Ever wondered about oral psoriasis treatments? What pills are available and which pills may be right for you? In this video, I will answer all your questions about the oral medications available for psoriasis treatment and whether they may be the right choice for your psoriasis.
If you have psoriasis you probably know treatment options for psoriasis have greatly expanded over the years keeping up with the different treatment options can be very challenging oral medications or pills remain an important treatment class for psoriasis ever wonder what oral medications are out there for psoriasis how do these pills work how well do they work and
What are some of the side effects we will address these important questions in this video hello my name is dr april armstrong i am a board certified dermatologist and i have treated many patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis so how do oral medications work for psoriasis psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can present with red raised
Patches of skin pills injectable medications or light therapy are typically used for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis in whom topical treatments are not enough today we’re going to focus on pills for more information about other therapies click here different pills work differently but in general they all help to reduce the inflammation inside the cells
And thereby decreases the redness and itching associated with psoriasis oral pills can be combined with other psoriasis treatments in difficult cases first let’s talk about methotrexate methotrexate works by slowing down new cell growth to decrease inflammation methotrexate is typically taken once a week with an average dose of 15 milligrams per week for adults
Sometimes methotrexate is given as a shot rather than the pill form and your doctor can help you decide which is the right form for you it can take some time about at least six weeks to see some results and over a third of the patients see good improvement by four months and good improvement is defined as at least a 75 percent improvement from baseline while on
Methotrexate you will need blood work regularly to monitor for potential side effects to your liver kidney or the bone marrow long-term use of methyltrexate may be associated with liver injury especially in patients who have diabetes or drink alcohol excessively other side effects of methotrexate include nausea and diarrhea folic acid supplementation can reduce
These side effects lastly some patients experience temporary and reversible hair loss with methotrexate women planning to become pregnant or are nursing should not take methotrexate now let’s talk about apremilast a premilast also known as otezla is a medication that works by blocking an enzyme called pde4 by doing so a primal acid decreases inflammation in
The skin when you first start a premolast or tesla you will slowly increase the dose during the first week in order to minimize gastrointestinal discomfort specifically you will start by taking 10 milligrams in the morning and then work your way up to taking 30 milligrams twice a day a third of patients on a premolast or otezla see good improvement by 4 months
Common side effects from otezla include nausea vomiting diarrhea and headaches and usually this occurs during the first few weeks on the medication some patients may experience weight loss while taking otezla or permalast now let’s talk about acetone or also known as psoriatine psoriasis is a disease of fast cell turnover of the skin this excessive growth
Of skin cells results in plaques acetone is the synthetic form of vitamin a and it works by slowing down the speed at which new skin cells grow and old skin cells are shed acetone is used not only for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis it is also used for special types of psoriasis such as palmar plantar psoriasis or pustular psoriasis it can take a few months
For acetone or psoriatin to work but almost half of patients see good improvement by three months potential side effects of acetone include dry skin brittle nails high lipid levels in the blood and abnormalities in liver enzymes while on acetone you need regular blood work women planning to become pregnant or are nursing should not take acetone finally let’s
Talk about cyclosporine cyclosporn works by decreasing the excessive inflammation in the skin and elsewhere in the body cyclosporine is typically used for what we call crisis patients these are patients with extensive and severe psoriasis that is very uncomfortable some patients may have more than 80 percent of their body covered by psoriasis in what is known
As erythrodermic psoriasis cyclosporine dosing depends on your body weight and it can be taken either as a pill or liquid cyclosporine works well and rapidly the majority about 70 of patients see a good improvement within two to three months however cyclosporine is not recommended for long-term use because long-term use may lead to irreversible kidney damage
Other side effects of cyclosporine may include high blood pressure upset stomach headaches some sensitivity to sunlight and interactions with other medications while on cyclosporin your doctor will check labs and your blood pressure to monitor for potential side effects so which oral medication may be right for you regular follow-up with your skin doctor is
Important to review whether oral medications are right for you when deciding on a psoriasis treatment your skin doctors will also consider other factors such as pre-existing medical conditions and success with past psoriasis treatments if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis or if topicals have not worked for you pills are one of the classes of therapies
That could be helpful other treatments include biologics and phototherapy thanks for watching please subscribe to learn more about skin conditions this has been dr april armstrong wishing you a clear skin day you
Transcribed from video
Psoriasis Treatments: Are pills right for your psoriasis? By Dr. April Armstrong