Remember that eczema can be exacerbated and infected and that one case can easily infect another person. Thus, even if it is not being prescribed by the doctor, the meds are taken by people so as to cure the problem and not spread the infection. But this is easier said than done. In reality, one cannot drink any medicine without the prescription from the doctor. You must frequent various health resources that can be found online to get a good dose of information about how to deal with this. You must also ask your doctor about what should be done about this and you can also try asking around, especially those parents who are also dealing with this. The gravity of one s eczema may also be caused by the weather. If one or more members of your family had atopic conditions (dermatitis, asthma, hay fever), you have a good chance of developing the same. Pollution-prone places also increase the risk of the illness. Females are slightly prone to the disease than males. It also tends to be more common in higher social classes and in families that are smaller in size. You also wouldn t want any harm to happen on the baby on your womb, if you are pregnant, hence you really need to take precaution. This kind of skin condition may run in families and other allergic kind of disorders. The cure to it is yet to be developed. What you can do at the moment is try to find anything that can lessen the itchiness and hinder its development. There is a wide array of literature out there on reducing, if not totally eliminating stress from your lifestyle. Environmental triggers (for Atopic dermatitis) For Atopic dermatitis victims, limit your exposures to environmental triggers. These include pollen, mites, molds, animal dander (fur) and others. Usually, they are given topical steroids or immunomodulators. This is because medicines can have side effects especially for infants and those below two years old. Prolonged use, even in older children, can cause the thinning of the skin and stretch marks to appear. Prevention is still the best way to manage the problem.