Psoriasis flare up associated with second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

[KatT]

I thought biologics weren't categorized as immunosuppressants like MTX, leflunomide, azathioprine, etc

[Caroline]

Simponi is a TNF blocker as I read KatT.

That means that it blocks or lowers the working of the Tumor Necrosis Factor, which is an overall working mechanism in the immune system. I don’t know exactly how.

So I do think it may fall under the definition of an immunosuppressor.

If it were another biologic, like Stelara, which is a much more specific and detailed blocker, it does IL-23, a cytokine, only, then I think it would not fall under that definition.

[KatT]

Yeah...I mixed up classification with category....my bad!

[Fred]

Ok there are a lot of immunosuppressive treatments from a search, but here is a list from NHS UK of their classification of immunosuppressive treatments for skin conditions. *It's a PDF and was published for advice during covid.

Sulfasalazine
Methotrextate
Apremilast
Azathioprine
Cyclophosphamide
Hydroxychloquine
Dimethyl fumarate
Cyclosporine
Fumaric acid esters
Leflunomide
Mycophenolate mofetil
Prednisolone
Adalimumab
Etanercept
Certolizumabm
Infliximab
Rituximab
Secukinumab
Ixekinumab
Brodalumab
Golimumab
Guselkumab
Ustekinumab
Tildrakizumab
Tofacitinib
Toclizumab
Belimumab
Abatacept
Baracitinib
Dupilumab
Omalizumab
Sariumab

Golimumab is Simponi. The popular list of Bios and their common names are here: Biological Treatments For Psoriasis

[Caroline]

I don’t agree with DMF of course. That works in a totally different way, which I have described in a different post. Though I must agree that a side effect of it is lowering the Lymphocytes. I don’t know what the effect of that is in relation to the building up of immunity against Covid. Of course that has not been investigated yet, if that ever will be done.

And I also have my doubts with the specific suppressors like stelara, Cosentyx etc, the IL blockers. I think that those bio’s block only a minor detail of the immune system. Again I don’t think that it’s effect has been investigated on the building of immunity.
It is more logical that the NHS sees every medication that does ‘something’ with the immunesystem, as an immunosuppressor despite the gigantic differences in the ways they work.
They have just thrown everything on one pile…. That is what it seems to me.

[Fred]

I don’t agree with DMF of course. That works in a totally different way, which I have described in a different post. Though I must agree that a side effect of it is lowering the Lymphocytes. I don’t know what the effect of that is in relation to the building up of immunity against Covid. Of course that has not been investigated yet, if that ever will be done.

And I also have my doubts with the specific suppressors like stelara, Cosentyx etc, the IL blockers. I think that those bio’s block only a minor detail of the immune system. Again I don’t think that it’s effect has been investigated on the building of immunity.
It is more logical that the NHS sees every medication that does ‘something’ with the immunesystem, as an immunosuppressor despite the gigantic differences in the ways they work.
They have just thrown everything on one pile…. That is what it seems to me.

Yes I knew you would disagree, I expected the DMF gang to say no. 

I was told to have 3 Covid jabs because Tremfya is an immunosuppressant.

As for how the NHS took it, I used the NHS because it was the easiest reliable place I could find all the immunosuppressant treatments for psoriasis together that I could copy and paste. There are hundreds more pieces of information if you go and search, some say DMF is and some say it's not I'm just putting what I found.

[Hanna]

No, Hanna, I am not on an immunosuppressive medication, so I guess the jab did its work. My reaction was minimal, no effect on the psa, not been sick at all even not sniffy. The only thing I remarked that my heart had more irregular beatings. Many people have that, it is called an extra systole. That effect is back to normal now, in the sense that is happens but only very occasionally, which I have always had.

How long did it last for?
I've had my first jab now

[Caroline]

No, Hanna, I am not on an immunosuppressive medication, so I guess the jab did its work. My reaction was minimal, no effect on the psa, not been sick at all even not sniffy. The only thing I remarked that my heart had more irregular beatings. Many people have that, it is called an extra systole. That effect is back to normal now, in the sense that is happens but only very occasionally, which I have always had.

How long did it last for?
I've had my first jab now

Hi Hanna,

Is started about a week after the jab, and lasted for a few weeks. Now, far after the jabs, it seems normal again, and is more occasional.
Good that you had your first

[jiml]

Glad you had your first jab Hanna hopefully you won't have any side effects

[Kat]

Here's a cheat sheet with their more common names 

Sulfasalazine
Methotrextate
Apremilast    OTEZLA
Azathioprine 
Cyclophosphamide
Hydroxychloquine
Dimethyl fumarate  DMF
Cyclosporine
Fumaric acid esters 
Leflunomide
Mycophenolate mofetil
Prednisolone 
Adalimumab   HUMIRA
Etanercept    ENBREL
Certolizumabm    CIMZIA
Infliximab    REMICADE
Rituximab
Secukinumab  COSENTYX
Ixekinumab    TALTZ
Brodalumab  SILIQ
Golimumab  SIMPONI
Guselkumab    TREMFYA
Ustekinumab    STELARA
Tildrakizumab    ILUMYA
Tofacitinib
Toclizumab
Belimumab
Abatacept    ORENCIA
Baracitinib 
Dupilumab
Omalizumab
Sariumab



NOTE - NOT ON THE LIST (but doesn't mean they shouldn't be, just noting them here):

Risankizumab - Skyrizi

Bimekizumab - Bimzelx