Hi everyone, While I dont have Psoriasis I do suffer from another form of rheumatoid arthritis.  So while our diseases are very different we do share a lot of the same medications.  I really hope no one minds me posting as Im really just searching for some answers.  For whatever reason I have had a difficult time finding some answers concerning my meds on other forums and just general searching.  It does seem like the psoriasis community has a significant amount more of experience with these medications which has led me to post.  Long story short I've now tried Humira and cosentyx.
Humira was somewhat effective however just left me with a sense of malaise that just made using that option not worth it.  I am now on Cosentyx and while for the most part I feel so much better on it.  However, I have this strange pressure sensation in both my thighs.  Its literally deep like almost pressure in my femurs.  Its not pain, but its damn uncomfortable. I do have a follow up next week, but just seeing if anyone that has used cosentyx has had a similar side effect or explanation why this is happening.  I am on the loading phase, so I am doing my best to see this through, but hopefully some one hear can elaborate for me.
Many thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! I am new here. Just diagnosed by accident with inverse psoriasis that is morphing into a more plaquey type. I know this isn't really natural, but that cream, (you know, the one with vitamin A and vitamin D in it?) well, it really works for me. We used it on our babies when they had diaper rash, and by golly it works for me too! Thank you for new ideas.

I have recently had a bad flare-up on my shins and had got to the stage where it felt like someone had peeled my skin off and rubbed salt over it. I was also subconsciously scratching my legs to hell in my sleep, walking had also become difficult as every movement was splitting the skin on my shins so something had to be done and quick.

So I grabbed the bottle of Calamine Lotion that was lurking at the back of the medicine cabinet and dabbed a little on one small patch that was itching the worst. It was so nice and cool and I could feel it soothing almost instantly so I decided to leave it a few hours to see what would happen and I'm pleased to say nothing went wrong and it felt sooooooooooooooooooo nice.

Then I tried one leg and there was a huge difference. No more burning, no more itching and no more bleeding. I thought although this isn't going to get rid of the flare-up it looks like it is going to calm it down so I slapped it on both legs and got a great nights sleep.  

The next morning I found it wasn't easy to wash off, but as I started gently washing it away and got ready for the sting to return from the water. It didn't sting however anywhere as much as it had been even though a few flakes came off. So I re-covered the psoriasis in Calamine Lotion and again it was soothing and stopped the itching which got me through the day and another comfortable nights sleep.

Today I repeated the process and it is definitely calming the flare-up. I'm going to continue doing it over the weekend and will see how it is on Monday.

I doubt it will help the psoriasis much as a long term treatment but I just thought I would share this if anyone ever wants a quick relief from the dreaded flare-up.

*I would recommend if you do try it to do a test first on a small piece just to make sure it's for you. And I don't know how long you can continue using it, but I seem to remember using it for over a week when I had chickenpox in my 20s.

Caroline had a problem not long ago with a quote getting stuck. I have just had the same problem, and whilst I was trying to find how I told how to fix it I found another way. So I thought I will add the solutions to try should you ever get the problem or get asked by another member.

The problem usually happens after you use "multiquote" it will sometimes carry the quote over into a new post elsewhere or in the same thread. I have found two ways of fixing it, but the person with the problem has to do it as there is nothing I can do from my end.

Option #1 Go to the test board and start a new thread. If you see this you need to click "Deselect this post"


*It won't always work in the thread you are having the problem, hence the reason to start a new thread.

Option #2 Clear the Psoriasis Club Cookies. There are different ways of doing this depending on what browser you use.
*If using this way remind people not to clear their saved passwords at the same time if they store their passwords on the browser.

At the moment there is not other fix I can find.

Hello I'm Tilly  and have had Psoriasis for about 40 years  But this year i have psoriatic arthritis and having treatment now  Would like to know if anyone has had IV injections straight into the vein of steroids as this is what the hospital is  suggesting   as the single injection was not strong enough  So would appreciate from anyone who has had this  Thanks

Hi,
This is my first post here. I decided to join this forum to get in touch with other people who have psoriasis. I'm more concerned about some other non-skin related inflammatory effects of psoriasis, e.g. the link between psoriasis and diabetes, fatty liver, high cholesterol, etc. (what is also called the metabolic syndrome). I'm starting to have these symptoms (pre-diabetes and high cholesterol in my case although I'm only slightly overweight) and I believe they are connected with my psoriasis. I've had psoriasis since childhood (for about 35 years now) and I know its external effects are one problem but the other (and potentially much more serious) problem are the internal autoimmune effects of psoriasis. I even read recently (in a German medical journal) that the average lifespan of a person whose psoriasis was diagnosed during childhood is only 59 years which does sound pretty scary...

Ok so brief background, I've suffered with guttate (mainly on my back, legs and arms) for around 5 years and have been on various creams and had UVB twice. UVB has worked for me in the past however it just isn't feasible to take time off work 3 times a week to get the treatment. Also, I found that my P comes back within the matter of months once I've finished. 

So after speaking with my derm and reading a few posts on here I decided to give Acitretin a go. I started the treatment on 1 August but was only on 10mg to start and was working my way up to 35mg daily (so 10mg for 2 weeks, 25 mg 2 weeks then 35mg). I have now been on 35mg daily for 5 weeks and whilst the side effects have been minimal I have noticed little to no change in my P. On my 6 week check-up with my dorm he said to give it another 12 weeks to see if there is any change. 

I understand that Acitretin is a bit of a slow burner but apart from one patch on my leg I really haven't seen any difference, in fact, this week I think I am noticing a few new patches spring up. So I'm wandering at what point do I call it quits and say this isnt working for my P because surely I would have seen some results by now? 

If anyone has an experience of Acitretin taking this long (2 months) to show any signs of working it would be appreciated. 

Also, if I do move off Acitretin what's the logical next step? MTX is not an option for me to be fair, I'm 25 and the idea of not being able to drink just doesn't fit. I'm open to the idea of injections however, I don't think my P is severe enough to be able to get them through the NHS.

A small pilot study of a wearable device by Thync Global on psoriasis patients has encouraged them to to generate clinical data through collaborations with leading institutions.

Quote:

---

Thync Global, which markets wearables that help users sleep better or relax, reported the first effective use of bioelectronics to treat psoriasis in a pilot study. The noninvasive therapy “significantly” reduced psoriasis symptoms and could fill a gap in psoriasis treatment.

The pilot study involved 28 patients; 18 were treated with Thync’s device, while the remaining 10 received a placebo device. The patients used the device 10 minutes a day for four weeks.

Of the 18 patients in the treatment group, 15 (83%) reported at least a 50% reduction in redness, scaling and itchiness, compared to two patients in the control group, the company said. One-third of the treated patients reported at least a 75% reduction in symptoms, compared to none in the control group, said Sumon Pal, Thync chief scientific officer.

Worn on the neck, Thync’s device uses proprietary algorithms to deliver electrical stimulation to targeted nerves in the cervical and thoracic spine, the company said in a statement. It exploits the link between the sympathetic nervous system and the immune response.

“The nervous system plays a powerful role in modulating the immune response,” Pal said in the statement. “By creating a technology that can noninvasively manipulate the neurogenic pathways that regulate the immune system, we can provide a drug and side-effect free therapy for psoriasis.”

Well, here we go. Two days ago was the first injection with Stelera. Starting this journal for myself and it would be awesome if it can help people make a choice in the future. 

Before that, you name it:
Tar (when I was but a child, can't remember much except the horror of having P)
UVB (3 treatments total, the last one, a nice doorpanel that I got to use at home, stopped working just as I was nearing the final top doses)
Vitamine D derivatives creams, sometimes mixed with steroids. But rarely. Helped a bit, never total clearance on either combination)
Psorinovo; dymethilfumerate, slow realise and enteric coated (failed on that after a brief interlude of not taking it. The second round it didn't work, upset intestines, and also in a period of a lot of stress, so... I dunno. Wish it still worked)

Diet; elimination of so-called trigger foods. Does work for some, but not for all, including ArteMie.

Then a long period of trying to avoid biologicals, scared of side effects and going down the slope, never to be seen healthy again...

Humira (end of june to end of august this year. Big fail; high blood liver values within two months, ALAT 177, extremely tired)
Enstillar. ( since last thursday. Always avoided steroids like the plague, but this spray foam is the dogs bollocks, GO steroids! I know it can't be used indefinitely, but wow, what a relief from sore, flake, painful skin. It's almost clear. So; imho this is a quick fix when you're up shit creek ) 

Nursey told me I couldn't take the subcutaneous shots myself, because it's slightly more difficult than Humira. Which I fail to see, after all, didn't I practise setting shots on oranges at the Seafaring Sailing school in Medical Class when training for Sailing Captain school?
Also, she failed, some liquid squirted out after the injection, so it's still to be seen if I received the full dose.

Status now; don't feel any different, still first in line for a midday nap, but that could be because I'm; a) still fighting P b) still recovering from the Humira. btw; my liver is recovering awesomely rapidly, so got the all-clear for Stelera. oh and; c) I love nodding off and napping in the afternoon =] Couch blankets are a Concept in this house

I try to eat good food, not too much sugar, make my own kefir, a healthy probiotic drink. And I love wine : Which I probably shouldn't, but one has to live and have fun.  Wasn't there a lot of sugar in wine? Well, if there is, I'm just gonna deny that, if you don't mind.

   ArteMie

Will clearing P make me feel better? I have a doc that has fast tracked me for Stelara, but I am hesitant because of the health risks. (Cancer etc.) I would also have to take the Twinrex hep A B vaccine which concerns me because of the mercury preservative.

My P is on my elbows, knees, scalp, ears, back, sides and spots all over. One fingernail and toenail have it. The amount is not as bad as it sounds, but getting worse. I can keep it somewhat at bay with my 6 lamp NB UVB light unit.

So my question is: If my P clears, will I feel better? Is the clearing cosmetic or will there be actual physical benefits?
I don't want to risk serious side effects for a cosmetic fix.

Thanks

Hi.  

I have had red spots on my penis for over a year now.  I went to a primary care doctor who said it looked like psoriasis and recommended trying Lamisil and Hydrocortisone 1%.  Neither of those had an effect and he referred me to a dermatologist.  

The dermatologist also said it looks like psoriasis.  He gave me hydrocortisone 2.5% ointment and triamcinolone ointment.  I used those for a few months with not much help, although 5-10% of the area did clear.  When I went back he said that I could continue using the ointment but it may take years and there wasn't much more he could do.  I discontinued using the hydrocortisone 2.5% and triamcinolone.  

I've also had STD testing done to rule out this being an STD.  The STD testing was negative. 

I decided to get a second opinion from another dermatologist.  He said he could not be sure that it is psoriasis without doing a biopsy.  He gave me mometasone ointment and protopic ointment to try first before doing a biopsy.  I used these ointments for 10 days only because they burned REALLY bad.  I went back and told him and he said they shouldn't burn and told me to just try the mometasone and give it one more try.  I tried it once and it burned so badly I had to take a shower after 30 mins to get it off.  I only used it the one time (the second time around).

He gave me another prescription and said if the mometasone burned too bad to try Clobetasol.  However I have googled Clobetasol and it says it is one of the most potent corticosteroids.  I am extremely reluctant to try any more ointments on my penis at this point, let alone a potent one.  It has been 3 months since I used the mometasone/protopic for the 10 days and my penis still hurts.  It hurts now when I masturbate.  I am fearing longterm damage.  

I'm pretty upset at this point and unsure exactly what to do, which is why I am writing this out.  I'm wondering if any members of this community have tried Clobetasol or have an opinion on wether that is safe to put on the penis or not.  

I am thinking I will see a 3rd dermatologist and ask wether these meds (mometasone, protopic, clobetasol) were ok to use on the penis or not.  Also the derm I was seeing said if these don't help the next step is a biopsy to confirm what exactly the red spots are.  He said it is the last resort though because it will leave permanent scarring.  

I'm pretty upset and unsure what to do.  I suppose I will find another dermatologist to get a 3rd opinion before trying ANY more ointments and before doing a biopsy.  I'm also unsure wether doing a biopsy is worth it or not. 

Anyone have any advice on what to do for someone in my situation?  Help! 

Hi everybody! My name is Connor, and I am suffereing from psoriasis for more than 10 years. I tried different treatment methods, but the last year I use only natural methods.
Right now I am pretty sure that all medical drugs cure only the symptoms, this is not bad, but I want to find the reason and eleminate it.
I am happy to join Psoriasis Club, as I am 100% sure that in discussions we can find proper strategy to treat proriasis.

This large Danish study suggests there is an increased risk of bone and cartilage cancer in psoriasis patients.

Quote:

---

Background:
Cancer-associated mortality is increased in psoriasis. However, little is known about the risk of less common cancers.

Objective:
We aimed to evaluate the risk of less common cancers in patients with psoriasis compared to persons without psoriasis using a nationwide cohort study.

Methods:
Between January 1st 2008 and December 31st 2012, we identified all Danish patients with a first-time hospital diagnosis of a less common cancer defined as <100 new cases/year/100.000 persons in Denmark. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of a diagnosis of cancer.

Results:
We included 4,361,869 individuals. Of these, 58,138 were classified as having psoriasis. After adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and health care consumption, we found significantly elevated hazard ratios for cancers of bone and cartilage (HR 4.97 [2.32-10.62], P<0.0001) in patients with psoriasis on systemic treatment.

Conclusion:
We provide further evidence of an increased cancer of bone and cartilage risk in patients with psoriasis.

Hi everyone
Could someone please let me know if hemp oil has any great affect on controlling psoriasis, and if so how long does it take to work, I have tried various creams from my gp but none never seem to keep it under control for long, I currently use dovobet.
Any replies would be much appreciated.
Chris

There has recently been a lot of talk about Fire Ants being used to fight psoriasis.

Emory and Case Western scientists have said Solenopsins are the main toxic components of fire ant venom. They chemically resemble ceramides, which are lipid-like molecules which have reduced skin thickening and inflammation in a mouse model of psoriasis.

The scientists devised two solenopsin analogs that look like ceramides, but can't be degraded into S1P. They then tested them in a mouse model of psoriasis, applying the compounds in a one percent skin cream for 28 days.

The mice treated with solenopsin analogs displayed decreases in skin thickness compared with controls (about 30 percent). The treated mice also had fewer (around 50 percent less) immune cells infiltrating the skin. When applied to immune cells in culture, the compounds decreased the cells' production of the inflammatory signal IL-22 and increased production of anti-inflammatory IL-12.

More test are needed especially to assess their toxicity and it could be a long way off before it's in use, so don't go putting Fire Ants on your psoriasis.  

*This information is taken from various sources. Thank you to Kezz for the original article but I couldn't publish it.

*Funding: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and Atlanta Clinical & Translational Science Institute.

Hello

All new to this on my 'journey' finding I would like to talk to people who are going through the same as me.  Like to keep things short and to the point so here goes

2009 said I had RA when through mandatory 3 treatments before bios which took 2 years
2011 to 2014. Muddling along moved from Scotland to england! back to scratch as its ANOTHER country
Then in 2016 new consultant said its psoriasis arthritis and as treatment is similar to RA continue with bios, but still no relief so next week going to ask for otezla as now on NICE list can anyone give advise and support

Waiting with hope back in my heart x

Hi everyone. My name is Kath. I have had psoriasis since I was 4. I am 57 so basically all of my life. However, for the first time I have inverse psoriasis and I am really struggling.

Sorry, this may be too much information but it is under my boobs, in the fold of skin under my stomach, at the top of my bottom and even in my belly button. It is very red, inflamed and wet.

I hate steroid cream but am trying it. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of what had helped them.

Thanks in advance xx

starting otezla today,, 3 months worth of tablets, fingers crossed,

Does anyone believe biological drugs have caused them to gain weight?

Cos I do.. it would be interesting to hear whether others feel the same. I've enjoyed lovely clear skin all this year but have got bigger - of course it could be unrelated but my weight generally stays about the same normally.

Hey! I suffer all the time from psoriasis and it's getting worse. Need help and hope for future treatment options.

I'll be stopping by periodically. If you are reading this, I'm sorry about your condition. It sucks.