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[Debbie]

@Debbie
Good luck with the bloods be interesting to know your lymphocyte count. They probably won't offer to tell so I always ask then you will see the trend up or down and can make choices .

Thanks, thats a good idea, I will. Saw my GP today and asked ifvsge ciul recommend anything fir side effects - sge said no stop taking tabkets! I,m not doing that so early in the treatment, had she got any idea how horrible psoraisis is - not sleeping abd painful to walk? If Fumaderm doesn,t work for mevI think they are running out of options because I have gad cancer alot the drugs are not recommended. Anyway enough about me - how are you doing?

Hey Debbie I continued with the tablets through my cancer treatment .with no adverse effect
The trouble is if they are unsure they tell you to stop and if you ask why they haven't got a reason apart from they don't want any comeback and they have little or no experience of the drug. They told me to stop and I argued as long as my bloods were in range there was no need to stop  (that was Carolines advice to me)
If you think you can cope with the side effects if they were less cut back a bit ... It's not compulsory to increase Weekly Fumaderm do say you can slow down the increase. The fact you are having the side effects is a good sign ... It may not seem that way but it proves you are absorbing the drug well so cutting down seems a sensible option to see if the side effects get less
This may be of interest it is part of an article from medscape and the full document is available

Quote:

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Common adverse events associated with FAE therapy for psoriasis are gastrointestinal complaints and flushing. Gastrointestinal adverse events, such as diarrhoea, mild stomach upsets, stomach cramps, fullness and flatulence, occur in more than two-thirds of patients and are most frequently reported between 4 and 12 weeks of treatment. Approximately one-third of patients experience flushing, characterized by reddening of the face and a sensation of heat, sometimes associated with headache, lasting minutes to hours. Flushing occurs most often at the onset of treatment and becomes less frequent with further exposure.

Clinical experience has shown that the gastrointestinal adverse effects of FAE therapy may be controlled with aluminium hydroxide, metoclopramide or ranitidine. There is also some evidence that concomitant pentoxifylline therapy may reduce the incidence and severity of gastrointestinal complaints and flushing in patients receiving FAE therapy. FAE dose reduction may also be used to manage symptoms; however, discontinuation should be considered in persistent cases. Gastrointestinal adverse events and flushing together lead to discontinuation of FAE therapy in approximately 7% of patients. Overall, the rate of discontinuation due to adverse events and/or noncompliance with treatment is 30-40%.

Thanks Jim - so you had psoraisis before you had cancer? Mine Was after dermatologist says it is linked, but possibly through the stress of cancer not the actual cancer or chemo?