Hi all,
I've suffered with Psoriasis since my early teens . I'm 55 this year.
I've been using a 'heavy' but pleasant ointment since centre November 2016 called Sorion. The results have been impressive, to say the least. Plaque coverage has reduced from an itchy 10% of my skin coverage, down to a non - itchy 2%, with no side effects.
I'm the happiest I've ever been, and that annoying winter itchiness has gone, thankfully.
Sorion is readily available, and quite cheap if bought direct from its Indian manufacturer. Google it.
I'll be happy to answer any questions.

A while back my derm diagnosed psoriatic arthritis because I'd had plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis problems, plus carpal tunnel.

I thought these things might be related to my psoriasis but when I read up on p a it doesn't describe my symptoms, they always talk about painful joints and swollen joints.

I'm wondering again about it because recently I've had a bad left shoulder and elbow, left hip and basically feel like I've overdone it in the gym (lol, not likely!) but it's not really my joints, it feels like stretched muscles or ligaments. Finding it hard to find a comfortable position to sleep..

What do you guys think?

Perhaps the Stelara will help..

I've had a patch of psoriasis on my lower leg for several years and it increased in size and got more itchy as time went on. I've googled various natural treatments but didn't actually try any of them until last week. Recently I started using Calamine lotion to ease the itching and it was quite helpful but I had to keep putting more of it on several times a day to keep the itching away. Then I read about coconut oil being effective and experimented a bit with that. Amazingly, I came up with something that really worked which is this: I mixed calamine lotion with coconut oil and rubbed it firmly on the patch and the surrounding skin several times a day and before going to bed. After only 24 hours of doing this the itching was gone and hasn't returned. NO itching! The patch is healing over like normal skin and without the silvery, scaly surface. I'll post here again with a progress report in a few days.

Hi again folks!    Sorry it's been a while since my last post, some of you asked me to update on my cosentyx treatment.

I had my first injection of the four weekly 'loading dose' back on December 5th.   I had the second and third week and my psoriasis was still rampaging away, I .   was bedridden with the whole of my back and sides covered, I am covered all over to some degree but can bear to lay on tummy at moment.   

On the Thursday that first week I was so red hot you could feel the heat a couple of feet away.   I was shaking, shivering, teeth chattering etc I think its called rigors??   Anyhow,  my husband took me to GP, this was just before Christmas and normally she said I would be admitted because she was worried about fluid loss, pain levels, and infection incase it was turning eyrothrodermic.  In the end it was decided I would be better off at home, and was given 2 weeks of a strong antibiotic but told I must go to hospital if things got worse.  I was using cool packs to keep the heat down and sooth things.  It has been truly horrendous with well over 60% body coverage.  

A few weeks on I have restarted my cosentyx, the consultant thinks it was another flare on top because I had to stop the methotrexate before starting the injections.   I have now had my first monthly jab.   We are taking weekly photographs to compare any changes.   I am still housebound but not bedridden, I can wear super soft clothes, but I still can't do much,  I tire so easily and drink an awful lot.   My skin today looks possibly slightly less angry, we are in a routine of using Epiderm or Hydromol ointment (yuk its like spreading on lard!)  which is better than the cream as I don't dry out as quick and my husband can now leave me for three hours while he works.  But when he gets home and I am greased all over again, I scream in pain and want to go to bed to shut the world out.  I find listening to talking books calms me down, and I usually fall asleep then come downstairs a couple hours later.  Its a never ending cycle right now but hopefully things will show improvement soon, 

I've moaned on a lot today so will say bye for now and hope everyone is having a good day.            

Marcia

While I wait for my fumaderm treatment to kick in I'm having issues with the psoriasis on my lower legs. They are red raw and look slightly swollen.

I can handle the redness, but the swelling hasfreaked me out a little. Has anyone else had any swelling with ther psoriasis? It is only mild but I can see it.

Could anyone advise me of what I can expect with my nails?  I'm in sad shape.  I have three toenails left and only one baby fingernail not affected.  

I've lost most completely and in their place are thick plaques.  In time (when this ever does go into remission) will those plaques simple fall off or will the nails grow out and push them off gradually?  The words ugly just don't seem to describe them enough.  

Any tips on getting them smoother.  I find the feel of even emery boards really awful.  I do keep them well treated with the Dovobet and moisturizers but I was wondering there were any other suggestions some of you may have.

May the God of Skin production bless us all with starvation.  Smile

I've never joined a forum before so please forgive my fumbling as I navigate this new experience.  To begin a little about me.  

I retired just about a year ago and by mid spring I finally acknowledged that was something odd about this spot on my lower back that just wouldn't heal.  Family became concerned so by the end of July I give in and went to the local clinic where a very young on-call doctor told me not to worry it wasn't cancer it was just an age spot.  I smiled and thanked him but I figured there was more to this then a cranky age spot so I made an appointment to see one of the regular doctors.  

Meanwhile I noticed a big toe nail had decided to start to lift and curl.  It had been ridiculously hot here in NS so I thought, Dear Lord, I must have some kind of nail fungus... I'm a bit horrified at the thought and I pretty much cleaned and disinfected every spot in my house. I certainly never connected the two problems.  I have a large selection of fungal creams if anyone needs some.  

I finally did get to see the regular doctor and she looks at my back and says "I have no idea what that is"... I blink because I didn't find that particularly helpful.  There is a long pause and I suggest perhaps a biopsy.  She doesn't think it is a good idea to do a biopsy because if it is cancer then a biopsy may make it grow faster, but she will make a request for a dermatologist to see it.  She gives me a script for a steroid cream.  Keep in mind, this is early August of 2016.  A week later I'm told that my appointment with the dermatologist is February of 2017.  I still shake my head at that.  Seriously, this is the God's truth.  If that puppy had of been cancer this would have been a eulogy.  I smile now but at the time I was completely baffled.  

Meanwhile that toenail is quite a site and I have to get what is left of it removed.  The spot on my back has spread like crazy and now there are more on my lower legs and arms.  So back I go and insist on a biopsy which they did do.   A few days later I am told it is psoriasis and that they can get me into a dermatologist by October.  Between August and  my first appointment in October I have them everywhere.  

And now since October and the start of Dovobet and light treatments (twice a week) it has moved to my scalp, ears, forehead but my legs are the worst.  I only have two toenails and two fingernails left.  Most of toes are purple from arthritis along with three of my fingers. The treatments are controlling the scaling and itching most of the time.  In between all of this they discover I have high liver counts and therefore no drugs until they can determine why.  Waiting for liver biopsy and catscans for the out come of that.  

So I guess that is my mess in a nutshell.  Sorry to lay it all out there but I guess I needed to just yell/scream/vent to someone.  That's it for a start.  ... got to rub more stuff on my body.  Good thing I'm retired, gives me lots of time to do that.

This study looked at 3,615 German psoriasis patients using systemic treatment over a 10 year period.

Quote:

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Introduction:
Inequality between age groups has been demonstrated in the prescription of biologics, yet systematic real-world data about age-related differences in psoriasis care are missing.

Objective:
To investigate disparities in psoriasis characteristics by age groups and to identify potential impact on psoriasis health care.

Patients and Methods:

analysis included 3,615 patients from the German Psoriasis registry PsoBest, which observes adult patients with moderate to severe psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) on systemic treatment over a time period of 10 years.

Results:
With 2,376 participants (65.7%), the majority of patients was assigned to the age group 35–64, followed by 776 (21.4%) and 463 (12.8%) for the age groups 18–34 and 65+, respectively. Psoriasis vulgaris was the most frequent form of psoriasis with nearly 90% patients affected. Appearance of psoriasis forms did not differentiate significantly between the age groups except for erythrodermic psoriasis, which was more frequent in the elderly than in patients aged 35–64 (1.9%, p ≤ 0.048). Nail psoriasis appeared significantly more often in patients aged 35–64 (55.5%, p ≤ 0.001) and also showed the highest number of nails involved (6.9 ± 3.3). PsA was less frequent in the age group 18–34 (9.5%, p ≤ 0.001). This group showed the highest affection of head psoriasis (85.8%) compared to the elder age groups (p ≤ 0.001). Biologicals were used significantly less in younger patients (16.2%) compared to the age groups 35-64 (23.9%, p ≤ 0.001) and 65+ (21.8%, p ≤ 0.042).

Conclusion:
Mid-aged patients show higher rates of PsA and nail psoriasis which may explain age dependent disparities in health care including the use of systemic treatment.

I have read this on another website and I thought I would quote it here and add my comments as it seems to make it look as if Fumaderm is a dangerous drug that should be avoided, which certainly is far from the reality.
As a Fumaderm user and very happy with the way it has worked for me for for the last 5 years,  I was rather annoyed to see it dismissed as something not safe to consider.

Quote:

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An oral prescription drug called Fumaderm, which contains fumaric acid esters, has been used for decades in Europe to treat severe plaque psoriasis.

In the United States, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved Fumaderm or any other fumaric acid ester drugs, but that hasn’t stopped some psoriasis patients from obtaining them with potentially serious consequences.

The drug works by inhibiting the immune system’s T cells. Taking it without a doctor’s supervision can lead to dangerously low T cell counts, as well as side effects including gastrointestinal problems, Ryan said.

Another bio in the pipeline for psoriasis patients.

Quote:

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Aims:
To assess safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and clinical efficacy of bimekizumab (formerly UCB4940), a novel humanized monoclonal antibody and dual inhibitor of interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F, in subjects with mild plaque psoriasis.

Methods:
Randomized, double-blind, first-in-human study of bimekizumab in 39 subjects who received single-dose intravenous bimekizumab (8–640 mg) or placebo (NCT02529956).

Results:
Bimekizumab demonstrated dose-proportional linear PK and was tolerated across the dose range assessed. No subject discontinued due to treatment-emergent adverse events and no severe adverse events were reported. Bimekizumab demonstrated fast onset of clinically-meaningful effects on skin of patients with mild psoriasis as early as Week 2. Maximal improvements (100% or near 100% reductions from baseline) in all measures of disease activity were observed between Weeks 8–12 in subjects receiving 160–640 mg bimekizumab. The duration of effect at doses ≥160 mg was evident up to Weeks 12–20 after a single intravenous dose, dependent on endpoint.

Conclusions:
This is the first study to demonstrate the safety, tolerability and clinical efficacy of a dual IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor, in subjects with mild psoriasis. Bimekizumab showed fast onset of clinically-meaningful efficacy by Week 2, with a maximal or near-maximal magnitude of response that was maintained up to study Weeks 12–20. These findings support the continued clinical development of bimekizumab for diseases mediated by both IL-17A and IL-17F, including psoriasis.

Hello Everyone,

I've been taking Otezla off and on for about 6-7 months.  Recently I've been getting the nausea side effects and minor headaches.  The headaches I can deal with, but the nausea has been kicking my butt.  Normally I take Pepto or Alka Seltzer to subdue the upset stomach, which some times doesn't really help.  I've tried taking with food as well and same results.  I like the Otezla because it's a lot easier and "safer" than the biologicals.  I've used Enbrel, Humira, PUVA, PUVB, Desonide, Talconex, and other various rx steroid creams.  I've had good clearance with the Otezla, but want to know of any tips any other users have done to help with the nausea (IE: types of foods, when to take first pill, etc.)  I understand everyone has different reactions and the solutions might be different for each individual.  But anyone helpful advice, would be appreciated.

Thanks for your help and time.

Neil

Hey all – I have inverse genital psoriasis. I have tried everything under the sun on it. Tea Tree oil, coconut oil, hydrocortisone, steroid creams, etc. I’ve been getting the Xtracs laser treatment for at least four months and no major changes. I have huge flare ups and it even bleeds and crust over. My Xtracs technician thought it could be infected most recently.  It is very painful and embarrassing when you are trying to be intimate.  I’ve been using the condom idea also (filling it up with ointment). Any thoughts? Anyone else used the Xtracs laser and had any luck? Anybody have any luck with anything working

Hey all – I have inverse genital psoriasis. I have tried everything under the sun on it. Tea Tree oil, coconut oil, hydrocortisone, steroid creams, etc. I’ve been getting the Xtracs laser treatment for at least four months and no major changes. I have huge flare ups and it even bleeds and crust over. My Xtracs technician thought it could be infected most recently.  It is very painful and embarrassing when you are trying to be intimate.  I’ve been using the condom idea also (filling it up with ointment). Any thoughts? Anyone else used the Xtracs laser and had any luck? Anybody have any luck with anything working???

My Ps  has really gotten worse lately. I am wondering if I could get some help with all new drugs?

Help with the names, what they do, how good/bad they are, cost, how they are administered etc...

Thanks!

Just a quick question about Stelara.
I have been monitoring any side effects over the last 4  Stelara injections and at week 8 in the 12 week cycle I have had a migraine. This has happened every time in the last 4 injections,has anyone else had this problem.

This study suggests that children with psoriasis should be screened for psoriatic arthritis.

Quote:

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Background:
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend annual screening for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in all patients with psoriasis. Currently, no validated assessment tools have been recommended for screening for juvenile PsA (JPsA).

Aim:
To determine dermatologists' practice when assessing children's joints and explore the challenges dermatologists experience when looking for joint disease, in order to inform future strategies to improve early detection of arthritis.

Methods:
Structured telephone interviews were undertaken with dermatologists identified through the British Society of Paediatric Dermatology. Percentages for binary and categorized responses were calculated. Thematic content analysis was used to generate a set of core themes across the interview data.

Results:
Of the 41 consultant dermatologists contacted, 23 agreed to be interviewed. Of these, 78% (18/23) reported they routinely ask about joint disease. Only 13% (3/23) routinely examine the joints of children with psoriasis. Overall, assessment for JPsA lacked a structured, evidence-based approach. The average confidence rating for assessing joint disease was low (score of 3). The two key barriers described for detecting arthritis were a lack of experience and training, and subtle or difficult to detect signs. The two main suggestions for improving detection were the introduction of an assessment tool/guideline and increased clinical experience and training.

Conclusion:
There is a clear need for dermatologists to use a standardized approach for screening and to increase their confidence in paediatric musculoskeletal examination. In this article, we provide guidance on screening for psoriatic arthritis in children based on our clinical experience.

This study looked at the occurrence of metabolic disorders in children with psoriasis.

Quote:

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Background:
The prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in paediatric patients with psoriasis is not well established.

Aim:
To conduct a meta-analysis of previously published studies dealing with the occurrence of metabolic disorders in children with psoriasis.

Methods:
Data from 7 studies with a total of 965 children with psoriasis were analysed using a random effects model.

Results:
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) was significantly higher in patients with psoriasis than in healthy controls (HCs). In most studies, significantly decreased levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were found in children with psoriasis. Mean level of HDL cholesterol in patients with psoriasis was 2.05 mg/dL lower than in HCs. Patients with psoriasis and HCs did not differ significantly in their mean triglyceride levels, although the difference was at a threshold of statistical significance. Mean level of fasting glucose in children with psoriasis was 5.75 mg/dL higher than in HCs (P < 0.01). The two groups did not differ significantly in mean waist circumference or in systolic and diastolic arterial pressures.

Conclusions:
Decreased levels of HDL cholesterol and increased concentrations of fasting glucose may represent very early stages of MetS in children with psoriasis. However, a large population-based study is needed to establish the relationship between psoriasis and MetS in children, including the environmental, genetic and immunological factors leading to their co-occurrence.

Hi,

After battling with Psoriasis for many, many years and after trying Acitretin which seemed to make my skin worse, I have finally been put onto Fumaderm which I am going to start taking on Saturday.

Now I am somewhat of a hypercondriac (slight understatement) and so I'm now worrying that when I start taking the medication I am sure to get PML, which I have read is a fatal brain disorder.

I know how rediculous that sounds but I don't normally get regular illnesses, I get the rare ones. I know PLM is a rare side effect but what are the odds of me actually getting it?

Is this something I should be worrying about because it's playing on my mind to the point of, even with my psoriasis as bad as it is, wondering whether to actually take the medication or not.

I'll be happy for you to tell me to stop being silly.

Hello from FL. I'm a 55 yo female and still work part time as a RN case manager.  I've had Psoriatic Arthritis, Psoriatic nails and skin Psoriasis for 7 years. I'm currently taking MTX, Otezla, prednisone and getting ready to start Cosentyx. I've been on many different Biologics over the years. My hands, feet,sternum and SI joints are mainly affected and have just 1% skin involvement. I'm here to learn more about PsA and how to slow progression.   Julittle

Hello
I am new to the group, I am looking for alternative medication for my psoriasis (its bad at this stage) .....  I have been in Dubai, where it was easy to get my treatment (Humera)
- being back in UK for 3 month it has gone bad, bad bad - without medication as there is a very long waiting process to get to a doctor here

I have been doing salt baths - not sure if it is doing better or aggravating it

Any help welcome please

Tom