Who Should Not Take Methotrexate? Medicine For Psoriasis

Patients on methotrexate should not take an antibiotic called trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole. Also, those who cannot have blood tests done, take medications regularly or are pregnant (or planning a pregnancy) should not take methotrexate. Other reasons you should not take methotrexate, and drugs that interact with it, are listed below.

Reasons a Psoriasis Patient Should Not Take Methotrexate

Drugs That Interact with Methotrexate Medicine For Psoriasis

Side Effects Medicine For Psoriasis

There are side effects that can develop right away (acute or short-term side effects) or that might appear after a longer period of time (chronic or long-term side effects). If you do experience any side effects, be sure to tell your doctor.

What Tests and Follow-ups Are Required While Taking Methotrexate?

Once methotrexate is started, regular follow-up visits are necessary so your doctor can properly monitor both your health and response to treatment. The results of monitoring and testing enable your doctor to modify your dosage in case you need to increase it to improve the results, decrease it to reduce any side effects or discontinue it altogether.

Cyclosporine Medicine For Psoriasis

Cyclosporine is a pill given to patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. Initially discovered in 1976, and used as an immune suppressing drug for organ transplant patients, cyclosporine was observed to also have a beneficial effect on a series of patients who had psoriasis but who were taking the drug for an unrelated disease.

How Does Cyclosporine Work? Medicine For Psoriasis

Cyclosporine is prescribed for the treatment of severe, resistant, plaque-type psoriasis. Many patients will use cyclosporine after they have failed topical therapies (creams and ointments), ultraviolet therapy (phototherapy) or other oral medications (methotrexate, retinoids). Cyclosporine works by inhibiting the activation of the T lymphocyte, which is one of the key immune cells responsible for the development of psoriasis. It is highly effective in treating psoriasis, and works rapidly.

Patients Who May Benefit from Cyclosporine

How Do You Take Cyclosporine?

The medication is generally taken by mouth once daily and the dosage is based on your weight. The starting dose can begin at 2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight per day, and can be increased to 5 mg/kg/day. For example, in a patient weighing 60 kg (132 pounds), a starting dose could be 150 mg per day. The medication is taken daily and it is important not to miss any doses. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible.

Before taking cyclosporine, make sure you read the prescription label carefully. Also be sure to take the exact amount of medicine prescribed by your doctor. Your dose depends on several factors, including the type of psoriasis you have. Your doctor may change your prescribed dose, so it is important to check the label every time you fill your prescription.

Cyclosporine works quite quickly to improve psoriasis compared to methotrexate and retinoids. You could begin to experience improvement in the first few weeks of treatment and, within the first four to eight weeks, the clearing of large areas of psoriasis is not uncommon. However, once treatment with cyclosporine is discontinued, psoriasis will, in all likelihood, recur over several weeks to months. For this reason, it is important that the medication not be stopped abruptly, as psoriasis can flare quickly. Before you stop taking this medication, discuss this step with your doctor as s/he will want to either taper the medication by gradually decreasing the dosage or substitute another treatment. It is also important to understand that cyclosporine is usually discontinued after a year as it can cause kidney damage.

Is Cyclosporine Right for You? Medicine For Psoriasis

Before beginning treatment with cyclosporine, your doctor will ask you several questions, examine you and then discuss the possible treatments and their side effects. If you and your doctor decide cyclosporine is a good choice for you, some tests will be performed, including a careful skin and physical examination, a test of your kidney function and a complete blood cell count. In addition, your blood pressure will be measured prior to starting the medication and regularly thereafter.

Click to continue
Top of page Psoriasis Treatment 11