Sulfasalazine might be able to treat psoriasis, though not remarkably better than any other anti-inflammatory medicine. As Sulfasalazine has been known to help people with mild to moderate cases of arthritis, it might also help individuals with psoriatic arthritis.
There are a variety of unpredictable side effects that can occur with this drug, including nausea, inhibition of different blood cell production, temporary infertility in males, depression and liver inflammation.
Methotrexate is used most commonly to treat cancer because it inhibits rapid cell production. It was found coincidentally to suppress psoriasis outbreaks, which makes sense since psoriasis causes excessive skin-cell production. Generally, this drug is not recommended unless absolutely necessary because its side effects can be so severe (even life threatening).
Methotrexate is an extremely harsh drug that is good for fighting cancer when administered in large doses. In smaller doses it can stop plague psoriasis outbreaks and decrease the effects of psoriatic arthritis.
Many of the detriments of using methotrexate seem to resemble those of accutane (a powerful acne medication) as both adversely affect pregnancies (or even people’s capacity to get pregnant) and have been known to cause lasting liver damage, hair loss and increased skin sensitivity.
The list of potential side effects to using methotrexate goes on and on, affecting what seems like every major bodily function.
Psoriatic arthritis is characterized by joint inflammation and stiffness and affects about 10% of those who have standard skin psoriasis. A very small percentage of affected individuals develop severe / debilitating forms of this type of psoriasis.
Psoriatic arthritis tends to become noticeable around the age of 40 but it can occur at any age. In cases with children, it can hinder bone development. Staying consistent with the unpredictable nature of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis can surface decades after the a person first notices the symptoms of basic skin psoriasis.
People with psoriatic arthritis oftentimes also have nail psoriasis (with all the accompanying symptoms).
Treatments include:
Consult a dermatologist if you suspect that you might have psoriatic arthritis so you can determine, with the help of a medical professional, what would be your best course of action for treatment.
