As a longterm sufferer of psoriasis, I have become extremely weary of new medications. My experience has been one of great promises given to me by health care workers and subsequent failures of remedy. Of course I do my own research whenever new medications appear and do not solely rely on doctors' words.

In the case of biologics it seems there is a lack of information on longterm effects. As well due to the nature of this class of medicines (i.e. interfering with a genetic process leading to the turnoff of specific proteins) what are the immediate side effects? (I simply can not believe that biologics are as safe as manufacturers want us to believe). What happens when the patient stops using this treatment: How long will remission last after the treatment is stopped? How severe is the psoriasis when and if it returns?

Some great points. We believe there is definitely a lack of information available on Biologics. Coming very soon, we will have some new material on Biologics available online for you to download on the website. Additionally, you can get answers to some of your questions in the FAQ section of this website and in the Family Guide to Psoriasis (avaiable to download free of charge in the Patient Guides section).

L Peterson
Director, Psoriasis Support Canada

Hi, my name is Regina, and I am 71 yrs of age. I have about 40 per cent coverage...but I don't have it on my face or ears or neck, actually I can pretty well keep it covered...It started
when i was about 26 yrs old. My doctor said that I am a candidate for the needles to suppress the immune system. I don't know if I want that treatment, I don;t know enough about it.
I don't think that psoriasis will take me out of this world, although it is at times terribly uncomfortable. I can live with it if I have to.....please help me, as I don't know anyone who has had this treatment.

Regina

I have recently begun my first round of Amevive 4 weeks ago. I feel like I need to talk to someone who is going through this. I had a really horrible weekend where my skin was in so much pain, I could barely walk. I understand that all this bad needs to come out of my body and I can talk to my Dr. about it, but I would much rather be able to talk to someone who is going through the same thing. My email address if someone wants to get in touch with me is filmboymichael@hotmail.com.


Thanks.

Michael

Hi I have had two rounds of Amevive, I worry about if it has long term effects. I didn't have any problems with any kind of side effect when I was on the treatment. It worked really well. It cleared up my skin completely each time. It lasted for around six months. My skin is bad again now, but I'm still a bit afraid of the treatment. I think my skin is worse now, but it might of been worse anyway. So I'm not sure!

J'ai essayer Amevive, Enbrel, et Remicade. Aucun n'a fonctionner - maintenant j'attend la sortie de Ustekinumab...quelqu'un sait quand il va etre sur le marché??

I have been on 3 of the biologics,a clinical trial for Raptiva that I joined myself as I was desperate,It started out great,cleared right up,first time in years. That lastest for twelve weeks till the needles stopped, one of the biggest flairs I ever had. Got cleaned up with cyclosporine,amazing but you cant stay on it long. Started on Amieve clear,but then the p. started coming back, and I was told wait, sometimes it doesnt clear until you finish the first round, well I waited, and kept getting more lesions. ended up worse than when I started. Back on cyclosporine, cleared up again. On to the Enbrel,had to learn how to give myself a needle (that was fun lol). I have been on Enbrel 3 years now,Im not completely clear from 75% down to 2% I can live with that.I have had to go off at times if I was anibiotics,have gone off for up to 3 weeks at time before the p. started creeping back.I have never noticed any side effects, but I figure Im living my life now and quality is important to me. I was willing to take a chance. Everyones immune system is different, had to go through a lot to find the one that is working for me.Maybe down the road there will be something new that is easier to take,I went through two types of biologics, which didnt work for me before I found the one that did work.So far so good.

I'm on my 3rd round of Amevive. It's been almost 2 years since I finished my last round of shots. It cleared my skin for almost 18 months. I have a nurse come to my house every week to give me the shots. Then I have my blood tested after every 2nd shot before I continue with the treatment. I have never had any side effects from this treatment. I hope it continues to work for me.

Is there any update from the Amevive treatment since 2009? Anyone in here?