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humira and psorisis!!

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 11/30/2010 2:45 AM (GMT 0)
so have had crohns for 10 years..been on EVERY medication!..finally 3 years ago i was put on Humira it has saved my life..but the downside is i have psoriasis on my scalp and the Humira is supposed to help. but it has cause me to have psoriasis .i am close to losing all my hair on one side of my head..have tried everything with my dermatologist Please anyone..HELP!!! i am wondering if lack of water is doing it cause i def don't drink enough! please as a female losing my hair is sooooo embarrassing!!!!!
Posted 11/30/2010 2:56 AM (GMT 0)
You know, that happened to another person who once used this site. I can't remember her name, but she was Australian.

Did you know that we have a psoriasis forum here at HW? You might like to post there, too, and ask for some advice.

Welcome!
Posted 11/30/2010 2:59 AM (GMT 0)
thanks..i just posted it on there too!
Posted 11/30/2010 3:00 AM (GMT 0)
Oh my! It is such a difficult situation to be in. To have a med save your life, but cause such side effects! My mom is in a similar position - she has RA, and MTX (which is helping her RA a lot) is causing severe hair loss. I believe exacerbation of (or new) psoriasis is one of the known side effects of the anti-tnf alpha agents like Humira, Cimzia and Remicade. I think you should talk to your GI - this is listed as one of the contraindications to using Humira. I think you're going to have to talk to your GI to see if switching to a different med like Remicade or Cimzia can help; or figure out if you can live with it. If you and your GI agree that this is a side effect that you must live with; then, I'd suggest investing in some good hair pieces. Also, I've heard Biotin can help with hair and nail growth.

I'm so sorry you're facing this dilemma. This darn disease doesn't leave any part of our lives unaffected.

((Hugs))
PV
Posted 11/30/2010 5:41 AM (GMT 0)
YES. See, this happened to me as well. I was on Remicade for YEARS, once it stopped working, they switched me to Humira. Gave me severe psoriasis, covering at least 75% of my body. Light therapy didn't work for me, but it has worked for others I know with the condition. If you can, I highly suggest Remicade. It doesn't work for my crohn's anymore, but it cleared my skin up and it's stayed clear for well over a year now.
Posted 11/30/2010 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Um wow this just sucks....because when I went on the humira for arthitis, it cleared up my colon and My Skin....I was so glad I could get off the Asacol so my hair would stop falling out.   I really wonder about these drugs because they do such different things in all of us.  

I had what I believe is psorisis of the scalp that was creeping down my forehead latelty and every time I go back on humira it clears up by the third shot.  For years I didn't see a dr for scalp because I was always told it was dandruf...It's only since the crohns diagnosis that it started showing up on non hair covered skin.  

I hope you can figure out what you can do, I completely understand about the hair loss.  I was willing to go with out any meds if it went much further.

Posted 11/30/2010 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
The same thing has happened to me too - with the psoriasis! I was pregnant when I started Humira, so I believe the pregnancy hormones kept everything quiet, but right when I started weaning my baby, the psoriasis popped up. I am COVERED in psoriasis!!! I am on humira weekly and the psoriasis never goes away, but the humira helps my crohn's. I'm not sure what to do because I can't take remicade (was on it for 6+ years and now it's ineffective). I'm so sorry about your hair loss! That's horrible! Have you tried any coal tar shampoos? Maybe that would help your scalp? Have you tried any dietary changes to help the crohn's? I have done the specific carbohydrate diet in the past. It really helped me to take less meds. I don't know if that would help you at all. What does the dermatologist say?
Posted 11/30/2010 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
There have been reports of all the TNF alpha antagonists causing serious skin issues. The medications specifically mentioned are Humira, Enbrel and Remicade.

You might want to print out the article here andd share it with your dermatologist.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/571633

Posted Today 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
Stef17 that sounds just about where I was at: covered. I was able to go back to Remicade (because I had an illeostomy at the time, so I had no conflicting meds) but I can see you can't. Have you tried anything topical? There's a great store I used to go to called Lush, got a lot of all natural creams and stuff. Didn't get rid of mine, since it was all over, but it helped the pain.
Posted Today 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the tip. My SIL works at LUSH so maybe there's something there that can help. I've tried all sorts of topical junk, prescription and otherwise. Nothing helps. I'm just hoping to get pregnant again and I'm wondering if the pregnancy hormones will make it disappear? I'm planning to have the baby anyway, so it will be interesting to see if my theory is correct! :)
Posted Today 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
I also developed psoriasis from Humira. Luckily, mine wasn't too bad, just a few spots, but when it started on my face, I went off the Humira. Yes, I know it's vanity, but I work in a mental health office and deal with clients all day. I didn't want to have to deal with the psychological effects of this 'thing' on my face, perhaps getting bigger.

My doc is in the process now of finding something else for me.
Posted 12/3/2010 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
Oh no fun!! I started developing psoriasis on my scalp from the Humira after about 4 months, although definitely not as bad as yours. I did find the coal tar shampoos helpful in alleviating it a little. Since I also started having bad pain in my knees, and some other side effects, we stopped the humira and just now started remicade. It's been a relief that the side effects from the humira have subsided. I hope you find some relief soon!

Sarah

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