW as a distinct condition remains controversial within the dermatological community. We conducted a literature search using PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Embase and Web of Science to identify original articles addressing TSA/TSW. We described the definition and reported clinical features of TSA/TSW including its classification into erythemato-edematous and papulopustular subtype. To assess the validity of TSA/TSW, we summarised and objectively appraised the postulated mechanisms for this condition, including tachyphylaxis, dysregulation of glucocorticoid receptors, rebound vasodilation and impaired skin barrier leading to a cytokine cascade. Understanding the evidence including its limitations and uncertainties highlights areas for future research and helps medical practitioners better counsel and provide care to patients who may be experiencing or who have concerns about TSA/TSW.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.