psorasis

[bobdeb]

has anyone heard of chemotherapy being a treatment for this condition?

[cliffsdoll]

no i havent, why would you think this? psoriasis is a skin condition not cancer

[bobdeb]

someone I know is saying that she is having chemotherapy for it- reckons she having to have a bigger dose and not going to well, thought it strange -shes obviously looking for the sympathy vote...........

[Amara]

chinese herbal medicine is the best cure for this condition - I would have thought Chomotherapy is like trying to crack a walnut with a sledgehammer

[aka pixi]

I have never heard of anyone having chemo for psoriasis, but my sister had radiotherapy for dermatitis years ago (I think it was radiotherapy, she had to put her hands in a box and I think a light shone on them) whatever it was it cleared up the dermatitis which was on the palms of her hands after a few treatments

[Dr Hungry]

Psoraisis can lead to a type of arthritis (Psoriatic Arthritis) which can be treated with drugs that are also used for chemotherapy, Methotrexate being one of them. It's a much lower dose than is used for chemotherapy though and you should also take other drugs to counter the cytotoxic effects.

Topical vitamin D is meant to be very good for the skin condition on its own.

[Amara]

Methotrexate has some nice side effects though doesn't it - sickness, hair loss, shakes and changes in liver function??!! What are we doing to our bodies?

[cliffsdoll]

dr hungary has got it right, methotextrate is used on cancer patients, but also used on some psoriasis patients as it help to destroy yhe skin cells that are accumilating too fast therefore slowing them down to a normal persons rythem, if u know what i mean. u also have to be carefully monitired while u are on this drug and wont be prescribed it if you have any liver or kidney problems, other illnesses may also rule you out too.

[Dr Hungry]

Well I've never heard of methotrexate being used for the skin problem in isolation, but I'm no dermatologist so I don't know. Methotrexate taken for psoriatic arthritis (or psoraisis) actually uses a different mechanism than when used as part of chemotherapy.

Nomally it kills cells by inhibiting folic acid production, so arthritis patients are given extra folic acid to counter this effect and hopefully stop it killing cells. It's also taken in a much lower dose (patients only take it once a week, along with folic acid). Methotrexate also inhibits inflammation (by various complicated mechanisms), and this is the way it stops the progress of erosive arthritis. When used for rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis, it's classed as a Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (DMARD) rather than a cytotoxic drug.