Acitretin at what dose to see effects

[Ever-hopeful]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum so am hoping that I don't mess this up.
I've had psoriasis since 14 yrs of age (plaque and guttate). I'm now 47 and over the years have been prescribed various lotions and potions, had light treatment twice and spent a small fortune of things claiming to treat psoriasis effectively. I've had periods of not too bad skin and really awful flare ups. Following treatment for breast cancer 2 yrs ago my skin is the worst it's ever been.
My dermatologist agreed to prescribe Acitretin about 2 months ago. I started taking 10mg daily and suffered some mild side effects however at the monthly review my feet had started to peel and crack so badly, the Acitretin was reduced to 10mg on alternate days.
I'm so frustrated as I know that I'm probably well below the therapeutic dose and it's going to take so long to start working. I'm trying to remain positive about this medication but all I'm experiencing now is burning sore skin that is flakier than ever.
I wondered if anyone else had this experience and how long and at what dose they started to see effects?
Really grateful for any advice. 

[Fred]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum so am hoping that I don't mess this up.

No you didn't mess up.  

I can't offer help myself as I've never used it, but we do have others that may have some answers.

I've made an edit to your Subject heading so it gets noticed better.

Welcome to Psoriasis Club by the way.  

Regards.

Fred.

[jiml]

Hi ever-hopeful ( aren't we all ) love the name   to the club here you will find yourself in the company of fellow sufferers of this awful disease ..you will find there are lots of threads on here about acetretin and how it works for many of our members, I have never been on it myself as I was offered an alternative to Acetretin when I went to systemic treatment I was offered Fumaderm

But here's a couple  about Acetretin that is in the boards you can see Acitrecin - week 1
And Acitretin

Or if you put acetretin in the search facility Search it will give you lots to read

You can't go far wrong here with posting and fred or any of the members will help you if you need assistance or even have questions .

I'm sure one of the "acetretin gang" will soon advise you about what has happened in their experience

I think most of the systemic drugs come with side effects that do calm down in time, I know in my case on Fumaderm it was a good 2-3 months before I got through the worst of the side effects and the drug cleared me , and I think it is probably the same with acetretin

Anyway while you wait for a sensible answer why not have a browse through the posts and if you feel inclined we have an active off topic section where you can meet some of us more casually
And have a cup of virtual coffee [Group Specific]

[JohnB]

Hi Ever hopeful. Welcome to the club and the Acitretin Gang . Sadly this stuf can be a really slow burner in many people. I'm talking what can feel like geologic time units before you start to see any benefits  . it isn't unusual for your skin to flare up in the early stages of treatment. I started taking Acitretin back in April at 25mg upping it to 30mg about 8 weeks later. I have just this last weekend dropped back down to 25mg to see if my peeling feet and dry lips get nearer to normal. Stick with it if you can, the side effects do diminish over time, honest. You will know when enough is enough and it will be time to go back to the Dermy. Do your research before hand, it does make a difference if you go in with some ideas on your onward treatment plan. If you need any more information please ask, I,we, us will try to answer as best we can. Just remember non of us are medically trained, only widely experienced as sufferer of this damned disease.

[elpuno]

hi ever hopeful,

i am on acitretin since beginning of september, started with 30mg per day fpor 6 weeks, then reduced to 20mg for another 4 weeks and now i am on 10mg. i (we) know about the side effects. it took some time for me to get used to it nad now on 10mg i feel really really better.

it takes a lot of time for seeing the first results (2 to 4 weeks for me) and sometimes longer. please have a look at your blood - my cholesterol really raised. but the good thing is: you know that if you reduce the dose or stop taking it the side effects will stop.

well, in a german forum there are some people that took acitretin for some weeks and had no effects on their skin. i have read anywhere that it is not working for about 20%. please keep that in mind. and think ybout the time: once the acitretin starts working you really some results very fast.

stay positive, greetings

sorry for the bad english, i am from germany :-)
phil

[Kat]

I was also on Acitretin. As others have said it is slow to notice improvement. It did work for me but it takes time. As for the dosage, I'm sure it varies from person to person as to what they need for it to be effective so I wouldn't worry yet as it can always be increased down the road if needed. Good luck!

[Ever-hopeful]

Thank you all for your very supportive comments! I suspect that it's a long road ahead but comforting to know that others understand. This awful disease can make you feel so isolated.

Such a lovely welcome to a forum too! I'm looking forward to being part of it 

[jiml]

Thank you all for your very supportive comments! I suspect that it's a long road ahead but comforting to know that others understand. This awful disease can make you feel so isolated.

Such a lovely welcome to a forum too! I'm looking forward to being part of it 

That's good to hear that you look forward to being part of it here, it's good to have you on board, it is a long road ahead, but don't walk it alone, there is usually someone here, and together we can learn to cope, we aim to keep the health boards factual and friendly, it is an awful disease and difficult to come to terms with. Which I think is one of the reasons this place is so successful......we are all feeling each other's pain

Do feel free to join in, if you see anything you want to comment on we welcome your input