I have had patches of psoriasis on my arms for over 3 years. Nothing I have tried has made it go away. Once my doctor gave some kind of steroid cream that cleared it up for as long as I used it, but when I quit the psoriasis came back same as ever. I discontinued it because I don’t want to become dependent on 'roids.
AFAIK, medical science stil does not fly understand psoriasis and what causes it, let alone how to cure it. It is the result of dermal cells reproducing too rapidly and crowding upward, causing the epidermal cells to die and flake off. But what drives this process? What can be done about it? I haven’t found any answers. One thing about psoriasis I can tell you. When I got a bad attack of it a couple weeks ago, I was left with many small scabs. They healed completely— overnight. Unlike normal skin, where scabs can days or even weeks to heal.
A few months ago, I tried a new over-the-counter cream called Psoriasis Plus, which does not use steroids. It uses “liposome,” whatever that is. It did help to alleviate the symptoms somewhat, and anything was better than nothing.
Yesterday, I was astonished to find that my psoriasis had suddenly, totally cleared up—100%! I didn’t know how to explain this instant turnaround. Unless… Last week a doctor gave me a cortisone shot in my shoulder for an unrelated condition, tendonitis. I am now wondering if this steroidal shot could have also affected my psoriasis, being a steroid. I don’t know how 'roids work or if there is any possible connection between the two. If so, why would it have taken a week to take effect? My shoulder problem got better immediately. Now I’m waiting to see if the psoriasis comes back. Right now I feel very lucky to be rid of it, but also very uncertain about my prospects for staying free of it, not knowing what caused it to clear up.
I don’t know much about psoriasis, but there are some pretty good online sources for information on it. Non-steroid based treatments have emerged; some are chemically related to vitamins. If your condition returns, as the above source suggests it may, you might want to ask your dermatologist about some of them.
Yeah, after posting I realized that it was in fact the cortisone shot that cleared it up. Now I dread the flare-up that’s sure to recur. One substance that’s used to treat it is salicylic acid (which is in the Psoriasis Plus cream I’d been using). I read one web site that insists salicylin is the cause of psoriasis attacks, and listed foods to avoid that contain salicylin: blueberries, cherries, etc. A long list of foods. How confusing can this get?
Biogen just got approval from the FDA to sell Amevive, for patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. It will be available Monday, tomorrow. Amevive doesn’t have a lot of side effects that other drugs do. They expect $500 million in annual sales by 2006. It is given once a week for 12 weeks as an injection, and the treatment will cost $7000 to $10000. Bastards.
While I’ve never had psoriasis, I once had a rash on my arm that just wouldn’t go away. The doctor gave me a steroidal cream that cleared it up, but once I stopped using it, it came right back.
Well, some new-age crystal-healing age-of-aquarius friend of mine says it might be because of a food allergy. I experimented a little and stopped drinking coffee and cut down on dairy products. The rash went away and hasn’t been back since.
So you might look into that wholistic herbal remedy stuff a little. Probably most of it is mumbo-jumbo, but there may be some useful stuff in there.
have you ever taken cimetidine or ranitidine for peptic ulcer or indigestion? if so, did it help your psoriasis?
there is anecdotal (but no actual research) that H2 receptor antagonists might help to clear up psoriasis.
they do this by blocking the break down of arachidonic acid into prostaglandins and leukotrienes which mediate the inflammatory response.
you definitely should NOT be taking aspirin or other NSAIDs, as although they block the production of prostaglandins, they increase the production of leukotrienes which can exacerbate your condition.
