Fumaric Acid Esters

Posted Mon 4 Feb 2019 22.20 by Sarahlois

Hello, I am hoping for some help. I have suffered with unbearable Psoriasis for the majority of my adult life. I am now in my 30s and really have tried everything (UV light treatments, steroid creams/foams, herbal remedies, restricted diet, Methotrexate etc). Without treatment I am 90% effected, the only clear skin being on my face and palms/soles of feet. I have now been prescribed a new drug/treatment - Fumaric Acid Esters. I began on 'Skilarence' and built my tolerance up to 1 tablet 3 times a day (total of 360mg). My skin improved greatly (50% from 90%). I have now been prescribed Fumaderm. I have been told to take 2 tablets 3 times a day (total 720mg). I haven't got an appointment with my Dermatologist until the end of this month and I was hoping someone could shed some light on what has happened? The Skilarence and Fumaderm tablets look exactly the same and are the same weight. Are they just two different brand names of the same tablet? I see the maximum dose of both brands is 720mg a day (6 tablets daily). I am happy to be on the highest dose but to reach the 360mg (3 tablets a day) I suffered side affects including bad cramps and hot flushes. Will these side affects 'double' if I double the dose? I suppose my skin will clear doubly as well? I have blood tests every 4 weeks and I assume they have came back ok as I was prescribed more and put on a higher dose. If anyone can offer any advice it would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Posted Tue 5 Feb 2019 01.52 by Carnival queen

I'm afraid I have no experience of the drugs you mention so cannot be of assistance in that enquiry but can say that I was in the same position as you about 18 months ago when my doctor prescribed Exorex which is a coal tar based lotion. Have you tried it? Within a month my skin was completely clear and has remained so. I started with 3 applications a day but as I improved cut back and am now using just in the morning. I hope you find the answers you are looking for in relation to your current treatment but in the meantime would urge you to try Exorex. Good luck!

Posted Tue 5 Feb 2019 05.24 by OhNo_NotAgain?

Just to mention that in the UK you can buy Exorex over the counter or online (if you wanted to try it). BUT make sure that you are buying the coal-tar based treatment lotion, it has green writing on the bottle. There is another Exorex product which has blue text, but it is only a mild and gentle shower gel/body wash. It has no active ingredients to actually treat psoriasis (this is confirmed on the Exorex website, but on Amazon it is described as a treatment for psoriasis).

Posted Tue 5 Feb 2019 16.41 by Carnival queen

Yes OhNo_NotAgain, exactly. I use the hair and body wash too. It’s nice to have a shower gel/shampoo that does not aggravate the psoriasis but it does not claim to be a cure. I get all my treatment on prescription.

Posted Mon 26 Oct 2020 17.31 by Oxjeff

I'm late to the party here but i've been on both Fumaderm and Skilarence. Previously , i've been on all the usual suspects after the P kicked in 2 years after a horrendous car accident in 1987. Methotrexate, Acitretin, Ciclosporin. They worked for a while, then the side effects kicked so bad that they took me off them. Then in 2014, i was put on Fumaderm, and within a couple of months the P started to disappear. Eventually, it completely disappeared. A couple of years ago, without warning, when i picked up my prescription, the tablets were changed to Skilarence. Apparently they dont treat the P in the same manner as Fumaderm, yet they contain much of the same ingredients. I cant understand that, but still, i've been 100% clear for the last 5 or 6 years. Side effects ( though these can differ from person to person ) for me is that i sneeze about 5 or 6 times a day, and occasionally get a face flush, which is one effect that many experience ( prickly feeling ) but dont turn red. I might get a flush once a week or sometimes can go for 2 weeks or more without one. Its random. I of course have my bloods monitored every 8 weeks. That is, apart from this year because of Covid. I had my last in Feb 2020, then the next was only a week ago. No problems.

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