Psoriasis – Medication

Transcript

“Medications that can be prescribed to help treat psoriasis. Yes, there are many different treatments that help to treat psoriasis. Certain medications include topical creams that you can apply once a day during flares and on alternate days to maintain remission. These are typically steroids and they come in a variety of strengths. Your dermatologist might prescribe a stronger one for smaller or tougher to treat areas. However, long-term use of strong steroids can thin the skin and over time they can stop working. Vitamin D analogues are also a topical form of treatment. These include synthetic forms of vitamin D such as calcipotriene and calcitriol, which slows skin growth. This drug can be used by itself or with topical steroids. Calcitriol can cause less irritation in sensitive areas. And calcipotriene and calcitriol are actually usually more expensive than topical steroids. Tazarotene is a topical retinoid that’s available as a gel or cream and can be used one to two times a day.

This is typically to help decrease the scaly plaques that can sometimes become very thick. The most common side effects are irritation of the skin and increased sensitivity to light. It is not recommended if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you’re trying to conceive. Calcineurin inhibitors can also be used topically for psoriasis. These include medications such as tacrolimus and pimecrolimus, which can reduce inflammation and buildup of plaques. They’re especially helpful in various thin plaques of skin, such as around the eyes when steroids or retinoids are too irritating or can be harmful. Calcineurin inhibitors aren’t recommended if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you’re trying to conceive. It’s also not intended for longterm use. Salycilic acid shampoos and scalp solutions can also help reduce plaques and scaling and scalp psoriasis. They can be used alone on the body or scalp or enhance the ability of other medications to penetrate.

Coal tar also reduces scaling, itching and inflammation. It’s available over the counter or in prescription as shampoo, creams and oils. These products can irritate the skin, they’re also messy, can stain clothing and bedding, and it can have a pungent or strong odor. It’s not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Goeckerman therapy is a combination of coal tar with light therapy. These therapies are more effective together than alone because the coal tar will make the skin more receptive to UVB light. Anthralin, which is another ant tar product, is a cream that’s used to slow cell growth in the skin. It can also remove scales to make the skin appear smoother. It should not be used on the face or genitalia. It can irritate the skin, anthralin also stains almost anything it touches. It’s usually applied for a short time and then it’s washed off.”