How long to try treatments?

[D Foster]

I use Polytar shampoo and it's not very aggressive on the scalp it may be the answer and worth a try. I would certainly ask about Cocois it contains coal tar, salicylic acid and precipitated sulphur. Coal tar is mildly antiseptic and relieves itching. It also acts as a keratolytic which works to break down a protein which forms part of the skin structure called keratin. Skin cells are thickened due to the deposition of keratin. Coal tar therefore helps to reduce the excessive hardening, thickening and scaling of the skin.
Salicylic acid and sulphur also act as a keratolytics, which result in the shedding of skin cells from the affected area. Sulphur also has a mild antiseptic and antifungal action.
I used to put it on at night then cover it overnight with a shower cap then use the Polytar in the shower next morning but use to comb the hair before I washed it off to loosen any flakes.
I would have a word with the dermatologist before using it but it does work very well if a bit messy.

[Turnedlight]

Thanks Fred. I notice you mention coconut oil alot. Have you heard of coconut oil causing iching only when applied to the scalp? I have tried it on my sons body with no issue but everytime I try on the scalp he says it is itchy after...and like all the other treatments I am not sure how long to keep trying or when to stop. Good to note about the bio's...and if we want to be a guinea pig or not 

A lot of people find coconut oil soothing, I actually find it aggravates my P. I think if something like a moisturiser that is supposed to soothe and does the opposite, you may as well stop it. It’s different for medication from the doctor which may irritate at first and needs to be given a chance to work.
You probably don’t want to try yet another product, but I did find oilatum shampoo good.
Another thing to try is reducing the number of baths/ showers to see if that helps.

[Imapsomom]

Thanks all. I am going to try coconut oil one more time tonight. I will use only the coconut oil and then warm water rinse so I can see if its the coconut or something else making his scalp itchy or if it was the shampoo. Try to calm the flare up down a bit before trying something new. I hope I am able to calm everything a bit. Seems like while there is still minimum coverage on his body the P is attacking every part. 
If it continues like this I absolutely will opt for a medication whether the fumurates or biologics or something else. 
Already a sensitive boy so I don't want his self esteem affected to much in adolescence if I can avoid it. 
We dont have a dermatology appointment until the end of september, in the meanwhile I will try one of these shampoos.

[jiml]

You could phone dermatology and ask if they could see him earlier, tell them you will accept a cancelled appointment
Tell them that it’s affecting his self esteem and you worry for his long term mental stability .i always think it costs nothing to ask and may just get you in earlier. Lay it on and be prepared to beg. In the hope that you might get seen earlier and read as much as you can so you know what’s being offered. And you can discuss from a position of knowledge
Jim

[Imapsomom]

I am on a wait list and good point I can stress how urgent it is.

[Imapsomom]

Difficult question. I have given things up because they caused more problems, or I gave them up because I felt something better was on offer.

We are all different and psoriasis is so difficult to treat. What works for me may not work for your son, and even if it does work for me it may just stop working one day.

There has been talk of hitting young or early diagnosed people early on with a Bio and stopping its progression. Who knows it may work, but it's still early days and needs more guinea pigs.

*I'll move this thread to Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis Topics as it's not an introduction and will hopefully get you ore answers.

Fred, I am very curious about this. Can you tell me where you read, or heard about the Bio's stopping the progression? I would like to read up on this before we see our derm next so I can make a clear decision.

[Fred]

Difficult question. I have given things up because they caused more problems, or I gave them up because I felt something better was on offer.

We are all different and psoriasis is so difficult to treat. What works for me may not work for your son, and even if it does work for me it may just stop working one day.

There has been talk of hitting young or early diagnosed people early on with a Bio and stopping its progression. Who knows it may work, but it's still early days and needs more guinea pigs.

*I'll move this thread to Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis Topics as it's not an introduction and will hopefully get you ore answers.

Fred, I am very curious about this. Can you tell me where you read, or heard about the Bio's stopping the progression? I would like to read up on this before we see our derm next so I can make a clear decision.

I'll see if I can remember where I posted it. ...............................................  

Ok I think it could have been this thread: Could Cosentyx be better than first thought for psoriasis

Edit. On my search for that thread I also found this that may interest you: Canada gets Stelara for adolescents

[Imapsomom]

Difficult question. I have given things up because they caused more problems, or I gave them up because I felt something better was on offer.

We are all different and psoriasis is so difficult to treat. What works for me may not work for your son, and even if it does work for me it may just stop working one day.

There has been talk of hitting young or early diagnosed people early on with a Bio and stopping its progression. Who knows it may work, but it's still early days and needs more guinea pigs.

*I'll move this thread to Psoriasis And Psoriatic Arthritis Topics as it's not an introduction and will hopefully get you ore answers.

Fred, I am very curious about this. Can you tell me where you read, or heard about the Bio's stopping the progression? I would like to read up on this before we see our derm next so I can make a clear decision.

I'll see if I can remember where I posted it. ...............................................  

Ok I think it could have been this thread: Could Cosentyx be better than first thought for psoriasis

Edit. On my search for that thread I also found this that may interest you: Canada gets Stelara for adolescents

Fantastic. Thank you. Great reads. Stelera, which is what our derm recommended probably as it had been given the go ahead for kids, seems to be specifically for plaque P, quite my son has more than one kind of P, but glutate for sure (i think). I wonder if Stelera will work for all types.
I am also quite interested in the Fumates, though not sure if they have been approved for young kids or if they are available in Canada. Will search around for more info.

[Bill]

I think dimethyl fumarate is excellent. It will work well about 70% of the time and really well a bit over 30% of the time. Caroline and Jim have had great success with it: I wish that Caroline would start using it again. It has a broad application as an anti-inflammatory and is the subject of much research, including one study recently about its application in sleep apnoea. Another recent experimental use is to enhance the virulence of viral vectors targeting cancers (See Jim and Caroline: I told you it made my colds worse didn't I?).

But, compared to a tiny injection once every week or month or quarter it is tough going. My experience of dimethyl fumarate does not leave me with the impression of it being an easy regime for an adolescent, although my use is not conventional. Anyway, you cannot know in advance what will work for the kid, so I hope you don't have to make many guesses. Good luck.

[Fred]

I am also quite interested in the Fumates, though not sure if they have been approved for young kids or if they are available in Canada. Will search around for more info.

We have a lot of information on them, but these will get you started.

Dimethylfumarates and Psoriasis
Fumaderm
Skilarence

But I'm not sure if they are available in Canada.

You can also read Bill's thread: Bill's pure dimethylfumarate thread *Not something I would recommend for your sone but it may help you understand how they work.