Health Boards
Fri-22-12-2017, 11:49 AM
Hi all,
It sounds like a lot of you are having some nasty effects to Acitretin, what mg have you been prescribed?
I have recently been discharged by my consultant as I had a complete clear up of my Psoriasis following taking Acitretin.
I had a mixture of plaque and guttate psoriasis (mild to moderate), I was prescribed 10mg of Acitretin and it felt like I had a huge flare - my plaques were angry (at one point they peeled over like they were making a new layer of psoriasis!) and my small patches of guttate became more red. The consultant upped the dosage from 10mg to 25mg (where my plagues smoothed off significantly) and finally to 30mg which was supposed to be combined with UV treatment, however following a holiday to Portugal I had a complete clear up of Psoriasis for the first time in over 10 years! My light treatment was put on hold as the Acitretin was keeping the Psoriasis at bay. I do genuinely believe that Psoriasis does work and it is highly effective when combined at a high dose with light treatment.
Some of the side effects for me
I have just been prescribed Enstilar to help keep any plaques at bay but I have not very little sign of my psoriasis returning and I have not been taking Acitretin for a month.
If you've just started Acitretin, please try sticking with it - it definitely does work!
Cheers
J
It sounds like a lot of you are having some nasty effects to Acitretin, what mg have you been prescribed?
I have recently been discharged by my consultant as I had a complete clear up of my Psoriasis following taking Acitretin.
I had a mixture of plaque and guttate psoriasis (mild to moderate), I was prescribed 10mg of Acitretin and it felt like I had a huge flare - my plaques were angry (at one point they peeled over like they were making a new layer of psoriasis!) and my small patches of guttate became more red. The consultant upped the dosage from 10mg to 25mg (where my plagues smoothed off significantly) and finally to 30mg which was supposed to be combined with UV treatment, however following a holiday to Portugal I had a complete clear up of Psoriasis for the first time in over 10 years! My light treatment was put on hold as the Acitretin was keeping the Psoriasis at bay. I do genuinely believe that Psoriasis does work and it is highly effective when combined at a high dose with light treatment.
Some of the side effects for me
- Headaches/migraines (once I got used to having the drug in my system, these subsided)
- Mood swings (again as above, these subsided even when my dosage increased)
- Peeling of skin on feet/hands (moderate to severe - didn't effect me massively but I seemed to develop blisters easier, especially when I was running)
- Dry lips/nose (this didn't stop throughout taking the drug but Vaseline with the Aloe Vera gel hugely helped)
- Dry eyes (This only started when I had been taking 30mg for 3 months and eventually lead to the Consultant taking me off Acitretin - I seemed to be constantly using hydrating Eyedrops, I was open to lowering my dosage but the consultant preferred me to stop taking Acitretin so I could use it again in later life if needed)
I have just been prescribed Enstilar to help keep any plaques at bay but I have not very little sign of my psoriasis returning and I have not been taking Acitretin for a month.
If you've just started Acitretin, please try sticking with it - it definitely does work!
Cheers
J