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Thread: Psoriasis Problems

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    Default Psoriasis Problems

    My mom has this and I have psoriasis which is another skin disease. I too flare really bad when I am stressed and winter is horrible. I go through severe bouts when it is unbearable. However now it seems to finally going into remission again.

    I do a few things. Believe it or not one of the things I am doing that is helping is taking a bath with epsom salt. I put in two cups and let it dissolve. I then soak about 20 minutes or longer. The skin feels better. I then get out and apply petroleum jelly to the patches. On other days I put on over the counter medicine for skin issues or just moisturizer. I watch my diet because some thing makes it worse. I drink a lot of water as well.

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    Senior Member Tarasaurusrex's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    Quote Originally Posted by Kellydancer View Post
    My mom has this and I have psoriasis which is another skin disease. I too flare really bad when I am stressed and winter is horrible. I go through severe bouts when it is unbearable. However now it seems to finally going into remission again.

    I do a few things. Believe it or not one of the things I am doing that is helping is taking a bath with epsom salt. I put in two cups and let it dissolve. I then soak about 20 minutes or longer. The skin feels better. I then get out and apply petroleum jelly to the patches. On other days I put on over the counter medicine for skin issues or just moisturizer. I watch my diet because some thing makes it worse. I drink a lot of water as well.
    Girl - I have psoriasis too! I had it really bad though when I was in high school, so much so I was told to go to the tanning salon (now I am a tanning addict LOL), but once I turned 18 I was put on biologics First Enbrel, then Raptiva (which worked great, but was pulled from the market because two people died from some sort of neurological disturbance - yikes), back to Enbrel, tried Methotrexate, but that doesn't work if you do/used to drink LOL - your liver better be in perfect condition to handle that stuff, then FINALLY Humira, which I haven't had a single flare in 2 years !

    I used to have to be on long-term prednisone, it was 6 years of trial and error, remission and flares. As far as the expense, Humira has a patient assistance program that you qualify for if you are uninsured, underinsured, or just make under a certain amount (the cut off is like if you make under $50,000 you qualify, I asked them once because I have been doing the program for 2 years now), but since it is so expensive (like $1200 for 2 doses) you can qualify even if you aren't at poverty level. Your medication is free and you just have to get the necessary blood work (TB, Hepatitis, CBC) once a year, though my current derm wants me to do a CBC 3 times a year.

    You must not have a really bad case of psoriasis, I hope you don't, because it is the worst! I also don't have the common plaque psoriasis, I have guttate psoriasis, which doctors think may be somehow linked to my reoccurring strep as a kid, the virus is still in my system (ewwww) and my body is producing weird inflammatory responses to it. Guttate sucks though, because there are lots of little spots, so you can't use a steroid cream unless you want to drench your whole body and be greasy for the next 4 hours.

    Psoriasis is actually an autoimmune disorder, not a skin disease. Your T cells, which originate in your thymus release cytotoxic T-cells too often and that causes your skin to shed at an abnormally high rate, the resulting plaques are dead skin that can't slough off as fast as it is regenerating new epidermal cells. Gross, I know. But, when you have one autoimmune disorder, you have to be careful, because your risk of acquiring another greatly increases (there are over 500 autoimmune disorders).

    Back to the OP and eczema - that's no fun either, but it sounds like you may also have alopecia, which is an autoimmune disorder, as well! Your hair falls out because once again your T-cells attack your hair follicles due to some misguided immune response and the lymphocyte buildup causes inflammation and subsequent hair loss. Steroid cream would help both eczema, psoriasis, and any inflammatory illness (which is pretty much every acute illness).

    Olux foam is great for the scalp, you can use it for a week and see a lot of improvement. It's a bit pricey though, I don't think there is a generic out yet.
    "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act." - Abraham Maslow

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    Quote Originally Posted by Tarasaurusrex View Post
    Girl - I have psoriasis too! I had it really bad though when I was in high school, so much so I was told to go to the tanning salon (now I am a tanning addict LOL), but once I turned 18 I was put on biologics First Enbrel, then Raptiva (which worked great, but was pulled from the market because two people died from some sort of neurological disturbance - yikes), back to Enbrel, tried Methotrexate, but that doesn't work if you do/used to drink LOL - your liver better be in perfect condition to handle that stuff, then FINALLY Humira, which I haven't had a single flare in 2 years !

    I used to have to be on long-term prednisone, it was 6 years of trial and error, remission and flares. As far as the expense, Humira has a patient assistance program that you qualify for if you are uninsured, underinsured, or just make under a certain amount (the cut off is like if you make under $50,000 you qualify, I asked them once because I have been doing the program for 2 years now), but since it is so expensive (like $1200 for 2 doses) you can qualify even if you aren't at poverty level. Your medication is free and you just have to get the necessary blood work (TB, Hepatitis, CBC) once a year, though my current derm wants me to do a CBC 3 times a year.

    You must not have a really bad case of psoriasis, I hope you don't, because it is the worst! I also don't have the common plaque psoriasis, I have guttate psoriasis, which doctors think may be somehow linked to my reoccurring strep as a kid, the virus is still in my system (ewwww) and my body is producing weird inflammatory responses to it. Guttate sucks though, because there are lots of little spots, so you can't use a steroid cream unless you want to drench your whole body and be greasy for the next 4 hours.

    Psoriasis is actually an autoimmune disorder, not a skin disease. Your T cells, which originate in your thymus release cytotoxic T-cells too often and that causes your skin to shed at an abnormally high rate, the resulting plaques are dead skin that can't slough off as fast as it is regenerating new epidermal cells. Gross, I know. But, when you have one autoimmune disorder, you have to be careful, because your risk of acquiring another greatly increases (there are over 500 autoimmune disorders).

    Back to the OP and eczema - that's no fun either, but it sounds like you may also have alopecia, which is an autoimmune disorder, as well! Your hair falls out because once again your T-cells attack your hair follicles due to some misguided immune response and the lymphocyte buildup causes inflammation and subsequent hair loss. Steroid cream would help both eczema, psoriasis, and any inflammatory illness (which is pretty much every acute illness).

    Olux foam is great for the scalp, you can use it for a week and see a lot of improvement. It's a bit pricey though, I don't think there is a generic out yet.
    I have it really bad but now it seems to be going through the remission point. It was really bad this summer where I had to take medication and really do a lot. I also have the arthritis that comes with it which also goes into spurts. I have considered the prescriptions like Humira but was always afraid because of the side effects. My paternal grandmother died of a stroke likely caused by the medicine which has always scared. I have other auto immune issues as well. My kind is the plaque which can be horrible with scales falling on all over.

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    Quote Originally Posted by Kellydancer View Post
    I have it really bad but now it seems to be going through the remission point. It was really bad this summer where I had to take medication and really do a lot. I also have the arthritis that comes with it which also goes into spurts. I have considered the prescriptions like Humira but was always afraid because of the side effects. My paternal grandmother died of a stroke likely caused by the medicine which has always scared. I have other auto immune issues as well. My kind is the plaque which can be horrible with scales falling on all over.
    If you are healthy and under age 55 biologics are safe. They simply replace the immune response your body should be making anyway, so I look at it like treating the cause, instead of controlling symptoms - which is crazy frustrating as you well know. Biologics are safer than prolonged use of steroid creams even. It really has made my life a lot easier, I used to have to cover up this and put Vaseline on that, etc. etc. now I can resume my life like a normal person (well relatively LOL). Yes, I have mild psoriatic arthritis as well, especially in my hands if I am not on treatment. A lot of people are anti-biologics, but I'm not one to shy away from drugs......I am debating between pharmacy or PA school, I work in a pharmacy and really pharmaceuticals get demonized, but half the time the doctors are to blame for over-prescribing, or using you as a guinea pig, like with antidepressants, but since malpractice insurance is much higher for doctors (ie the lawyers are waiting in the corner) than pharmacists the pharmacies tend to get sued first.

    I understand your reluctance to over-medicate though, I should probably try more natural remedies as well, I am the one that will pop Ibuprofen sans H2O. Before the biologics were widely available I did this oil of oregano thing, where I put drops of it under my tongue and that worked really well (warning - it is not a pleasant taste - at all LOL). Also I was vegetarian for 3 years and that seemed to improve things a bit, I think just exercising a diet high in fruits and veggies was key there. Good luck with your decision though and if you do decide to try a biologic I can direct you to the websites that offer patient assistance !
    "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act." - Abraham Maslow

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    Quote Originally Posted by Tarasaurusrex View Post
    If you are healthy and under age 55 biologics are safe. They simply replace the immune response your body should be making anyway, so I look at it like treating the cause, instead of controlling symptoms - which is crazy frustrating as you well know. Biologics are safer than prolonged use of steroid creams even. It really has made my life a lot easier, I used to have to cover up this and put Vaseline on that, etc. etc. now I can resume my life like a normal person (well relatively LOL). Yes, I have mild psoriatic arthritis as well, especially in my hands if I am not on treatment. A lot of people are anti-biologics, but I'm not one to shy away from drugs......I am debating between pharmacy or PA school, I work in a pharmacy and really pharmaceuticals get demonized, but half the time the doctors are to blame for over-prescribing, or using you as a guinea pig, like with antidepressants, but since malpractice insurance is much higher for doctors (ie the lawyers are waiting in the corner) than pharmacists the pharmacies tend to get sued first.

    I understand your reluctance to over-medicate though, I should probably try more natural remedies as well, I am the one that will pop Ibuprofen sans H2O. Before the biologics were widely available I did this oil of oregano thing, where I put drops of it under my tongue and that worked really well (warning - it is not a pleasant taste - at all LOL). Also I was vegetarian for 3 years and that seemed to improve things a bit, I think just exercising a diet high in fruits and veggies was key there. Good luck with your decision though and if you do decide to try a biologic I can direct you to the websites that offer patient assistance !
    I am very anti over medicate so I use a variety of natural resources and other things. I have considered the prescriptions but am trying the other things before resorting to those. I am very anti steroids as I believe it killed my paternal grandma and know many who received cancer. Not to mention I had a cancer issue myself so some of the medicine will make it more likely that I will get cancer as many of the medications repress the system.

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    Quote Originally Posted by Kellydancer View Post
    I am very anti over medicate so I use a variety of natural resources and other things. I have considered the prescriptions but am trying the other things before resorting to those. I am very anti steroids as I believe it killed my paternal grandma and know many who received cancer. Not to mention I had a cancer issue myself so some of the medicine will make it more likely that I will get cancer as many of the medications repress the system.
    Actually......corticosteroids are used to TREAT cancer. Cancer is an rapid divison of cells, so much like an inflammatory response the rapid mitotic divisions need to be suppressed. Chemotherapy suppresses your immune system. You don't get cancer from low immunity, you are more likely to get it from an overactive immune response. You want to repress your system when you have cancer, to kill the cancerous cells! So.....whomever told you that was sorely mistaken.....just so you aren't misinformed, because prescription drugs are only dangerous when people are misinformed about their proper uses and dosages and when that misinformation is propagated to others then that perpetuates improper usage.
    "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act." - Abraham Maslow

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    My doctor told me that and because of it I avoid steroids. Steroids caused my grandmother to have a stroke. Many prescriptions are in fact dangerous and many doctors prescribe them knowing this but doing it for the money. As a result I believe in many alternative therapies instead.

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    Okay, your doctor is either a) wrong or b) you misunderstood him. First of all there are two types of steroids anabolic (which really only men who fail to go through puberty at the appropriate age use) and corticosteroids and that is the one you would use, now don't take my word for it, take the National Institute of Health and National Library of Medicine's word for it:

    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/steroids.html

    You may have heard of anabolic steroids, which can have harmful effects. But there's another type of steroid - sometimes called a corticosteroid - that treats a variety of problems. These steroids are similar to hormones that your adrenal glands make to fight stress associated with illnesses and injuries. They reduce inflammation and affect the immune system.

    You may need to take corticosteroids to treat

    Arthritis
    Asthma
    Autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis
    Skin conditions such as eczema and rashes
    Some kinds of cancer
    Steroids are strong medicines, and they can have side effects, including weakened bones and cataracts. Because of this, you usually take them for as short a time as possible.

    Corticosteroids can have a plethora of other nasty side effects, but cancer is not one of them, it is used to treat cancer.....not cause it......also if you follow what you just said, you just said "Many prescriptions are in fact dangerous and many doctors prescribe them knowing this but doing it for the money". So you seem to not have much faith that a doctor will give you an appropriate prescription, so it follows logic that if "your doctor told you that" why would you believe him? First of all these drugs are very cheap, so whose to say he isn't saying this to try to sell you on something higher-priced and that requires more visits, since corticosteroids are meant for short-term only (now not saying he is a skeezbag, like this, but from your statement of distrust in regards to physicians the logic would follow that you should worry he would want you on a medication that required more frequent visits, thus lining his pockets, not an acute fix, that gives him no monetary gain whatsoever)

    I can believe he said he didn't want you to take them because they can cause osteoporosis, weight gain, high blood sugar, but NOT because they cause cancer. Also Doctors are not Pharmacists they are well versed in medication, but not constantly exposed to it, they make mistakes, that is why there are Pharmacists to check that everything is copacetic. Okay, it's a pet peeve of mine when mis-information is spread, so please, research for yourself or be 100% sure you heard your doctor correctly before perpetuating incorrect information regarding medicine, that can be analogous in danger to someone improperly training someone else on gun handling. Think of prescriptions like a firearm, it isn't going to kill you unless you use it incorrectly or are misinformed about it's mechanisms. The gun doesn't go off by itself, it requires human error, same with prescriptions, they aren't just going to kill you or give you cancer, if you have a negative side effect it is usually tied to human error. So, not to be mean, but I feel very strongly about this, because I see people do stupid things with medication, because they heard.....etc. So, soapbox - down. LOL.
    "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act." - Abraham Maslow

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    I never said he said they would cause cancer I said I know that steroids can cause cancer because they can. There have been many athletes who developed cancer because of them. However my grandmother got them and had a stroke and they can be dangerous. I stick to an alternative treatment for my condition and will continue to do so, though am considering non steroid based medicine.

    Doctors do often over prescribe medicines, which is why I prefer my own methods. For many doctors (especially foreign)it's all about the money and they make money on medicine. Many times the condition gets worse after taking medicine.

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    @Tara, thanks for your informative posts. Are you in med school or something? You sound like you know your stuff.

    I was diagnosed with psoriasis just last week. I've always had recurring rough red patches on my elbows and feet, but in the last six months it's gotten worse, and my hands, particularly my right hand has become extremely dry. My skin is cracking and peeling. In the last two months the problem has gone from "well that's annoying" to "WTF is going on?!?!"

    I was prescribed one of those cortisone ointments, but it's hard to apply at any time other than bedtime. Since most of the problem is on my hands, it's rather impractical having to slather a bunch of grease all over them in the middle of the day. I might have to buy some medical gloves or something, I don't know. It's only been a few days and I haven't really seen a difference with the ointment yet, but hopefully it works. I don't think my condition is TOO bad yet, but it's been getting increasingly worse and I'd hate to have it spread.

    I've become a little bit self-conscious about it on cam recently. I don't think it's too noticeable, but sometimes guys ask to see my feet and I'm like "you really want to see them? No, I don't think you do". I usually show them anyway and it's no big deal, but still.

    I don't really care much if I get a rash or whatever, but the fact that it's an auto-immune disorder scares me. I'm wondering if I might have alopecia too, because I lose SO MUCH hair. All I have to do is run my fingers through my hair and a bunch of strands come out. It seems like I have a full thick head of hair, but I wonder just how normal it is to be losing so much hair all the time.

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    Okay, first of all the steroids athletes take are anabolic steroids, completely different from corticosteroids. Secondly, give me the name of one athlete that died from cancer as a direct result from anabolic steroid abuse. Since you can't differentiate between medications please, please don't make false and irresponsible claims that such and such caused a stroke, when you clearly have no idea what you are talking about, again, not trying to be mean, but God forbid someone with acute asthma were to believe you and freak out, suddenly not want to take their medicine afraid they will get cancer because of your public inaccurate claims.

    Also have you been to a sufficient amount and proportionally racially diverse number of doctors to be able to accurately say that "foreign" doctors are "all about the money". Please keep your xenophobia/racism and incorrect beliefs to yourself. Nobody has time for that mess. Not trying to be mean, but your unfounded claims really make you appear ignorant, and ignorance is dangerous.
    "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act." - Abraham Maslow

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    If you had read my initial post you would realize I am not a medical student, I am in my last semester at GA State majoring in Neuroscience and have been accepted to Pharmacy school at PCOM and UGA, although I may want to work as a PA (Physician's Assistant), having worked as a nationally certified pharmacy technician for the past 4 years; retail pharmacy becomes a bit grueling and a hospital pharmacist only makes 2/3 of what a retail pharmacist earns. So, my area of expertise is, specifically, medication/drugs.

    I am licensed by the PCCA (Pharmaceutical Community Compounding Association) to make compounded formulations of medicine. Also, having worked with numerous pharmacists they know a lot more about drugs than doctors, in fact at a minimum a few times a week someone on the pharmacy staff is required to call the doctor's office regarding a prescription because either it was a) Written for a dosage form unavailable, or potentially toxic to the patient - like doctors that accidentally prescribe normal adult doses for antibiotics; but give these same does to a 65 lb child due to impaired judgement because of a chaotic moment b) Write for a medication that is an isomer of something the patient is horribly allergic to - or even write for the exact medication they are allergic to, therefore most likely the patient will react poorly to that medication as well c) Prescribe something that has extreme interactions with a current medication the person is taking. Also don't get me started on doctors writing for Lortab 5/325 (no such thing), that is Norco! Lortab has 500 mg of APAP and will be discontinued come 2014 for it's correlation to hepatic damage and disease.

    So what is your degree in? I only ask because you seem to have a very unique way of utilizing/applying basic critical thinking and logic skills. You must be more the creative type.....?
    "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act." - Abraham Maslow

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    Default Re: Eczema is ruining my life(((

    I never intended to imply you were stupid, I simply asked about your degree because you have a different way of forming logical conclusions than I do, I thought your might have majored in something creative, so I can see marketing, that takes a lot of creativity.

    I do not work for drug companies. Yes drugs can be dangerous, so can guns, but what makes them more dangerous is when incorrect information is spread regarding them. For example if I were to tell someone "It's okay to push the trigger to get a feel for it, because all guns have safety's" that would be incorrect and dangerous of me to say. If others heard me say it, they may believe it and perpetuate something that's not factual. That is the only reason I dislike when people make false claims regarding drugs, which should be handled like a firearm - with extreme care and only when necessary.
    "I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act." - Abraham Maslow

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    Default Re: Psoriasis Problems

    Fantastic info shared guys however leave out any off topic opinions and blanket statements that become inflammatory like "Now it makes sense you work for drug companies. No wonder you are pushing the drug agenda." The comments were all technically off topic but so helpful they deserved their own thread, just keep it light and factual or those posts will be deleted.
    “What a caterpillar calls the end of the world we call a butterfly.” - ECKHART TOLLE

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