Enstilar foam

Phil I was under the impression it was POM so maybe you need a script in the UK!! (I maybe wrong).

Thanks PeterK, I have an Irish prescription which I have been told can sometimes be used in the UK if the doctor is registered in the UK as well which apparently most Irish doctors are. Anyway, I would have no problem paying full price in the UK if I could get them, still much cheaper than here.

I, too, think Enstilar is the best treatment I have ever had. My GP has prescribed it in the past but on a couple of occasions they have refused, offering Dovobet instead. On the last occasion a GP said they wouldn't prescribe it because there are concerns about its use. Has anyone else heard this? Personally I don't believe it. Otherwise this forum would have highlighted it.

My GP initially gave me Enstilar on a repeat basis. When I last requested the pharmacist in the practice spoke with the GP who was their dermatology lead and I had my repeats stopped on the grounds that I was overusing and once I stopped my P would return with even more severe flare-ups. Having spoken at length with my own GP he agreed he would prescribed on a case by case basis. I agree that this product works. I use it sparingly and do not get severe flares. I would wish that dermatologists would read this forum and then send out clear message to GPs that this product works. Perhaps the Psoriasis Association could initiate a conversation with consultants rather than leave the sufferers to speak through this forum.

RichardGH I think your GP is very sensible prescribing Enstilar on a case by case basis. The product works for me as well but I have an underlying worry about the continued use of such foam medication. It's OK for everyone to read all the good reviews on this forum but I am more interested if long term use could cause me long term damage and I welcome them reviewing the medication very regularly. This is a relatively new medication that seems to help some, however we need to be cautious that any long term use could cause more long term issues. Peter

I have not had Enstilar very often. Some of the GPs in my local practice haven't even heard of it. I was refused it at first until I informed them that it had been prescribed by a dermatologist and that it was the best thing I ever had. I have never had it on a repeat prescription. What is interesting is that a GP has never examined me to see the extent of the problem and to see how difficult it is to treat with a 30g tube of calcipotriol ointment.

Has anyone had any negative effects whilst using Enstillar Foam. I've been using it on my hands & feet for 7 days. My skin has become very red, increased dry patches & severe cracking of the skin. Also my ankles have been aching badly. Not sure whether to carry on !

I have just started using Enstilar and I have to say it's a miracle treatment for me. I had light therapy over 10 years ago when first diagnosed and gradually over the years it's crept back. When pregnant with my Daughter 3 years ago my psoriasis almost cleared up and then bang it came back with a vengeance after she was born. It has been the worst it's ever been my back was totally covered, arms, chest, lower legs, thighs and all round my hips and tummy. It had started to bleed regularly and was becoming extremely itchy and hot. My self esteem and mental health has suffered, maybe made worse by PND ?? It did take going to see a locum GP at my surgery and explaining how it was now affecting my mental health that she agreed to refer me again. Appointment arrived (not til end Nov) and then I got a phone call explaining she had left Enstilar script for me to try. Picked it up last Friday and after three days (three applications) my Husband and I were amazed at the difference and a week on it's like a miracle treatment. The Doc couldn't believe the results either and happily prescribed more. I used a can in the week due to the area it covers but I anticipate using less as time goes on. Daily application before bed is amazing compared to the last suggestion of Hydromol twice a day and wait 40mins then apply Dovobet morningand something else in the evening. Seriously with a toddler - and o can't actually reach some of the areas on my back! I am interested to know the following if any of you can advise: 1. Once clear how do you prevent plaques returning is there a specific emollient or moisturiser that appears more effective? I have everything and at the moment Zero gel seems to be working well with Enstilar. 2. Have any of you had any non skin related side effects? Like sickness or general flu-like symptoms? Thanks in advance!

Well due to lack of response I feel I must be the only one to have side effects from Enstilar Foam. I have now been advised to stop using it. Nothing is working & im getting fed up.

Sue p When I used it it was great at first but then I got terrible scalp psoriasis and the psoriasis on my hands and body got much worse. I am not sure whether it was a particularly stressful period and so skin suffered or whether it was the bad skin that brought on the psoriasis. I may try it again in small doses but don't want the p to be worse

Sue P, I can not comment on Enstilar as I never ended up using it. However, I saw your post, and thought I would give you some hope :). I have been suffering from Psoriasis for around 30 years but luckily it has not affected me so much over the last 20 years, I just learned to live with it. Anyway, due to other health ailments including arthritis, sciatica and high blood pressure, I decided to give my body a huge overhaul as I was starting to be in too much pain that I needed to do something about. One of the first things I did was to start taking Curcumin/Turmeric to help with inflammation from arthritis and it helped with the pain so much so that I no longer use arthritis medication. I have since learned that all my ailments are related to inflammation in the body caused my a poor immune system which is caused by a poor diet. So, I have based made lots of changes, mainly to eating habits. I have gone pretty much on a plant based diet, I have cut out all dairy, meat and processed foods. For sure, it takes a lot of motivation to have such a strict diet but the results have been great so far. My arthritis is much better, Psoriasis is CLEARING up and my high blood pressure has dropped so much my medication is halved already. I have only being doing this for a few weeks. Oh, weight is starting to drop off me too which is real bonus. As I dig more into my health issues around inflammation, it seems all of it is connected. If the change of diet is too much for you, then I would definitely start taking curcumin supplements and research golden paste made from Turmeric. I would also consider doing an elimination diet and work on cutting foods from the following food groups to see if you have a tolerance to any of them. 1. Dairy and meat (all products) 2. Gluten 3. Veg/fruit from nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants etc) 4. Coffee 5. Starch 6. Processed foods (all) You could try one group at time or a few. Just leave them out your diet for around 3 weeks and see if any improvement, if no improvement on one group try the next.

Hi Sue, I'm currently using Enstilar foam which i truly hate and I can definitely say I am having negative effects... the day after I use it the flakes are better but several days later and I am finding my Psoriasis getting worse, but I'm now in a catch 22 whilst I await another Derm appointment, the foam helps temporarily get rid of the flakes and to me this is the bit that I feel is getting me low and bad self esteem, so although my Psoriasis has increased in the 2 months using it, I feel cannot stop until I have an alternative solution. I have had P since I was about 11/12, and I have tried many different things, it is most severe at the moment on my scalp which is 100% covered, and then all over my chest/breasts and down my side's, the odd bits on my legs and arms I'm not fussed about. I found that Bettamousse worked for a time but has now become ineffective. Last year for approx a year I was put on Methotrexate and it totally cleared up over my entire body, I stopped taking it and 6 months later it started to come back, but so far Methotrexate is the only thing to have ever had any real effect, I hope to start back on this next. I've never been able to get Enstilar foam out of my hair in any less than 5 washes (and half of them with fairy washing up liquid).

Thanks Lizzie,Phil 69 & Em Ally for taking the time to respond to my plea on 4/10. Somehow just writing that & especially your responses have made me feel I’m not alone with this awful thing !!! Em Ally, my Dermatologist is so helpful & if I’m having any issues I’m able to ring his secretary who then deals with my query & rings me back, which saves on time. Phil, thanks & in my heart I truly believe in what your saying. I did do well down this path then went on holiday & mucked things up. Somehow I haven’t been able to get back on track. My greatest achievement in the last couple of months is to ditch the alcohol but I seemed to have replaced it by eating all the crapiest shit around (excuse my phrase but it truly describes it) which is alien to me. So maybe it’s time for me to take back the responsibility of what I eat & how I look after this precious body & soul. Thanks again for taking time to reply. Enjoy your day. X

Sue P, I know it is really hard to change eating habits, and even harder when you have Psoriasis which gets you feeling down but worth looking at when you feel you can make the change. However, I really would consider start taking Curcumin supplement, it really has made a big difference since I have started taking it. Curcumin is powerful anti-inflammatory spice which is in Turmeric. Good luck and I hope your P improves soon.

Have any of you tried fumaderm. I managed to get it, it’s not licensed in the uk and the side affects are nasty. However, you will clear the psoriasis up by 99%. Then a mixture of creams and sunshine - a much better places to be in. It’s hard work to take the tablets though so if you do try it be warned 😂

Phil 69, Thanks, I’ve just had a look on line & there seems to be so many different products between Turmeric & Curcumin. Any suggestions ! Linnie, Thanks but no more drugs for me. I’ve had them all just about & every side effect multiplied by 100 too. The diet route is for me I just need to start. I had a lot of success with removing sugar & drinking Goats Kefir, a short intensive period of steroids seems to have knocked me back & my psoriasis forward. However I know I need to take control once again & keep moving forward. Thanks for both replying.

Sue P, I am in Ireland so we have Holland and Barrett here which is where I get mine. I am not sure where you are but the ones I buy are Curcumin 30 capsules (500mg) for 8.95, the ones I take also have a small amount of vitamin D (216 IU). As long as you use a good company then you should be ok. I also use golden paste which is Turmeric, Black pepper and coconut mixture, you can google it on how to make, it is very easy. At the minute I take a curcumin in the morning and then in late afternoon. I also take one teaspoon of my golden paste twice a day normally in a green smoothie so can not taste it ;). But you can take it anyway you like. I often have curries with a few extra teaspoons of my golden paste for an extra boost. And, I am with you, I am sick of taking medication, and I hoping to stop taking meds altogether. Just on BP meds now, and hoping to get off them very soon!

Hi Sue, Phil and others, Could I just add a bit to the discussion ... I really hope you get some benefit from Curcumin. However, the jury is still out on whether it is effective when taken orally. This recent study had somewhat mixed results: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4131208/ In summary, they concluded that: "... oral curcumin was well tolerated by patients with psoriasis. The overall response rate was low and we cannot rule out that the responses were due to a placebo effect or a natural disease remission. Nevertheless, excellent responses were observed in two patients and therefore, large, placebo controlled trials will be necessary to definitively prove or disprove oral curcumin as a potential therapeutic agent for psoriasis." It looks like curcumin is very poorly absorbed by the oral route, but that new formulations might help with absorption. It sounds like it might be worth a try for you though - you might be one of those (two out of 18, in the study) for whom it works! Good luck. Peter

Thanks Peter for the link. I am actually taken curcumin/turmeric for arthritis and not for psoriasis. I have had psoriasis for 30 years and I had already given up on all the prescription medication as none of them ever worked for me. I actually ended up on this forum because my new doctor suggested trying this new miracle medication called enstillar, so I thought I would research it. And, then after finding out the cost of enstillar I decided not to bother. I ended up taken curcumin/turmeric to help with my arthritis so I could get off my prescription medication for my arthritis as the side affect of the medication was high BP. The curcumin/turmeric worked wonders for my arthritis within a few days and then after around a week I noticed my psoriasis starting to clear up and my BP drop! Maybe it is a placebo affect, but considering I was not taken curcumin/turmeric for Psoriasis then I do not think it is but who knows. Psoriasis like arthritis is a auto-immune disease, so maybe the anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin/turmeric is having the same affect on my psoriasis. Interestingly the research in the link was done on curcumin and not turmeric, so maybe it is the turmeric that is working and not the curcumin. Maybe it is the curcumin in the turmeric which is working. Curcumin is not well as absorbed like you say which is why it is best taken with black pepper and coconut oil which increases its affect by 2000% apparently. Anyway, I have not researched it in great detail and only went off what some of the stuff I have read online and I thought it was worth a try as turmeric has been used for thousands of years for its health benefits. But, I think a lot of these research studies are little biased when many of them are sponsored by big pharma companies. I do not think there is any harm in trying curcumin or/and turmeric even if it is only a placebo affect, I am sure there are a lot less side affects than some of these prescription medications.