Starting A New Medication For Psoriasis

One of the things we have to deal with when it comes to psoriasis is the cycle starting a new drug when our current treatment plan fails. That is certainly the truth when it comes to using biologics. You can be on one treatment for a long time if you are lucky. I know of people that have been on one biologic for years and years. It has worked wonders for them.

Then there are those of us who are not so lucky. I seem to fall into that category. The longest I have ever been on a biologic has been a year and a half. Not to the point of being totally clear but enough that it was making a difference. Then came the day and the dreaded reality that it was no longer working.

My psoriasis treatment journey

Yep, you read that right. The biologic that had worked for a year and a half was now not doing anything and this was biologic number two! For clarity, my first biologic cleared my hands and that's about it. My doctor and I chose to stop and chose another biologic.

Biologic number two actually did wonders. When I started it, I was 80% covered. It took me down to about 20% coverage. Then, biologic number three proved a complete waste of time. It was forced by my insurance company in what is called step therapy. It did nothing for me. It was a complete step backward.

Biologic number four did well. It was working. I had been on it about a year when I developed a new medical condition that would warrant me having to come off it.

So many psoriasis treatment options

Can I start off by telling you how disappointed I was at the prospect of having to come off my number four? It was working! However, it was known for making this new medical condition worse. Because of that reason, my doctor and I decided that I needed to come off it.

So now it is onward and upward to biologic number 5. While that prospect is one I am not so thrilled about, I know it is necessary. I cannot keep taking the last one no matter how well it was working. Honestly, I thought it would be another fight with my insurance company. Surprisingly, I was approved rather quickly. I was even given a date to come into the infusion center to start it. Yes, it is an infusion unlike most of the biologics that are an injection.

The fear that comes with starting treatment

To be perfectly honest, I was a little concerned about starting another biologic treatment. At least for me, I wonder how my body will react to it. My husband even asked for time off from work in case something did happen. You just never know how your body is going to react to something new.

I don’t know why the idea of taking a biologic that is given by IV should give me cause to be nervous, but I am. Maybe it’s the thought of a bag of fluid hanging there which is so much more than what they can put in a syringe. Of course, there is always that fear of the unknown which makes me nervous anyway.

Have you ever been nervous about starting a new biologic? If so, could you leave me a comment? I would love to hear about it just so I know I am not alone.