My name is Maria and I have Psorisis, Crohn's and Psoriatic Arthritis. I have not had a bout with Crohn's for two years and even though I've had Psorisis since I was 6 years old ( I am 62) the last 20 years it has been very mild. I started to take Humira 6 months ago and after battling with PA for 3 years my pain level went down 80%. Great! But my Psorisis has come back strong. I'll rather have the Psorisis than the pain , but I am wondering if anyone has experienced the same thing? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Maria
Do you have an appointment with either your Dermatologist or Rheumy soon?Perhaps a change or tweak in medication maybe what is needed.
I have had psoriasis since I was 6 years old and was just diagnosed with PSA in December last year,so I understand.
Let us know how you go.
Also,I think that what you are experiencing can happen,but there are lots of other drugs approved to treat both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis,it can sometimes take a while to find what works for you.
My rheumatologist sent me to a dermatologist that "specializes" in Psoriasis and he scratched his head and said that he had never seen that happen before. He wanted to change medication but when I read about it, it was mostly to deal with Psoriasis. I went to my regular dermatologist and she basically said the same thing but we decided to use a cream to deal with the Psoriasis since I am a different person now without the pain.
It seems that you know about other meds that deal with both diseases and I would love to read about them and maybe suggest them to my rheumatologist. Thanks again, Maria
Hi Maria
I have both problems and also take Humira injections. It helped my pain immensely, and my psoriasis disappeared completely, however following a break from Humira, I have a different story!
Now my psoriasis seams to be staying put, and my one shoulder is excruciating, so I wish on hand sight I had not interrupted my use of Humira! I also would like advice about any new drugs that tackle both problems!
Hello Maria, any of the human monoclonal anti-tnf's should, in theory, help with psoriasis (so my PsA specialist tells me) but I think in practice many people find it's a bit either~or and in some cases the biologic causes their skin to flare. Maybe that is what is happening with you. Are you also taking methotrexate alongside your Humira? I think lots of people here have found that helps to keep their skin disease under control.
Certainly making the decision to change from Humira to another biologic is not to be taken lightly when it's controlling your joint disease and Crohn's. Humira is the bio of choice for Crohn's.
My skin isn't helped by my bio (Simponi) but my joints are so I accept the compromise of having to treat my psoriasis with topicals.
I would think this is definitely a discussion you need to have with your rheumatologist. I'm guessing if you've been on Humira six months you've probably got a review coming up soon? Let us know how you get on.
And Tinko, good to see you. I hope you're going to post us an update on how and where you are?
like Jules I'm wondering if there's a Methotrexate connection or if Methotrexate might help. I had a great result with Humira too. I took Mtx alongside it at first but my ALT (liver enzyme) was persistently raised. As Humira was doing such a good job it seemed safe to stop Mtx to get the ALT down. I stopped Mtx in January and started getting psoriasis almost immediately. By the summer I was covered in it.
My rheumy (rather than the dermatologists) thought that stopping Mtx might have caused the psoriasis flare. I'd never had such bad psoriasis before and sometimes withdrawing a drug, perhaps especially one that can treat psoriasis, can cause psoriasis. I re-started Mtx and lo & behold, around the 8 week mark at which it typically 'kicks in', the awful psoriasis started to calm down and is now well-nigh gone. Sooooo ..... you didn't stop Mtx by any chance did you?
Thanks Sybil, Jules and Ouch. For some reason I am not able to reply to you individually. I must be doing something wrong. I do have an appointment with my rheumatologist in a few weeks and hopefully will come up with a plan and discuss alternatives. I did take Methotrexate for awhile but I stop taking it over a year ago and the psoriasis remained the same, very very mild. My dermathologist is of the opinion that I should keep taking humira and deal with the psoriasis topically. Update: in the last 4 days the pain has come back worse than before. From my neck to my toes the joints are again screeming. I don't know the cause of the flare up. My rheumatologist wants me to have a cortizone treatment. Is this normal? Thanks to all of you. The support is invaluable!!
Did you try hitting the 'Reply' tag under our individual responses?
Given my recent experiences I'd be inclined to double & triple check whether stopping Mtx had precipitated a psoriasis flare ..... possibly even if there was quite a time lapse between stopping it & psoriasis flaring up. But it's not something I've heard mentioned before so maybe it's not that common. However I have heard quite a few people say that stopping smoking triggered psoriasis too so I think stopping any(?) drug that the body's got used to can have that unwelcome effect. You could run this by your rheumy just in case.
I had mild psoriasis / almost no psoriasis until that flare. I was glad a cause was identified but it seems that often enough there's no rhyme or reason to it. I do not like unexplained things, especially very irritating & uncomfortable ones!! Topical steroids didn't do much for me but I did experiment with a range of prescription moisturisers & management routines and my impression is that most people eventually find a product that they swear by for keeping the psoriasis calmer at least. Conclusion: try everything: topicals, creams, oily baths, the lot. Something will help but there's no one size fits all answer.
PsA flare ups can happen out of the blue too, even if a drug is basically working just fine. So if yours proves to be short-lived (and I hope it does) then there may be no reason to change your medication. Are we talking a steroid jab or a short course of steroids? Here in the UK rheumys are always jabbing us in the backside with cortisone shots, less often elsewhere I believe! I am wary of steroids but they certainly have their uses & I've found the shots really very helpful indeed.
Hi Maria! I'm 62, had psoriasis since I was 22 and diagnosed with PsA at 55. I started Enbrel when I was 60 and it improved my skin problems and PsA symptoms about 80%. My scalp had my worst, most chronic psoriasis, and that cleared up so well I only use the medicated (MG217) shampoo about once every 3 months when it itches a little. But, the psoriasis on my lower legs has never improved much, and I apply betamethasone to them every day. You said your psoriasis came back strong, so IDK how much lotion will calm it down, but hopefully over time it'll get better. Does sun help? It seems to help mine somewhat, but I know too much of that isn't good for the skin. Glad the Humira is working for your pain. I agree--I'd take psoriasis any day over the pain! (Ooops, my psoriasis was only moderate--maybe if it had been severe I wouldn't say that!)