Uses of Antidepressant as Adjunct Treatment of Very Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Abstract

This is a case of severe atopic dermatitis in a young married male age 37 years. This patient was very anxious and frustrated. The patient was using all the standard treatments for severe atopic dermatitis for e.g azathioprine, cyclosporine, tab deltacortril, applying emollients with clobetasol in it but he was not getting better. By chance the patient's family dragged him to visit a psychiatrist and the patient was advised to start venlafaxine and within 15 days the patient started getting better miraculously. Atopic Dermatitis is a very frustrating disease and patients face severe depression and bouts of severe itching exacerbated by exposure to dust, stress, sweating, changing and wearing clothes, etc. The use of antidepressants is not common practice in treating atopic dermatitis. Most general practitioners and dermatologists don't pay attention to how much a patient is suffering not only physically but also mentally and because of this, they don't suggest antidepressants. The role of antidepressants as an anti-inflammatory is still needed to be educated among physicians. This is a vicious cycle. The stress causes the exacerbation of this disease in which patients start itching all over the body and because of itching, lesions all over the body start getting infected as during itching staphylococcus aureus which resides under the nail enter in the lesion and cause infection and because of infection patients have a fever, lethargy, and weakness. The use of antidepressants is a game-changer in the management of atopic eczema.