Systemic Psoriasis Treatment of Extreme Psoriasis
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Systemic psoriasis: If you are dealing with this sometimes-debilitating skin condition, psoriasis treatments are an option that can help you easily control the severity of your symptoms, assuaging your discomfort and greatly improving your quality of life.
Whole Body Psoriasis Treatments
Unlike many traditional treatments for this skin condition, psoriasis treatments are medications that essentially treat the whole body to help control the spreading, flare ups, symptoms and appearance of the condition rather than using topical options to treat it locally.
This variety of treatment is especially helpful to patients who suffer from severe and extreme cases of psoriasis that are resistant to less aggressive forms of treatment and that cover more than 10 percent of the patient’s body.
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Methods of Systemic Psoriasis Treatment
Depending on the type and variety of systemic treatment that is prescribed, it will either be administered to you orally or as an under the skin injection. Some of the drugs are administered once weekly, while other varieties of the medicine are taken daily. Some of these medication options include:
- Retinoids – This treatment is an oral drug, created from vitamin A compounds, and treats psoriasis by directly affecting the way that the body grows and sheds skin cells. Especially helpful for patients suffering from erythrodermic and pustular varieties of psoriasis, persons using this drug should abstain from being pregnant for three years after the cessation of treatment.
- Cyclosporine – Used in only the most severe cases of the condition, cyclosporine targets symptoms by suppressing the immune system and slowing down the growth of skin cells. This systemic psoriasis medication is administered as an oral drug and while it is extremely effective, its results will only last as long as the person continues the medication and does not have the long term effects seen by patients who are getting regular injections. Cyclosporine is highly toxic and should not be taken for more than one year at a time nor should it be paired with phototherapy.
- Methotrexate – If you are prescribed this systemic psoriasis treatment, you will have the option to either take the oral medication or to get regular injections. This medicine is effective for patients dealing with psoriasis because it suppresses the immune system and works to slow, bind and stop the process that causes the irregular speed of skin cell growth.
Side Effects of Systemic Psoriasis Treatment
As with any medical treatment and medication, side effects may occur in certain people. If you are experiencing odd symptoms during the course of your treatment, visit with your doctor as soon as possible to avoid potentially hazardous complications. Side effects that have been reported as a result of systemic treatment include:
- Hair loss
- Dry skin
- Gum bleeding
- Peeling of the skin
- Difficulty sleeping
- Light headedness
- Joint pain
- High cholesterol
- Mouth ulcers
- Vomiting
- Headaches
- Fever and chills
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Burning sensation in extremities
- Skin sensitivity
- Upset stomach
While many of these reactions are minor and not life threatening, be sure to report any oddities to your physician to be sure that you are not reacting adversely to the treatment.
If other varieties of topical creams, steroids and medications have not helped you get your psoriasis under control, treatment is definitely an option to consider.
Persons who have a form of psoriasis that effects more than 10 percent of their bodies, who are not pregnant and who are free of other diseases are perfect candidates for this treatment and will likely see a huge impact on the relief of their symptoms.
If this course of treatment is something in which you are interested, speak with your doctor to determine whether a variety of systemic treatment may be helpful to your condition.
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