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It is an autoimmune disorder that causes your skin cells to grow much faster than normal.
This abnormal growth causes the patches of your skin to become thick and scaly.
The symptoms of psoriasis can affect you physically, but they can also affect you socially. The visible rash of psoriasis causes many people to withdraw from their normal social activities to avoid unwanted attention.
To complicate matters, psoriasis can be difficult to treat. The many different treatments for psoriasis include a combination of prescription creams or ointments, oral tablets, or injections. Your treatment options depend on the severity of your illness.
The methotrexate are sometimes used to treat difficult cases of psoriasis.
Methotrexate to treat psoriasis
Methotrexate is generally only used to treat severe cases of psoriasis, when symptoms are debilitating. It is also used for psoriasis that has not responded to other treatments.
It is usually prescribed for short periods, but it can be used for up to six months in some people. The goal of treatment is to reduce the severity of your psoriasis so that you can return to a milder therapy that you apply to your skin.
Methotrexate doesn’t just work on the skin rash like other psoriasis treatments do. Rather, it suppresses the cells in your immune system that cause the psoriasis rash. Due to the way it works, methotrexate can cause many side effects.
The liver breaks down the drug and then removes it from your body through the kidneys. It can cause harmful effects to these organs if used for long periods.
Your doctor may test your blood regularly while you are taking methotrexate. These tests help your doctor check that the medicine is not affecting your liver or kidneys.
Blood tests are usually done every 2 to 3 months, but you may need them more often while your doctor adjusts your dose.
For most people, the benefit of methotrexate lasts for at least two years. For best results, you should follow the instructions your doctor gives you for taking this medicine.
Dosage
In the treatment of severe psoriasis, methotrexate is usually taken once a week as an oral tablet or injectable solution. The typical starting dose is 10 to 25 milligrams (mg). Your doctor will ask you to take this amount once a week until they notice that it is working well.
Some people may get nauseous with the weekly dose. For them, a doctor can prescribe three 2.5 mg oral doses per week. These smaller doses should be taken by mouth at 12 hour intervals.
Once the medicine is working, your doctor will reduce your dose to the lowest amount possible that will still work. This helps reduce the risk of side effects.
Side effects of methotrexate
Methotrexate can cause many side effects. Your risk is generally related to how much you use and how long you use it. The longer you use methotrexate, the more likely side effects are to occur.
The most common side effects of methotrexate include:
- Mouth ulcers
- Nausea and an upset stomach.
- Fatigue.
- A cold.
- Fever.
- Dizziness.
- Diarrhea.
- Vomiting
- Hair loss.
- Easy bruising.
The more serious side effects of this drug include:
- Hepatic injury.
- Kidney damage
- Lung disease.
- Reduced number of red blood cells, which can lead to anemia.
- Reduced number of platelets, which can lead to abnormal bleeding.
- Reduced number of white blood cells, which can lead to infections.
recommendations
The goal in treating psoriasis is to minimize or eliminate psoriasis flare-ups. Methotrexate is just one treatment that can accomplish this. It should be used only in severe cases, and its side effects can be difficult to live with.
Make sure to discuss with your doctor all possible therapies that might work for you and make sure that methotrexate is right for you.
If methotrexate therapy is your primary treatment, your doctor will try to control your severe psoriasis with the least amount of medicine for the shortest time possible. This will eventually allow you to use a milder treatment and keep your psoriasis under control.
Your doctor may also recommend certain lifestyle changes, such as diet changes and stress reduction, that can improve your condition.
For best results, take your medication as prescribed by your doctor. Ask any questions you have about your condition or medication. If your condition does not improve or if you start to have side effects, tell your doctor so they can adjust your dose or change therapies.
