I'm about to start taking ciclosporine for moderate/severe guttate psoriasis. Recreational drugs (in moderation) have never had too bad effects on my psoriasis. I'm really worried that certain ones might have an interaction with ciclosporine, and I cant find any information anywhere. I'm about to finish my degree and really dont want to have to worry about what I'm putting into my body for just two weeks, so I was wondering if anyone on here could help.
Sorry if I've offended anyone.

Hello and to Psoriasis Club.

I don't think you will offend anyone with that question, we are an open minded bunch. The only people who offend us are spammers, trolls, and bully's.

Cannabis is known to help inflammatory problems but I'm not sure about other recreational drugs, I did find the following information.

Quote:

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Of the many drugs reported to interact with ciclosporin, those for which the interactions are adequately substantiated and considered to have clinical implications are listed below.

Various agents are known to either increase or decrease plasma or whole blood ciclosporin levels usually by inhibition or induction of enzymes involved in the metabolism of ciclosporin, in particular CYP3A4. Ciclosporin is also an inhibitor of CYP3A4 and of the multidrug efflux transporter P-glycoprotein and may increase plasma levels of comedications that are substrates of this enzyme and/or transporter.

Drugs that decrease ciclosporin levels:
Barbiturates, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin; nafcillin, sulfadimidine i.v.; rifampicin, octreotide, probucol, orlistat, hypericum perforatum (St John's Wort), ticlopidine, sulfinpyrazone, terbinafine, bosentan.

Drugs that increase ciclosporin levels:
Macrolide antibiotics (e.g. erythromycin, azithromycin and clarithromycin); ketoconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole; diltiazem, nicardipine, verapamil; metoclopramide; oral contraceptives; danazol; methylprednisolone (high dose); allopurinol; amiodarone; cholic acid and derivatives; protease inhibitors, imatinib; colchicines; nefazodone.

Hope that helps a bit.

Fred

Thanks so much for replying.
The only other thing to think about would be that I take oral contraceptives, but my doctor said not to worry without explaining why.
I really, really hate how all the doctors I have seen just skim over information about the drugs. I know they are busy, but if one factor affecting psoriasis is stress then the least they can do is try to put your mind at ease by explaining how the drugs work.
When I asked him about recreational drugs (always scary because you know they will immediately disapprove) he said he couldnt possibly comment. This stuff should be looked into! People take drugs, especially if they're bloody stressed out because they have gammy psoriasis all over them.
/rant

Doctors have a habit of giving you some really horrible stuff without bating an eyelid, yet when you ask about a natural product like Cannabis they give you a lecture about the dangers. When i was on Methotrexate years ago, no one ever told me to be careful with alcohol.

Yeah, it makes me mad. It was the same for me with a mild episode of depression- I went to pretty much a warzone to volunteer with a grassroots group, came back a little messed up and "self-medicated" with hash. Went to the doctors to try and find some talking therapy and she refused, offering me all these crazy anti-depressants. With side effects like: 'may make your symptoms worse. can cause suicidal ideation' etc etc. Then had a go at me for smoking. Its insane.

With regards to the original question, I know ciclosporine affects the kidneys, and I know ketamin really isnt good for them either, so I will steer clear from that. I just dont know enough about the chemical reactions in the body to make any more guesses.

What was methotreate like?

(Sat-27-04-2013, 13:17 PM)moggleflop Wrote: What was methotreate like?

The worst thing I have ever had in my life, felt sick all the time and I actualy feel sick thinking about it, bad stomach problems, and felt like I had lost all the use of my brain. I would have made a great zombie for a film, I wasn't on it long as I refused to take it any more and will never touch it again, not even if I was dying.

However if you search the forum for Methotrexate you will see some think it's great, which only goes to prove we all have the same problem but what works for some may not work for others.

I agree, I agree !!!!! . Watch it Fred, this time I agree with you !
Indeed methotrexate is horrible. It breaks your body down, and I yesterday found a research that it will also kill your lymphocytes so you become vulnerable for PML. Psorinovo appears this effect also in a very limited way, but with 2 cases in the last 20 years, good care would have prevented it, and on the whole is it much better than MTX.

Are we into a bit of doctor-bashing?? Yes! Yes! (You can probably see on my writing style that there is an empty glass of wine in front of me). Doctors are extremely focussed, and therefore they are not able to look outside of their borders. The same holds for politicians by the way. There is no common sense in those people. Things that we, the civilians can foresee as becoming a disaster, like the JSF, the FYRA train in holland, the Euro, privatization, changes in the educational systems and so on and so on, the examples are endless, politicians are absolutely blind for.
So for doctors, they only believe in their own education and the lobby of the pharmacy. Anything you will come with, even if it is the solution to life, existence and the universe, they will not accept.
So if you come with another idea of medication, with a way to cool down your stress by mean of a recreational drug, that will not be accepted, they are too narrowminded for that. (I'm Dutch, so you might be able to understand why I am open to anything).

Pfieuww, that frustration is out.

By the way moggleflop, welcome to our lovely forum.
We hope you will stay and contribute for a while.
Ehmm, lets check if you can handle a bit of teasing, your name, Moggleflop, is not quite common, in that sense , did your father also smoke pot when he went to have you registered at the community house?

Cheers.
Caroline

(Sat-27-04-2013, 16:54 PM)Caroline Wrote: Ehmm, lets check if you can handle a bit of teasing, your name, Moggleflop, is not quite common, in that sense , did your father also smoke pot when he went to have you registered at the community house?

You will have to excuse our resident Dutch Biker especially on a weekend evening with an empty glass Oh and you will find I'm the sensible one around here

I dont have to excuse anyone! the nickname is literally nonsense and has a less than interesting backstory. Call me Meg.

I agree Caroline. With lots of what you just said. Its too scary for them to think of the possible benefits; I know for a *fact* that having a good trip every now and again does wonders for my mental health and concurrently, my psoriasis. The people that run this joint tend to have a very narrow way of viewing things, because the people before them did and the people before them- its often the only way to get into politics or science or any other rigid discipline/institution. Otherwise people get ridiculed for being too 'out there' and dont get anywhere near enough power to do anything about it!

And also, yeah, I grew up in a family where pot was a lovely happy thing that was shared around the dinner table when my parents had mates over (not for me til I was old enough) so I've never had a complex about its illegality. They taught me early on that those in power dont know everything. Its just harder when its a doctor who is literally the gateway to your health, it being such a physical and ever present thing. And its hard to argue with someone who's spent years studying the body and all its intricate workings, but then they end up failing to see you as an individual with slightly different workings to everyone else.

Gr.

And P.S.

thanks for all the welcomes and all that. I havent ever been active on a psoriasis forum before, but this seems pretty cool and I could probably do with somewhere to vent all this!