My mother has lupus and was told she has lost one kidney and may lose another, the doctor suggested Corticosteroids. She is afraid the side effects are too severe. She’s thinking of just forgetting about taking corticosteroids and starting dialysis, is this a good decision? And if not what are the best corticosteroids with the least side effects.

Answer
No, that is a very bad decision. The reason people with lupus die is because they don’t follow their doctors advice. I have had moderate lupus for 6 years and been on pretty high doses of prednisone for the whole time. There are some side effects: thinning bones and weight gain and memory impairment. The bone loss can be prevented with Fosamax, and the weight gain can be controlled through diet and exercise. Dialysis three times a week is horrible. I’ve seen people on dialysis, and personally, i would rather die than go on dialysis. Dialysis will only buy her time until a kidney transplant, but if she is not following her doctors advise and not treating her lupus properly, there is no point in having a transplant.

I have been living with Lupus for about a year now and have episodes where my face gets very dry, flaky and sometimes itchy (butterfly rash). The skin around my eyes and my eyelids get very dry. The skin turns a deep shade red/purple and sometimes is painful to the touch. I also get dry patches on my forehead and chin. Does anyone have non prescription remedies to make my episodes subside easier?

Answer
This is something that you really must talk with
your doctor about. Its important that he or she
know this. It may be a side effect of medication
you are now taking. And furthermore, before you self
medicate, you need to find out it it will interact in a
negative way with your current medications.