Fumaderm side effects - my worst case senario

[jiml]

Well I took my first Fumaderm Initial last night. No dramas, felt fine all night.

Then at 3.30am I woke up and couldn't help but notice that my face felt like it was on fire!   I was hoping that I would get a few days grace before the side effects kicked in, alas no.

The flushing lasted about an hour then subsided enough to let le get back to sleep (kind of). The only problem now is that my face although it look mostly normal in colour (perhaps a slightly pinker shade), it feels like I have a sunburned face all the time. All this after one Initial tablet! How on earth will I get on as the strength is increased??

Has anyone else had the 'sunburned' feeling after their hot flushes? Is it a good sign that I have had such a reaction after just one tablet?

The good news tho, iis I haven't had any stomach cramps (yet).

I think it's a good sign   it's the blood flushing into the tiny blood cells near the surface, I don't think it will get worse and the sunburnt feeling should subside as your body gets used to the treatment. It also indicates that there is a reaction which should be good news  
That is just my opinion based on my experience.

You may not get the cramps but if you do. At least it won't be a surprise and it should be manageable

[Caroline]

yes that's it, the flush, I think that is good sign as your body is reacting to the DMF.
Don't worry, it will gradually be less. Good to have it in the night, as you more or less will sleep through it.
Have it by day can be a little embarrassing, as you will turn utterly red.

Good that you had no cramps yet. Let's wait how this develops.
Good luck !

[OneBigItch]

I have a quick question, how often are you supposed to have blood tests when you first start? My first test is in five weeks but I thought I read that you are supposedto have one every two weeks. Do I need to go sooner?

[Bill]

At the start of treatment you want to keep an eye on liver and kidney function, so monthly checks initially make sense. In the longer term it depends on your blood count. The critical value for lymphocytes is <0.8, so if you were double that value a three monthly check is valid. Dont take things for granted: I thought I was in a very safe routine, but quickly saw my lymphocyte count drop from 1.1 to 0.6. I suspect the culprit was extra sun exposure and the possibility of DMF making lymphocytes more light sensitive, but I will need to do more testing over the next few months to be sure. At least you dont have to worry about the sun in the UK.

Cheers,

Bill

[jiml]

I have a quick question, how often are you supposed to have blood tests when you first start? My first test is in five weeks but I thought I read that you are supposedto have one every two weeks. Do I need to go sooner?

Hi Bill has given you the answer which is generally accepted although Fumaderm does say at the start of treatment the tests for the first three months should be done every 2 weeks after that the recommendation is every 4 weeks
I have mine monitored every 4 weeks at my GPs surgery they phone my results to me so I know whether to reduce my dose if the levels drop to low normal lymphocyte readings should be between 1 and 3
The blood levels if they do drop will soon bounce back when the dose is reduced
Have a read of the leaflet here Fumaderm leaflet

[OneBigItch]

Thanks guys. The key is just keeping a close eye on the blood results then. It's good to know that they don't take long to bounce back if they drop too low. So 0.8 or below would be the figure to look for.

[jiml]

Thanks guys. The key is just keeping a close eye on the blood results then. It's good to know that they don't take long to bounce back if they drop too low. So 0.8 or below would be the figure to look for.

Yes below 0.8 start thinking to reduce the dose ....I try to keep mine above 1 .....but I'm just cautious currently my lymphocyte count is 1.22...

Yes I have found that the levels bounce back quickly when I reduce the dose by one tablet ....after a while you can increase again if the psoriasis starts to reappear, just continue watching the levels

[ccarr06]

Hi,


As someone who takes Fumaderm, I would say don't worry so much about the rare side effects. It made my life so much better. The side effects I got were not so bad (mild cramps and hot flushing) and they die down after a few weeks. the first few just have to get through it.

As for lowering your immunity, I work with 3 year olds, who are constantly sick, and I've never had any issues. I get colds of course, but that's it. From my experience, it's worth it. Hope it goes well for you.

[jiml]

Hi,


As someone who takes Fumaderm, I would say don't worry so much about the rare side effects. It made my life so much better. The side effects I got were not so bad (mild cramps and hot flushing) and they die down after a few weeks. the first few just have to get through it.

As for lowering your immunity, I work with 3 year olds, who are constantly sick, and I've never had any issues. I get colds of course, but that's it. From my experience, it's worth it. Hope it goes well for you.

Agreed

[Caroline]

Hi,


As someone who takes Fumaderm, I would say don't worry so much about the rare side effects. It made my life so much better. The side effects I got were not so bad (mild cramps and hot flushing) and they die down after a few weeks. the first few just have to get through it.

As for lowering your immunity, I work with 3 year olds, who are constantly sick, and I've never had any issues. I get colds of course, but that's it. From my experience, it's worth it. Hope it goes well for you.

Agreed

Agreed