Psoriasis please help, feeling low

[GoOnTwo]

I am very low at the moment, my skin feels sore and looks awful.

I have rosacea which is under control with Soolantra so my face is ok(ish). Psoriasis started a couple of years ago and has been severe from the outset. My knuckles are affected and I cannot wear my wedding ring.

My scalp is covered in white plaque and is tight and itchy. My whole body is covered in sore patches. I have tried light therapy, steroids and all different moisturisers. I drink a lot of water, avoid alcohol and apply lotions a few times every day.

My skin is so sore that applying Double Base and Hydromol stings. It impacts my sleep and I feel like utter shite. My GP has stopped prescribing Enstilar and my back is steadily getting worse.

Have anyone managed to turn Psoriasis around or have a routine that works?

I would beg for a referral to a derm

Vitamin D in large doses is a wonder for psoriasis

PUVA was a life changer for me. You'll need a dermatologist referral.

I don't have psoriasis but had severe acne and rosacea and this guy, Dr Eric Berg, has helped me tremendously with both.
Have a look at this link and see what you think - he is a genius in my mind and better than western medicine practitioners who never want to treat the underlying reason for any given condition.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=DsJwB3bTzp8

Are psoriasis and rosacea related? I have psoriasis and possibly rosacea (only developed recently though and not diagnoses).

Sorry OP no tips but sending sympathy, hope it improves for you

Huge sympathies here, OP. I've taken fairly drastic measures to get mine under control recently. I had a combination of plaque and guttate psoriasis.

Stopped drinking (and if you smoke, that will make it worse);
Followed a low-carb diet and also reduced nightshade varieties of food;
Used dovobet.

I've been doing the above since January and just have a few minor patches left.

Hospital referral for systemic therapies. If you can stretch to the cost, get a private consultant referral to somebody who can then put you onto their NHS list, as you'll be seen sooner.

I just about get on OK with strong steroid lotion for my scalp, plus various other ointments for every other bit. I don't get on with doublebase at all and it has always stung - but without the Cosentyx and the occasional steroid pulse, I'd be far, far worse off.

Honestly, nothing has worked other than anti-TNF medication (I'm on Humira). I've tried all the creams, all the steroids, all the diet stuff. Nothing works other than medication for me. It's not 100% effective and there are still a couple of patches but it's probably about 95% gone which is a bloody miracle compared to how it's been at some points.

Referral and ask for methotrexate. It's a life changing drug for most

Iv had psoriasis now for 16 years and have the odd flair up but I tend to just moisturise using any lotions or oil sprays with argan oil in. The only thing I have really found that gets rid of it fully is the sun, sea and getting pregnant 🙈

I also suffer and have has regular flare ups in the last year. I have switched to Faith in Nature shampoo, body wash and soap, as well as dovobet which keeps the worst patches in check. I also suffer badly on my scalp which is embarrassing with the constant itching. I've suffered on and off for 10 years now. I think it's linked to my other autoimmune problems but it does seem to be getting worse. You have my sympathies x

I've have lost half of my hair which was thin to begin with. I was signed off from the dermatologist service after UVA helped a minor amount. I hate my own skin and I'm fed up with it all. Haven't had a good night's sleep in years.

I'll look into the protein powder and immunosuppressants.

Thanks so much for your suggestions and kind thoughts.

@GoOnTwo

I've have lost half of my hair which was thin to begin with. I was signed off from the dermatologist service after UVA helped a minor amount. I hate my own skin and I'm fed up with it all. Haven't had a good night's sleep in years.

I'll look into the protein powder and immunosuppressants.

Thanks so much for your suggestions and kind thoughts.

You're definitely due to go back, then. Things have changed a lot very quickly since Biologics came along - the usual NICE procedure is to go through Methotrexate (hint: ask for injections straight off, you don't get nearly as many side effects from them) and then go on to Biologics - but Dermatology can leapfrog you on to them first in some cases.

It's also worth looking at whether you've got any issues with your joints or muscles/tendons, as Psoriatic Arthritis hasn't really been picked up quickly historically. That's an automatic 'refer to specialist' (and if you don't like your Dermatology Dept, gets you to Rheumatology). It might not be just your skin that is making you feel so rough if there's other uncontrolled inflammation going on. And Rheumatology in my experience, is pretty amenable to a 'can I have a steroid shot to keep me functioning until the other treatments take effect?'.

In the meantime, I'm sitting here having just used Mane and Tail to wash out the lotion before having a lateral flow test for work, then cosentyx, then a bath, then ointments, then emollients, then covering the bits on the sides of my feet that are cracking and splitting whenever I wear shoes *which I need to do to get to work). Such a relaxing Sunday evening.

You definitely have my sympathy. I had fine hair to begin with, but this flare kicked off with what looked like rat sized clumps of hair in the plughole. I now have a boring kitchen-jobbie lob haircut. And nobody ever needs flexural Psoriasis on both their backside and front side - I felt pretty motheaten with my hair, the snowstorm that followed me everywhere and patches of splits and scales over everything else so that clothes hurt. Oh, and the stuff inside my ears which give me Tinnitus and itching. They're interesting, too.

Fortunately, DP has Psoriasis as well (what are the chances of that?), so we end up doing chimpanzee-like grooming sessions to make sure no plaque goes unblobbed with steroid.

At least mine is just 'there' at the moment. It's definitely not like it used to be - everywhere. Which is down to the medications.

Why on earth has your GP stopped prescribing Enstilar and left you in this condition without a dermatology re-referral? Absolutely unacceptable. I'm so sorry, OP

Btw there are lots of helpful threads on here about psoriasis on the AutoImmune board in the General Health topic.