What drug can cause psoriasis?

Drugs and psoriasis

Drugs may be known to heal diseases if respected, but they are also known to mess things up when abused. And similar is the case in psoriasis. Some of the drugs you take to treat your other health conditions, can cause psoriasis. What usually happens in this situation is that the medication is interfering with the immune system, causing its unnecessary activation which is not good for psoriasis patients. Some drugs may also affect the skin and the patches to flare up and scales to get more dry and rusty. Dryness can cause your skin to roughen up, and when these scales get irritated, they start bleeding. This is bad for psoriasis patients as it will trigger more flares to start and before you know it, scaly patches take over the entire body. Psoriasis can be effectively treated with drugs as well.

Drugs involved in triggering psoriasis

There are many drugs that can trigger psoriasis. They start with the immune system, and end up irritating the skin as well. First of all is lithium. This elements, if found in your medication, can trigger psoriasis in half of the patients who take it. Anti-malarials like Plaquenil, Quinacrine, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine can flare up psoriasis, and start to take effect 1 to 2 weeks after taking them. Inderal is a high blood pressure medication that works as a beta blocker, but can also cause psoriasis flares to happen. Indomethacin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which by name should help with psoriasis but it can sometimes irritate and increase the effect of psoriasis in select patients.

Precautions:

As for all of the drugs mentioned above, if they are taken in controlled amounts, can prove to be useful for the body. But the problem comes in where misuse happens. Drugs have ruined lives in the past as we have all witnessed. They make you keep coming back to them until you overdose. The case with psoriasis may not exactly be the same but it is very important to take precautionary measures. It is important to always read the labels for all the over-the-counter medicine you buy, as they may have the above mentioned agents. It is also extremely important to have a word with your doctor and dermatologists before taking any drugs. Opting for a healthy natural lifestyle can also help you remove the need for drugs almost completely, unless it is a medical obligation.

Conclusion:

Drugs can, without a doubt, cause psoriasis. In some cases they can also worsen pre-existing psoriasis flares. Either way, forbearance is the best medicine. Making it a habit to involve yourself with a routine is very important for this disease. Medication and drugs do not only include oral medication, but those that can be applied to the body as well. Some powders and creams used by people may also have the same effect as these drugs. Hence, it is extremely crucial to tread lightly when it comes to psoriasis and drugs.