Since the age of about 9 I have had moderate to severe psoriasis. PsA developed in my 30s. For most of my life I have lurched from one outbreak to the next barely keeping things in check with UV treatment and stepped based creams.
These were awful to use for various reasons including 20 mile journeys for 30 seconds of treatment that I had to work into finances and life, greasy bed/clothes/hair, thinning skin, burning and more. My self-esteem was in tatters and I actively avoided social situations.
I was extremely fortunate to get the opportunity to work on a clinical trial for secukinumab, which alerted me to potential new treatments. I promptly investigated and then discussed with my consultant. I was pointed towards the DMARDs first which included acitretin and methotrexate. Having tried various options they proved either ineffective or intolerable.
In 2017 I finally moved to biologics (Humira first, though that became ineffective after a year. Etanercept has been effective now for more than 3 years). To say they changed my life would be an understatement.
Brilliantly effective and with zero side effects so far. Unfortunately a number of my family suffer with the same conditions and struggle to get any consistent engagement from consultants, instead cycling through the usual relatively ineffective options while getting worsening symptoms.
Submitted by a 42 year old male living in England