My 12 year old son has recently been confirmed as having arthritis alongside his psoriasis. He’s had X-rays and blood tests and we are due to back end sept. The Dr would like to treat with methotrexate or inta-articular joint injections under entonox. He has arthritis in 1 thumb, both big toes and none other toe. He has a mild pain in his hip which they think is caused by walking funny due to his toes. Other than that he isn’t in pain. We need to decide what to do and would be grateful for your views /experiences of these treatments. We are keen to prevent joint damage but know these treatments have sis effects. I’d be really grateful for your comments. Thank you!
Hi Scarlet. Such sad news about your son, but at least now that you know what's wrong, you can find treatment for him.
I don't know how children are treated--whether the same meds are used in smaller doses or what.
I just wanted to tell you I'm having a lot of success with Enbrel-for my PsA and psoriasis, and the biologics aren't as scary as the TV commercials make them out to be.
Good luck to you and your son!
Hi, Scarlet, welcome to the forum. I’m never happy to hear of anyone with PsA, but I always feel particularly bad for someone who is diagnosed so young. Your son is lucky to have a parent who is proactive and looking for information and input. Have you thought of seeking out a paediatric rheumatologist? That might be helpful in terms of getting support with the issues and questions that you have which are related to your son’s age.
The questions surrounding treatment all have complicated answers. If you go to The Newbies’ Guide (green band above), there is a lot of information to mull over. There’s also an excellent book which I recommend under BOOK REVIEWS (above). It’s a bit dated, but the basics are all there.
On the question of methotrexate vs joint injection: methotrexate is usually the first drug used in this disease. Some people have good success with it from the point of disease control. It can have side effects, but not everyone gets them, and there are ways of minimizing the side effects if you do get them. The joint injections, as I understand it, are for symptom control, which isn’t the same thing as disease control. You should probably clarify with your rheumatologist what the goal of each treatment would be.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but there is a group dedicated to our UK members, called “Cuppa House”. Protocols for accessing some treatments are different under the NHS than they are elsewhere. (This is especially true for the biologic treatments, such as Grandma J mentioned.) Go to GROUPS above, and ask for access. They’re as friendly as the rest of us are!
I’m glad you found us here, Scarlet, and I hope that we will be a good source of support and information for you.