raptiva plateau?

[fl1pm0de007]

hi everyone,
i was just wondering if anyone on raptiva ever reached some sort of plateau with the clearing up process? i have been on raptiva for about 7 months now and raptiva has done a great job with controlling my present p, but i haven't seen much improvement.. i went to my derm yesterday and he wants to put me back on cyclosporine for only a month to give me a 'boost'. i love cyclosporine because i respond so well to it.. but i hate having the risk of all those side effects!

well i hope everyone has a very merry christmas!
-shiela

[RichJ]

hi shiela,
sorry i can't help much but welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you. more will come along and help you

have a good night all

richard

[chaimFL]

Sheila,

Are you saying that you haven't cleared at all or the clearing has plateaued? It seems that you are saying that your psoriasis hasn't advanced since beginning raptiva, but nothing more than that.

I can tell you that most biologics (if not all) are not noted for total clearing of psoriasis. This is not to say that you can't totally clear, but the statistics are that a majority of people will see 50-75% improvement and the rest will see better or worse results. If you would say that 50% of your psoriasis has cleared and then the clearing has stopped then you are in the majority.

To acheive total clearing most people need combined therapies, whether it's cylcosporine, methotrexate, soriatane, UVB, topical treatments, or diet modification (or anything else).

Now if you're not seeing any clearing it may be that raptiva is not the treatment of chose for you. I was on enbrel for almost 6 months with no real success and I called it quits. I did the standard dose for 3 months and then a double dose for 2 and a half months. Some times we need to know when it's time to move on. I'm not saying you are in this category, but thinking about complimentary treatments to add to your regimine or what the next step will be is always a good idea.

[boyishbabe]

I have been on Raptiva since March and experienced a 100% clearup after taking it for 2 months. I am hoping things will stay this way, but we shall see...