Psoriasis query

May 1, 2005 11:22 AM

What's your best remedy for psoriasis?

I've had psoriasis since I was 7, the plaque (patchy) kind, in various degrees of severity over the past 38 years or so. I've tried lots of different treatments, from prescription steroids, to over-the-counter pharmacy treatments to food supplements. Nothing seems to help much.

About 18 months ago I had to have major surgery. This was at a time when the psoriasis had been kind of dormant for a while. But it came back with a vengence, only this time it was the guttate (spotty) kind, from neck to thighs, front and back.

My surgeon's explanation (which makes sense) is that the human body only has a limited amount of energy, and when it has undergone major trauma, it will concentrate on healing the most important bits first, with the result that other ailments will flare up.

So far, I've tried -

- Dovonex
- a mild over-the-counter steroid cream
- a course of sunbed treatments, which cleared it for a while but I am fair-skinned and I burned, not to mention the concerns over the long-term effects of sunbeds (wrinkles and cancer)
- Chinese herbalism (which cost a fortune, tasted revolting and made it much worse)
- shark cartilage supplement
- aloe vera juice (which has had some effect but, god, it tastes vile)
- glucosamine
- I drink no alcohol, and try to avoid citrus and dairy

Yet still I look as if someone's spattered me with pink paint.

It doesn't itch or hurt, it just looks bad and with summer coming, I don't want to spend the next six months covered up.

I live in England, so the chances of me getting a lot of natural sunlshine on my bod are not that great.

So scaly MeFiers, what's worked for you?

posted by essexjan to health & fitness (14 comments total)

I've always responded to PUVA treatment. If you haven't done it recently, you might look at narrowband UVB treatment. It took away the possibility of burning, was a shorter course of treatment for me, and led to almost complete remission (previously 30-40% covered).

Ypu might also look at some of the biological options (i.e., Enbrel) if the national health plan will cover them. I am currently on methotrexate since i have severe psoriatic arthritis with my psoriais and have seen some help.

Once they get their new site unveiled, the National Psoriasis Foundation (US) is an excellent resource for more details. Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 12:30 PM on May 1, 2005

Seeing as you live in England, perhaps the Psoriasis Association in the UK will offer more relevant treatment advice. In any case, it's site for psoriasis. Heh. Sorry. I'll shut up now.

(They have some downloadable publications here.)
posted by pracowity at 1:17 PM on May 1, 2005

Diet seems to have absolutely no effect. I once got 99% clear in about six weeks by chowing down large amounts of folic acid and sub-lingual B-12. I'm slowly clearing things up now with the standard triamcinilone + Dovonex. Dovonex works more slowly, so it's better for maintenance; plus, it's hideously expensive here so no sense in slathering it on. I haven't tried the lights (very inconvenient) or the systemics.

Good luck!
posted by mimi at 1:28 PM on May 1, 2005

I haven't had problems with psoriasis for a few years, but when I did I used an over the counter ointment called MG217 with a great deal of success. It's a coal tar-based product. I don't know if it's available in England, though.
posted by SteveInMaine at 1:53 PM on May 1, 2005

From what I hear, effective treatments vary tremendously from person to person. When I was having a bad flare-up a couple years ago, I tried some steroid-based topical treatment - didn't really help too much. When I quit though, my body had a huge "bounce-back" flare-up, responding to the sudden disappearance of the steroid. That was pretty hellish. At any rate, the most effective thing I've found for plain old skin (not scalp) is plain old Cortizone. Diet never seemed to have an effect, weird prescriptions did nothing, but plain old cortizone almost always does the trick. Best of luck! (Keep nails trimmed down to nothing to avoid scratching damage).
posted by kokogiak at 1:56 PM on May 1, 2005

Some health-food references swear that gluten causes all sorts of autoimmune-based irritations. You might try cutting wheat products out of your diet for a few weeks and see if that changes anything.
posted by rhiannon at 9:45 PM on May 1, 2005

Thanks Rhiannon, I don't eat wheat (forgot to mention that).

As for the nails, kokogiak, the psoriasis also affects them too, so I go with the stick-on fake French manicure nails to hide the damage. For some reason, I find that not having the nail exposed to air helps it heal and grow without psoriasis underneath the fake nail. But thank God it doesn't itch, that is probably about the only 'good' thing about the condition.

My psorasis isn't severe enough to allow my GP to refer me to the NHS for PUVA treatment (although it's bad enough to make me self-conscious and sometimes depressed) but there's no narrowband UVA facilities available in my area anyway.

I am hoping to find a natural remedy that I can fit into my daily routine. So far, the aloe vera juice (I use one from 'Forever Living' which costs an arm and a leg in the UK but is as cheap as chips in the US) has shown the best results in months, with the spots faded and not as 'raised' on the skin.

I've heard horror stories about long-term exposure to steroids and have met one person whose skin is paper-thin due to steroid use, so that's not an option I'm willing to consider.

In the UK Enbrel is only available for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis, or for people with severe plaque psoriasis as a last resort where other treatments have failed, and its availability is limited.

Psorasis is one of those illnesses that, because it doesn't kill people and it's not 'catching', it's not a priority for medical researchers to try to find a cure. But the illness can cause untold misery for those of us who have it.
posted by essexjan at 1:49 AM on May 2, 2005

Don't worry, be happy.
Abandon your inhibitions and play.
Roll in the dirt! Have a grand time!
Get laid well and be happy about it.
Think positive.

Not as easy as it sounds, I'm sure. But I've heard plenty to suggest that these things can work wonders. And be sure you roll in the dirt, that's not something silly stuck in there with the other stuff. Visit a farm, pet the animals. Expose yourself to good old fashioned harmless bugs that people miss in city life, and de-stress your head in the process.
posted by Goofyy at 4:19 AM on May 2, 2005

Go on vacation!. (Seriously, I have no idea if it works, but heard about it on National Geographic years ago & always wanted to see.. Good luck!
posted by Pressed Rat at 6:16 AM on May 2, 2005 [1 favorite]

The only thing I've ever tried is Dovonex and it works really well when I bother to use it. The one other thing that worked even better than Dovonex was salt water: back when I was a carefree youth, a few days a week at the beach kept things at bay. Obviously that's not a decent year-round treatment most places.
posted by yerfatma at 10:46 AM on May 2, 2005

i've got psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. had it for years. never goes away.

but i'm on enbrel and it works. psoriatic arthritis is gone and the psoriasis is much less of a problem (although still present).

the other thing i've found that works? sun and sea. really.
posted by xz at 3:29 PM on May 2, 2005

Great thread, good info

I have a stupid question, I've had scalp psoriasis for about 8 years now, it comes and goes with stress pretty consistantly.

My question is; does increased sun exposure work on psoriasis that is hidden (scalp)?
posted by Cosine at 3:39 PM on May 2, 2005

There's a company called Isotechnika that is working on an anti-psoriasis drug. Apparently it is proving highly efficacious and is not as hazardous as other heavy-duty psoriasis meds. They're in Phase II trials now, IIRC.
posted by five fresh fish at 1:21 PM on May 6, 2005

My father is from Norway, actually, so am I, but that is beside the point. He has suffered from psor. his whole life, and I mean suffered, he has had it on his arms and hands so badly , that leaving the house was out of the question. Being a workaholic, this is has caused him much anguish.

He takes daily baths in heavily salted water. He adds a natural sea salt imported from the water filtration plants in Arabia, so the salt is pure sea salt, and high concentrations. Its relatively inexpensive, but wow, what a difference its made. He maintains a steady regime of sunbathing, when appropriate, without burning, and uses Davonex, as someone mentioned, as a maintenance. He's been relatively psor. free for some years now.
posted by svenskjenta at 6:19 AM on May 11, 2005