Question:

I don’t believe my limited SC exposure is a big problem. One year and still clear!

Could you tell me if it is not too much trouble the LOT # on your cans.  It should be located somwhere towards the bottom front (not bottom of) of can. Glad to hear you are still clear(ed).  Might want to go to the doctor and have a few blood test taken though.  Have them do a preliminary of on your liver and kidney numbers.  I had them all done and they show fine, but once I let my usage drop over the last two months, my kidneys have really stopped hurting as they were.  It is funny, Within a week of stopping, my urine goes back to normal.  Now with just two spray sessions, it is back to dark yellow.  Had it tested and it showed nothing.  I read in a report (a couple of them) that people have noted darkening of urine output. Clear today, maybe Cancer 15 years from now? I have three leads on SC now….. 1. Mailing – I would not trust them and it is probably not even the same formula from Cheminova Direct. 2.  Distributors are sitting (some) on a great amount of returns and are looking (not publically) to dump it. 3.  hmmmmm…..I have alot and am not going to use it anymore, only enough to keep these flares down.  But I am a capitolist and a realist and I want way too much money for what I have <G…. Scott M. Gray

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Lot # 24. It seems a bit slower that the previous lots, but still is working. I had a complete physical three months ago and everything was fine. I spoke with my internist about the SC issue, rather than a derm, and he was aware of the fuss. He felt that as long as I "wasn’t bathing in the stuff" it wasn’t any worse than using Kenalog, Temovate, or any of the other medications of the same type. A liver function is done on me twice a year since I take Zocar, a medicine to help lower cholesterol. So far..so good! As far as the urine issue, I don’t have a problem, but mentioned others complained of the color. He suggested lots and lots of water, good for weight control too! I also still have a fair supply and hope things will loosen up before I run out.

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I spoke with my internist about the SC issue, rather than a derm, and he was aware of the fuss. He felt that as long as I "wasn’t bathing in the stuff" it wasn’t any worse than using Kenalog, Temovate, or any of the other medications of the same type.

Depends on what "same type" means, doesn’t it?  How can he possibly make such a statement without knowing what is in the product?  This newsgroup has reported similar statements from physicians, all of whom were wrong, particularly about their assurance of the apparent *absence* of steroids in the product. As far as the urine issue, I don’t have a problem, but mentioned others complained of the color. He suggested lots and lots of water, good for weight control too!

This is downright scary.  He clearly has no clue as to what the agent causing color change and kidney pain is, and doesn’t even have a patient to examine for signs of kidney injury–so he suggests drinking water?  As far as I can determine, neither zinc pyrithione nor steroids affect urine color, and further, we know that several analyses, including one by the FDA, detected unknown chemicals in the product.  Something is causing an alteration in kidney output, and it is far from clear that this change is simply restricted to changes in visual appearance.  For example, some antibiotics are known to affect kidney function, and the dosage of some other powerful drugs are monitored simply by observing urine color.  How many times has your urine accidentally darkened just by itself? This manufacturer refuses to admit to the presence of the world’s most powerful steroid in its product, and is even now apparently trying to evade an FDA ban by means of direct sales from its manufacturing plant.  It is beyond credibility to think that in all other respects they have made a full and honest disclosure of ingredients.  On the other hand, the best advice you are getting from your "informed" physician is to use the product–whatever it is– moderately and drink lots of water to make the color go away.   I hope for your sake he is right, but I see no evidence in his favor, and plenty against.  I am reminded of the instructions given to pilots learning how to land a disabled aircraft at night.  They are told to trim the plane for a normal descent, and to turn on landing lights when the altimeter reads 100 feet: if you like what you see, land normally; if you don’t, turn off the light. . . . John

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For example, some antibiotics are known to affect kidney function,

One of those being neomycin, which was reported in an analysis of an earlier formulation.  Also causes intestinal troubles and malabsorption in the gut.  Anyone on SC losing weight? –Paul

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Are there any other people (other than the Shanty) who stocked up on the stuff before the  ban and if there are, how are they doing now?

I bought seven cans, three on the recommendation of my derm and four more just before the ban was announced.  The first can, which I used primarily to clear 3 X 5 inch lesions on either shin, lasted for just over three months.  The second can is two months old and has at least 3/4 left. After SC cleared the lesions that I’d had for well over a year and that Dovonex hadn’t cleared, I had about a month without any spots to spray.  Then I got a spot (all of my spots show up at about half the diameter of a pencil eraser), sprayed it twice a day for eight days or so to insure it was dead.  Over time, I’ve cut this down to two times a day for two to three days and none of the spots has recurred.  For me, catching my spots on the day they erupt means I can use SC only 4 to 6 sprays (2 to 3 days) and the spot is totally gone. So the pattern of my P is a spot or two, then a week spot-free, then another spot shows up and two days later maybe two more, then three weeks spot-free–I don’t use much SC.  I believe that most of my cans will expire before I can use them.   BTW, when I clear a spot and then don’t spray any SC for three weeks or so, I don’t get any rebound or flare.  When the two week or three week hiatus is over, I might get one spot or maybe three new spots in a week.  I don’t know if stopping SC for three weeks is long enough to qualify as withdrawal, but I haven’t had any ill effects.     Aloha Anita

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I’m still using it with success. Only spraying on small spots as they appear. New spots are usually small and are contained in a week with twice daily zapping. No ill effects so far. Five cans left and already worried about where to get a new supply. Had a full physical several months ago and so far am fine. I don’t believe my limited SC exposure is a big problem. One year and still clear!

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Are there any other people (other than the Shanty) who stocked up on

Gosh Mr Bentley, does this mean I cannot talk? I just finally understood Cantankerous, now I will be depressed over being an "Other than"  <chuckle…. O.K.  just a short  .02.  It might have been better for everyone if this would have awaited to be banned in Spring instead of right at FALL, now into winter.  The sun was out nice yesterday, however it only reached 59 and the wind was about 12-15mph and it was just a bit much to sit out.  I did it with Underwear and a jacket….laster 20 minutes and gave up…. Just for Tally purposes – 22 – 200ml cans and 4 100ml cans unopened.  2 – 100ml cans opened..I will probably still be talking about SC well into the 2000 computer crash crisis, just wonder to how many <laughing with seriousness on face Scott "How long does Ed think about those parody’s" Gray

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Are there any other people (other than the Shanty) who stocked up on Gosh Mr Bentley, does this mean I cannot talk? I just finally understood Cantankerous, now I will be depressed over being an "Other than"  <chuckle….

I’m sure he didn’t mean to stifle you. He was honoring you as an example of an active participant here who still sprays. O.K.  just a short  .02.  It might have been better for everyone if this would have awaited to be banned in Spring instead of right at FALL, now into winter.  The sun was out nice yesterday, however it only reached 59 and the wind was about 12-15mph and it was just a bit much to sit out.  I did it with Underwear and a jacket….laster 20 minutes and gave up….

I try to visualize this, but all I see is a shivering Homer Simpson. Just for Tally purposes – 22 – 200ml cans and 4 100ml cans unopened.  2 – 100ml cans opened..

You now qualify to add "fire hazard" to the list of potential risks. I will probably still be talking about SC well into the 2000 computer crash crisis, just wonder to how many <laughing with seriousness on face

Congratulations on cutting back on SC and smoking. Your chances of making it past the millenium are improving all the time. Scott "How long does Ed think about those parody’s" Gray

– Ed "pausing to think before hitting SEND" Anderson

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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Are there any other people (other than the Shanty) who stocked up on the stuff before the  ban and if there are, how are they doing now? — Dave Bentley

   Yes, I still use it.  I bought about 6 cans before the ban hit.  I am down to four left.  I use it sparingly in a maintenance mode.  I do not know what I will do when they run out. Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii; name="vcard.vcf" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: Card for Sandy  Cormack Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="vcard.vcf" begin:          vcard fn:             Sandy  Cormack n:              Cormack;Sandy note:           Beware of my spam trap! x-mozilla-cpt:  ;0 x-mozilla-html: FALSE end:            vcard

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I have been following the discusions on SC for the last year and I was getting my derm to analyse the stuff.  My derm asking for more money to do HPLC just as the "s..t hit the fan". I had been using SC since June 96, initially once or twice daily for a few weeks and gradually got down to using it twice a week of one occasional spots which appeared now and again on my buttocks (would clear in 2-3 days and stay away for 4 weeks or so.) When news of the ban in the USA came, I ordered 15 cans of the stuff from the UK supplier at the end of August.  By then I was using SC about once or twice a week.  Lesions were returning on my hands (only fairly mild, and in the same places they were before), however they were seeming to become resistant to SC.  I started using Dovonex at the beginning of September, and giving a shot of SC twice weekly. I suffered a cervical disc protrusion on Sept 11th and was hospitalised for a week in traction.  I was given both paravertebral and Epidural injections of Kenalog (triamcinolone) as treatment for this….any remaining P lesions on every part of my body completely cleared within 5 days….not a trace.  I was truly P- free and stopped all forms of treatment. This has lasted until 2 weeks ago…I have 2  small lesions on my hands and 2 symettrical lesions about 6mm in diameter on my calves. Alternating dovonex and SC is getting these lesions to clear.  I must add that I have had P for over 10 years and before SC had large lesions on elbows, knees, shins, calves, hands and feet. Even if SC does contain clobetasol  I still think that it works better than anything else appart from Kenalog injections.  Provided I use it very sparingly I cannot see the problem in using it for me……I have not suffered any serious flares and I propose to continue to use my remaining 15 cans as an adjunct to Dovonex and as a sole source of treatment for lesions that respond quickly such as those on my buttocks. I cannot see how using 6 applications on those lesions over a period of 3 days once every 4-5 weeks is going to cause any long term steroid side effects such as adrenal suppression, skin thining etc. May be I am lucky or  may be my treatment with long acting triamcinolone, which tapers off gradually,  has prevented me from flaring or may be the number of reported flares is low compared to the numbers of people who actually used it. Are there any other people (other than the Shanty) who stocked up on the stuff before the  ban and if there are, how are they doing now? — Dave Bentley

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