Psoriasis

rubadub

ryanf1 wrote: »

it was itchy and apparently thats not a characteristic of psoraisis

I never heard this. In fact I did hear this

The name psoriasis (ψωρίασις) is from the Greek language, meaning roughly "itching condition" (psora "itch" + -sis "action, condition")

missingtime

ollib1984 wrote: »

im pretty sure its psoriasis ive had mild eczema all my life, i went to the doctor last week when i got home from england he reckons its psoriasis and hes a great great doctor. i dont trust any doctors. but id trust this guy. he gave me 2 weeks meds and told me to return hes going to refer to me a dermatoligist i know before i go.

ye i dont know what i have sometimes it comes up in spots on my back on my arm its like a pimple really itchy soar and it turns into an infected cut. ive had STD tests done in the last while and there clean.

first time it happened badly was about 9 months ago in england, i just got this mad mad outbreak after some bad diet my whole legs from knee down just went red and itched insanley, then all the back of my legs got infected from it. I went to the hospital in the uk and they gave me dermol and elecon tons of it, it got rid of it quickly, but then it came back and recently its just popping up on my head my back tops of my legs elbows.

it would seem once this thing whatever it is infects an area badly its near impossible to get rid of. i can get rid of it on a new area quite quickly and easily.

i had the most stressing things happening to me this year though that is for sure throughout the 9 months ive been on and off the elecon and dermol but no other treatments. I think my psoriasis is quite mild at the minute anyway compared to some. its the back of my calfs down near my feet where ive had most trouble but with recent good diet and meds ive seen a slight improvement, very very slow improvement. scalp is at me now though

very very down about all of this time for a smoke and some of larry davids curb your enthusiasm, **** me if that doesnt make u laugh nothing will.

If the itching is really bad and is affecting your sleep, I'd recommend getting some antihistamines until you get to the doctor. They help me no end.

rubadub

I use eurax lotion for itching.

missingtime

Or coal tar ointment. Probably should have mentioned that first. Would be lost without the stuff.

ollib1984

ye my mother said i had bad dry skin when i was a baby, and the coltar was the only thing that worked.

im only just home from a different country so im trying to get a medical card. maybe next year ill get some colt tar lol.

hopefully should have a job soon that will help. healthcare in this countries a shambles compared to the uk.
if your on social welfare in the uk you automatically get free prescriptions.

i said earlier the doctor gave me some steroid cream anti biotics and he gave me some anti hist tablets steroids i beleive. they do work alright but still sweat irritates it alot in the scalp particularly drives me crazy. i know now though not to scratch it much as i like my hair thanks.

probably should have mentioned im hoping it will go away as im only 1 - 5% covered i think thats pretty mild.
maybe im being generous i dont know. but its only bad in maybe 1 - 5% entire surface area.

i also had a great moisturiser for it in england u have ot source it here tho im told obviously... its called dermol very good for everything scalp body anywhere. the doctor over here gave me diprobase as they dont have dermol and im finding it awfull to be honest. e45 is better than that crap.

heathercat

Anomic wrote: »

Hey, just wondering if anyone here has psoriatic arthritis? recently diagnosed and have never come across anyone else who has it..

Hi,

I have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis 2 months ago. 4 months prior to that it was under investigation for fibromyalgia and sjoegren's syndrom. A final blood test and a check by a rheumatologist confirmed the psoriatic arthritis. The psoriasis symptoms are not so bad and don't need any meds, they are only on my scalp and neck, but the arthritis is pretty bad and painful. I'm on Tramadol for it and for the heavy migraine attacks I'm on Lamictal. The pain is managed fairly well, however, the other symptoms of the psoriatic arthritis, and the side effects of the meds, like short term memory loss and sudden heavy fatigue bouts, motoric and balance problems (bumping into things, dropping things), and the need of 12 hours sleep in 24 hours make it almost impossible to work again.

I used to work in customer support and inside sales in multinational companies, which requires sharp wits and high concentration. This is not possible any longer. Also a full time job of 8 to 9 hours is out of the question according to the neurologist and rheumatologist that treat me. They advised me to apply for partial capacity.

Does anybody have any experience with this? I'm so at a loss

Gael23

How does this stuff differ from Dovobet? I have started using a combination of the two and so far so good.
Also does it only come in a cream rather than ointment?

huskerdu

ryanf1 wrote: »

How does this stuff differ from Dovobet? I have started using a combination of the two and so far so good.
Also does it only come in a cream rather than ointment?

Dovonex is a treatment which is a form of synthetic vitamin D3 that is formulated to slow skin cell growth, flatten lesions and remove scale.

Betnovat is a steroid cream commonly used for psoriasis, as well as other skin conditions.

Dovobet is a mixture of Dovonex and Betnovat.

http://www.medbroadcast.com/drug_info_details.asp?brand_name_id=1623#.UgaN0xhOMdU

I am not sure of the advantage of using both, but if it is working for you, cant see a problem,

Audioslaven

just to post what worked for me. I have/had Guttate psoriasis. I first got it 20 years ago after a soar throat. I used Dithrocream starting with the lowest strength and working up. Using this cream and getting some sun light got rid of it for 20 years. I got it again a year ago and the same procedure was applied. It has gone to bed for hopefully a good few years. I have some rash on my face still but it is not too bad and can live with it. I use selsun shampoo every now and again and this keeps my scalp in check.

I think Dithrocream is not used alot now. I had to wait a day or so to get it from the chemist but it did the business for me together with showing the body and staring at the sun

Gael23

huskerdu wrote: »

/drug_info_details.asp?brand_name_id=1623#.UgaN0xhOMdU

I am not sure of the advantage of using both, but if it is working for you, cant see a problem,

When my skin is calm I use the dovonex during the week and then Dovobet at weekends to keep it down. When i'm flared up, I do the opposite.
I was quite sceptical when my GP told me to do this because I didn't really beieve in Dovonex but it does work. I haven;t been this good in quite a while. There will sill be flare ups but I find I can now deal with them much better.

DonFred

Just a heads up for follower Psoriasis suffers, I use La Roche Posay Lipikar Baume AP and its great for keeping patches moist and stops any itch. Sam McCauleys have it on offer at the moment 33% off. Welll worth a try.

pickled101

I've had it for 15 years on elbows knees and scalp with patches on my hands when it gets bad.

What really works for me is taking evening primrose oil capsules every day. I get them in tesco and take 2 of the largest size available..it says one a day on the jar but I take two.

This keeps my skin clear and if I stop taking the oil the patches always come back but will go away if I start on the oil again.

I also have nail psoriasis and the oil never really brought those back to normal but a slight rub of vasaline keeps those soft and stops the soreness.

Gael23

Back with GP yesterday for the first time in a while and he was really pleased! At the moment my skin is the best it has been in about 10 years. Im having huge success using the Dovonex and Dovobet together. I used to use E45 moisturiser on my face and then hydrocortisone when needed. Now I use Protopic on my face twice a week and so far so good!
I feel now for the first time since I got psoraisis I am in control of it. I dont have alot of faith in alternative medicines myself, tried a good few of them which were quite expensive and I found they just don't work but thats just my experience.

Gael23

After 5 really good months Im having a bit of a setback. I have gotten patches of inverse psoriasis on my legs. Never had this before in more than 10 years.
Does anyone know how to relieve the constant burning sensation? Im finding this kind of hard to deal with, particularly at night and my usual antihistamines are having minimal effect.
I'll have to go to my GP I cant get it under control but the inflammation does seem to be reducing with Protopic ointment but I cant sleep at night with the burning from it.

rubadub

ryanf1 wrote: »

Does anyone know how to relieve the constant burning sensation?

Not sure if eurax would work, an anti itching cream. Or maybe aloe vera, it cooled down sunburn I had, be sure its proper aloe vera, many creams just contain tiny amounts of it.

Call Me Jimmy

Aloe vera gel (must be 100% pure gel, there are a lot of fakes out there) is an established treatment for burns (sun-burns, any kind really) and I find it has a cooling effect.

Gael23

Will give that a go. Last night I put some tissue paper between the creases of the skin because its supposed to stop it from rubbing together.Thats not a solution but it got me a nights sleep.

rubadub

I have used zinc oxide bandage tape on my feet, I get contact dermatitis on them and can itch them raw in my sleep. Sounds like your tissue idea.

http://www.flemingmedical.ie/Zinc-Oxide-Tape-ireland

Zinc oxide is the stuff in sudocreme so has healing properties. If you had a scab it might pull it off though, but the adhesive is not that strong, mine would come off in the shower the next morning.

Sudocreme is used on sunburn so it might also relieve the burning a little.

Gael23

rubadub wrote: »

I have used zinc oxide bandage tape on my feet, I get contact dermatitis on them and can itch them raw in my sleep. Sounds like your tissue idea.

http://www.flemingmedical.ie/Zinc-Oxide-Tape-ireland

Zinc oxide is the stuff in sudocreme so has healing properties. If you had a scab it might pull it off though, but the adhesive is not that strong, mine would come off in the shower the next morning.

Sudocreme is used on sunburn so it might also relieve the burning a little.

Never heard of zinc oxide tape before. Only thing is, being a guy, it might stick to bodily hair and be hard to get off? I might give the sudocream a try though.
I haven't noticed and cuts or bleeding yet but if I do I will be going to see my doctor because of where it is I'd be afraid of it getting infected.

Mountainsandh

Aloe Vera gel feels gorgeous on psoriasis, my hand are normally 90 % covered (top of hands not palms) and it's excrutiating in the winter with the cold, the skin splits everywhere, I find Aloe Vera is good in an indoor situation, if you don't mind feeling a bit sticky for a short while. Before going outdoors (or at all times), what I find is the best ever is Argan oil, in oil form. Very slippery but so worth it.

I was going to France for a good stretch this summer so before I went I called into my GP, and since I also get arthritis symptoms and they were very bad then, we decided on a 10ish days course of oral steroids. The reasoning was that it would help the arthritic symptoms for that bit at least, and hopefully the sun would take over for the summer stretch.

The steroid cleared 80% of my skin psoriasis ! It's huge for me, since I have it on ears, hands, arms, legs, bits around the edges of feet, and a bit in the back.
It relieved the arthritic symptoms for just the 10 days, but they came swiftly back, although not as bad for a good stretch.

I saw my real skin on my hands for the first time in years, and even now, it has lasted a good bit, and I can still see a good bit of my skin, I'm not half the alligator I felt like. Normally, when I apply ointments, people think I have been badly burnt.

I only had UVB treatment once, then PUVA therapy once, but I've given up on that, it means a 2hours return trip + time spent for treatment and wait for me, and it is hard to negotiate 3 mornings off with employer for 2 months, and is quite expensive on petrol and parking charges.

What a burden this disease is. I'm dreading the winter.

(sorry about the moan, it's good to let it all out sometimes)

Call Me Jimmy

Can I ask where you get your aloe vera gel? I find it hard to find pure aloe vera gel. Thanks

ncur

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Can I ask where you get your aloe vera gel? I find it hard to find pure aloe vera gel. Thanks

Would be interested to know this also, I'm using the Aloe Pura aloe vera gel, have no idea if it's any good or not!

Gael23

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Can I ask where you get your aloe vera gel? I find it hard to find pure aloe vera gel. Thanks

I'm not sure but maybe a health food shop where you can buy all sorts of supplements and things?

Zombienosh

How do you guys find the Protopic? I find the Protopic causes the burning sensation.

Gael23

Zombienosh wrote: »

How do you guys find the Protopic? I find the Protopic causes the burning sensation.

For me personally, Protopic is a lifesaver. It has truly worked wonders for my face over the few months i've been using it. As it has no potent steroids in it, I can continue to use it in small quantities indefinately which is what I need to do.
I do find it can sting just a little when you apply it but it never lasts for more than a few minutes and to be honest, with the results it gives I can put up with it.
I dont use it on my body but only because the tubes are so small i'd be constantly running out of it.

Call Me Jimmy

Zombienosh wrote: »

How do you guys find the Protopic? I find the Protopic causes the burning sensation.

For some reason when I used protopic before I remember it having a bad effect but I can't remember what other things I was putting on.

I have been using it recently with aloe vera gel and it hasn't had the same problems.

Zombienosh

It does work no doubt but I use it only when I have to... I was afraid of using it due to the side effect talk about it, but steroid creams are no better tbh.

I find the Protopic makes me very sensitive to heat the day after I apply it.

Call Me Jimmy

Zombienosh wrote: »

It does work no doubt but I use it only when I have to... I was afraid of using it due to the side effect talk about it, but steroid creams are no better tbh.

I find the Protopic makes me very sensitive to heat the day after I apply it.

Well I remember being told something like not to put it on and go out in direct sunlight. As skin is regenerating I'd say it would be more vulnerable. I'm no expert though!

Zombienosh

Yeah I was told stay out of the sun or apply sun cream. But just in general like If I'm inside and the heating is on I'm a lot warmer because of the protopic. So it helps staying warm in winter I guess. lol

Call Me Jimmy

Think cold thoughts :P or open a window!