Is your Psoriasis masked with Immunosuppressive Medicines like Cortisone or Methotrexate ?

Many of patients who are suffering with Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Lichen Planus, Urticaris may taking immune-supressive medicine for treatment, here patient may get relief in initial stage but in long term use this may lead side effect when they get withdraw. most of cases this kind of disease is mask by nos of immune-supressive medicines available in market.

Immunosuppressive medicines are those conventional (allopathic) drugs, which suppress immune system and give response to body. It may be noted that the immunosuppressive medicines may prove to be effective in treating the diseases, but with following riders attached :

• Temporary relief
• Significant adverse effects
• Relapse of diseases, which are at times hard to manage.
• Drug dependency.

The purpose of this article is neither to criticize the efficacy of immunosuppressive medicines, nor to discuss their adverse effects; but to review the difficulty they pose when we initiate their ayurvedic treatment.

Some of the commonly used conventional ( immunosuppressive ) medicines which may mask the diseases ( without necessarily curing them ), can be listed as under :

• Cortisone (steroids) (oral, topical application, injections, mouth wash) (In all of the above stated diseases)
• Methotrexate (In Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, etc.)
• Cyclosporine (In Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, etc.)
• Cyclophosphamide (In Nephrotic Syndrome)
• Propysalic (In Psoriasis)

The patients who come and approach us for Ayurveda treatment, who may have been either currently taking one of the above mentioned immunosuppressive medicines; or may have taken it in the recent six months time, must note that :

• as soon as when patient stop taking this medicine, disease is like to come back,it happen in most of patients, not all
• In case of skin diseases ( vitiligo, alopecia areata), patient may complain that he get new patches on different parts or may be at multiple area,not same place
• In any case, the immunosuppressive medicines are never supposed to be taken life long. On stopping them some day, the relapses are likely to happen,it may be danger for that patient.
• after withdrawal disease which come or increase it may have strong resistance and very tough to treat compare to old disease.With you of ayurvedic medicine it can be control but in initial phase disease is likely to increase,that means ayurvedic mediine does not increase disease,patient has to understand.
• The disease that returns on stopping immunosuppressive medicines is likely to be more severe than before.
• One who has taken it is likely to need it again, as no other mild medicine will work.
• Patients body is likely to get dependent or addicted to immunosuppressive medicines on using it frequently. Such cases are often called 'drug dependent diseases'.
• In case of eczema or psoriasis or urticaria, the resurfaced skin eruptions after stopping immunosuppressive medicines may pose difficulty on first or second instances of relapse. Such cases require to be managed strategically for better success rate in overcoming the crisis.
• Patients who have immunosuppressive medicine dependent diseases, they can still be managed with ayurveda; but it may take time. Some to the cortisone dependent or cortisone resistant cases  may be really very difficult to treat. Ayurveda cannot be a short cut for such difficult diseases.

Patients must know that Ayurveda is an effective medical system. However, some disease situations can be really difficult. The diseases treated and masked using immunosuppressive medicines fall in the category of difficult diseases.

Careful evaluation, thorough medical knowledge, strategic planning, sound ayurvedic experience on the side of the treating ayurvedic doctor; combined with patient's compliance can help success in long term management of such diseases.

Some Important Links you want to Visit :

• No steroids in Psoriasis
• Adverse effect of methotraxate in Psoriasis
• Adverse effect of cyclosporine in Psoriasis
• Adverse effect of cyclophosphamide in Psoriasis