I posted this in another forum, but I am so determined to have the MDs hear this that I am posting it here. Tell your MDs that results are being obtained by using Keflex & Vibramycin to treat p with excellent results. Wouldn't you like to be clear???

results are being obtained by using Keflex & Vibramycin
Hi there... are those antibiotics? And why two? Explain on this a little more... did you have strep or did they just put you on it?

Hi,
Antibiotics have been used in cases where psoriasis is being fueled by an infection ( ie; strep ) or in cases of PPP it is sometimes used with varying results as stated by the National Psoriasis Foundations treatment section of this website.

One person here claims she completely cleared her PPPP in combination with other treatment, her pictures are quite dramatic, another who has the same condition tried this method years ago to no avail..
Can't hurt to ask the doc right?
Karen

results are being obtained by using Keflex & Vibramycin
Hi there... are those antibiotics? And why two? Explain on this a little more... did you have strep or did they just put you on it?
Hi Lisa,
Both medications are antibiotics. GrannyFranny has severe palmer planter pustular psoriasis, which you'll often see abbreviated here as pppp. Pppp is pustular psoriasis (i.e. blisters -- ) of the hands and feet. It's VERY hard to treat. It's also very, very painful. (The people who suffer from it are literally walking on their psoriasis.) I can't even begin to imagine what it's like. GrannyFranny tried a number of treatments over the years. Each treatment either proved to be ineffective or made her psoriasis get worse. For some reason, her body reacted negatively to most of the treatments that she tried. If you can think of a worst case scenario in terms of side effects, then poor GrannyFranny suffered from it. This went on for 42 years. Then GrannyFranny wound up in the hospital with a staph infection after she went on Enbrel (www.enbrel.com) for the second time. By the time she was discharged from the hospital (on IV antibiotics) both she and her doctor noticed that her pppp started to clear. She stayed on antibiotics for several months. When she tried to come off of them, her psoriasis started to come back. She went back on antibiotics and her psoriasis started to clear again. This treatment may not work for everyone, but it's certainly something that people should discuss with their doctor.
Antibiotic treatments may be especially helpful for someone with guttate psoriasis, because guttate psoriasis is often triggered by some sort of infection. (I know that you mentioned that yours was triggered by strep throat.)
Here's a link to some threads that tell GrannyFranny's story:
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Sadly, one of the many mysteries of psoriasis is that a treatment that works for one person may or may not work for another. Nancy (nla) also suffers from pppp. Sadly antibiotics didn't work for her: . Everyone's experience may vary. Antibiotics may help some people. They may not work for others. Its certainly something that everyone should discuss with their doctor.
I hope this helps.
Mike

Hi,
Antibiotics have been used in cases where psoriasis is being fueled by an infection ( ie; strep ) or in cases of PPP it is sometimes used with varying results as stated by the National Psoriasis Foundations treatment section of this website.

One person here claims she completely cleared her PPPP in combination with other treatment, her pictures are quite dramatic, another who has the same condition tried this method years ago to no avail..
Can't hurt to ask the doc right?
Karen
Karen,,,,,this not true. I have NEVER said I was clear. Get your facts straight!
You say claimed,,,,don't you believe me?????? Now, my DH is good at digital pictures but not THAT good. My hands are clear but,,,,they were clear for 20 years before I tried Enbrel.
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Mike,,,Nancy only stayed on Keflex for a couple of months. That is not long enough to find out if it will work. Remember,,,I had a boost with the Ancef by IV,,,,,,,Ancef and Keflex are in the same family.
And she used TAR!!!!!! :eek: IMHO tar makes it worse. I have used the MG217 that you like to tell folks about,,,I have used ESTAR, BALENTAR,,,,,tar makes PPPP worse for most people and I am not the only person that says that.

Hi buggygirl, I don't think I have talked to you before. Welcome!
I do not use Vibramycin,,,,never heard of it. I am on Keflex. I have PPPP on hands and feet,,,,well my hands are clear! My feet are doing great,,,,at least I can walk without pain.

I agree that it may take several months to find out if the antibiotic treatment are working.
IMHO tar makes it worse. I have used the MG217 that you like to tell folks about,,,I have used ESTAR, BALENTAR,,,,,tar makes PPPP worse for most people and I am not the only person that says that.
That's good to know Granny! The mysterious and frustrating nature of psoriasis is that what works for one person may or may not work for another. There are some people (most of whom no longer post here so we have no idea how well they were doing) who posted that coal tar helped their pppp.
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If only there was an easy solution! :( (Sigh!)
Mike

A while back someone else also posted that they had success with an antibiotic that was typically used for dental procedures. I looked it up, and it was a form of tetracycline.
I took tetracycline for several years. I have PPPP, and I've had it for 12 years. The antiobiotics helped a little, but not much. I also took it in combination with topical MTX. Now I've developed Microscopic Colitis (possibly triggered by taking too many antibiotics, said my GI doc), so I can't take them anymore, especially Keflex. It certainly didn't cure me anyway. I am now trying Narrowband UVB and coal tar/sal acid.
Thanks for the links, Mike. This is a very 'recalcitrant' form of psoriasis to treat. I've tried almost all of the topicals and steroids (as have almost all of us who have PPPP), and they did absolutely nothing. Most treatments that work on plaque P don't do anything for palmar plantar pustular psoriasis. I've also tried changing my diet significantly over the last 12 years. Currently I am totally gluten free, and I haven't eaten beef in 20 years. I don't smoke. It doesn't seem to make any difference what I eat / don't eat whatsoever. I guess we're all still hoping for that elusive miracle cure!

Karen,,,,,this not true. I have NEVER said I was clear. Get your facts straight!
You say claimed,,,,don't you believe me?????? Now, my DH is good at digital pictures but not THAT good. My hands are clear but,,,,they were clear for 20 years before I tried Enbrel.
Pardon lol, :o
My goodness I guess I got your hand clearing mixed up with your feet. Certainly your pictures show a dramatic difference in your feet.
Without knowing a person that I have met personally, I will continue to say " claimed ". Sorry if that offends you.
Karen

Hi,
Unfortunately I've had more experience than I like with pppp, but am currently clear, thank goodness. I found that tar, sal-acid & lights were very helpful, especially in treating my feet. In fact, my fab derm ( DrM ) used to to have me kneel on the floor in front of my home unit with my back to the bulbs and my palms and soles facing the light for extra uv time, and in combination with tar.
I think this is another situation where trial and error is the only way to determine what will work for any individual. So far, the remicade is keeping the pppp at bay, while at the end of my treatment time with enbrel it had stopped having any good effect on it.
There are some interesting cases of remicade being combined with mtx, as was pointed out previously. Also, a study in London earlier this year noted that remicade is the only biologic determined to clear psoriasis of the nails.
Regards,

Well when I first found MG217 I was in heaven. The first couple of weeks or less went ok but then it stopped helping and seemed to make it worse. It irrated the hell out of it so I stopped using it. I found Vicks vapor rub helped me out a lot. It didnt clear me, but it soothed it. I still think its great, although I dont use it anymore, because my feet are all but clear.

Here is a clinical trial for PPP it's in Canada so maybe our friends from the great north who are interested might hop on.
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/sh...0301002?order=1
It's a Phase II. Amevive aka Alefacept
I had a friend who did very well on this medication for her psoriasis. She didn't have PPP or PPPP. Looks like they are giving it a shot ( no pun intended for pustular )
Karen :)

Thanks, Karen. I had looked at this clinical trial a while back, but one of the requirements if I remember correctly, was that you had to have been free of any treatment for about a month. I think if I went for a month without doing ANYTHING I wouldn't be able to walk, my foot would get so bad!!
Just out of curiosity, why would someone who had insurance that would cover the drug participate in a clinical trial? And then wouldn't know if they were really getting the drug or a placebo, would they?
Sue

Hi Sue,
This is one of the reasons I cannot participate, like you, I simply cannot go without or I would be in really bad shape. I also have a blood disorder ( I'm fine ) that excludes me from a lot of trials.
Good question on the trial and insurance.
I did go into a clinical a bizzillion years ago for infertility, I did have insurance, the medication was available, I went into phase III where I knew I was getting the medication and not the placebo. The medication was given to me in a mega-dosage not normally used along method of delivery not available to the general public at that time. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me nor did it pan out for more than half who tried it. Funny, I found out years later that a friend of mine was in the same clinical and has a happy healthy daughter! Like p/pa infertility can be a challange but they have certainly have come a long way!
I'm thinking that perhaps some of the clinicals we see could be similar, different dose schedule etc? for those who don't respond to other dosages? not really sure, but this is my thought. Somewhat similar to Enbrel dosed at 100mgs per week for three months, that had to come from somewhere so perhaps it was a clinical trial before it was approved for general use.
My other thought is this clinical is in Canada and perhaps this medication is not available for our fellow sufferers there?
Anyway, I do hope you find something that helps, I have a friend that does Enbrel for her ppp & uses prednisone when it's super bad. She's still not clear but better.
Karen :)

Mike,,,Nancy only stayed on Keflex for a couple of months. That is not long enough to find out if it will work. To be honest, I wasn't sure how long Nancy was on Keflex. She recently posted:
While I am also thrilled for Granny (and anyone else that is helped with antibiotics) I must admit I am a "failure" at that treatment. I also have pustular on both palms and soles. Keflex was my derm's initial treatment years back. I stayed on antibiotics for nearly a year and no improvement at all. Mine, in fact, actually got worse. I agree it is definitely worth looking into but, like everything else, some stuff works for some folks and not on others. I was actually under the impression that it is usually one of the first things that derms usually try for pustular. Source: .
Unfortunately, Nancy's experience is just another example of what works for one person may or may not work for another. Like Nancy, I'm under the impression that antibiotics are one of the first things that doctors use for pppp. I've read several articles that suggest that pppp sometimes responds to antibiotic treatments. I'm at a loss to explain why your doctors basically committed malpractice by not suggesting it to you.
No one is more thrilled than me that your clear. I know how much you have suffered. I'm glad that you finally found your wonder drug. I hope that it continues to work for you for a long time to come.
I agree with Raydon -- everyone -- especially those with pppp -- should try this treatment.
Just my $0.02.
Mike
Mike

The script of Keflex is at CVS right now.. First pill tonight...
Here's crossing those fingers for positive results!
:)

hi dave,
i hope Keflex helps you. i wish you the best
have a good night my freind
richard