Treatments stop working
Posted Wed 27 Sep 2017 22.29 by mjp
For 22 years, on & off, all over
Hi, I’ve had psoriasis for 25 years. Initially I was covered from head to toe but since my first pregnancy, 17 years ago, it seems to be confined to my scalp and elbows in big patches. and in the last few years, dots on my legs and hands. I’ve never found a treatment to rid me of it on my elbows and scalp but prescribed treatments work on the dots on my legs and hands.
Every time I get a new ointment from the gp, it works within a couple of weeks. Then when it re occurs, it doesn’t work anymore. Has anyone else found this?
Last one was Estilar foam which I was prescribed earlier in the year. This time, after a few flare ups over my legs and hands again it hasn’t cleared it at all. I’ve tried so many different creams from the gp. The gp didn’t seem that interested as my psoriasis is mild and said Enstilar is the best one but it doesn’t work for me anymore so wondering if you could advise me on a diffferent one, so I could go back armed with knowledge!
The only thing that’s ever cleared me is coal tar, which they say is no longer prescribed.
It’s only the odd patches, but I feel self conscious and ugly and it stops me wearing all the stuff I should be able to wear. People do ask “what’s that on your hand!”
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted Thu 28 Sep 2017 07.28 by Peterb
Coal Tar is still prescribed by my doctor but only after having to try other coal tar creams that didn't work. The coal tar cream I use is a mixture of 5% coal tar, 5% cylidic acid with emulsifying ointment. I use it mainly on my scalp at night, once or twice a week depending how bad it is, wrapping it up with cling film, so it don't stain the bed lining, and scrubbing it out in the shower in the morning. I have done this now for probably the best part of 45 years and although it's not a cure it keeps my scalp clear of the dreaded flakes. I do use it on my body as well. It is a little messy as you probably know, ant it does stain your clothes so badly but again it does help although of late for me Estilar is still the best on my body but even that can only be used a month on and a month off.
Coal tar cream is very expensive though. When I first started using it it was mixed up in the lab of the local hospital but with new rules and regulations it's now made up to order in Newcastle. It's made up for me yearly, with special delivery charges, in 2 x 500 gram pots and the cost is in axcess of £800 a time but my GP has been very good to me and supplies this and Estilar for my body.
Good luck and keep trying and don't ever think it makes you ugly because it doesn't.
Peter
Posted Thu 28 Sep 2017 14.08 by TrevorM
Hi MJP, yes I have found that many things I have tried have begun to clear up my psoriasis and then stopped working. One of those was coal tar, almost glad it did not work because it would have sucked to be putting that smelly dirty stuff on my body for the rest of my life. I do not have psoriasis anymore that I am aware of. It is visibly gone without medication. For me it was a couple different natural teas and a temporary diet changes that did the trick. I don't see why it couldn't work for a lot of people. Let me know if you want to know how I did it. So far going through this site everyone is talking about all sorts drugs to treat there symptom and not the cause, that is the biggest misconception, it is always going to come back until you treat the actual source of the problem.
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