Psoriatic arthritis symptoms and conditions

I am a 37 year old man who weighed approximately 188lbs when I prescribed 20mg of Lipitor and fish oil to combat my high triglycerides(437) and my high total cholesterol(212) in August of 2009. I have a high stress job and was experiencing occasional chest pain and heart palpitations. In addition, I have psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis and take Enbrel injections weekly. Prior to taking Lipitor, I had normal liver function tests.

At the same time that I began the fish oil and Lipitor, I began to change my eating habits and began a regular exercise routine. I began to feel better and lose weight. I was enthused about my progress. I took my Lipitor at night, however, I found it difficult to get up in the mornings and I was a little more tired than normal.

Roughly 3 months after beginning Lipitor, I developed a condition of EXTREME thirst. Blood tests from my doctor revealed elevated Liver Levels. His first inclination was that it was Lipitor so I stopped taking it ASAP. A subsequent test a week later indicated little improvement in my liver tests. My doctor suggested we give it two more weeks to test it. I just got my tests back and they actually increased!(ALT 197, AST 90, ALP 571).

My cardiologist does not have anything to suggest other than the possibility of a fatty liver, gall stones, or liver disease. His recommendation was that I get an ultrasound next week of my liver and meet with a GI doctor.

My excessive thirst and fatigue continues. I am not jaundiced but I do frequently experience dark urine. I weigh myself every morning and my weight is now down to 174. I seem to be losing very gradual weight now though my eating habits have returned to my old routine. This worries me. I am now worried that this drug triggered something terrible in my system. Does anyone have any advice?

Has anyone experienced multiple pulmonary emboli (blood clots in the lungs)?

I have been on it for two months due to severe psoriatic arthritis. I'm taking the max infusions every four weeks, methotrexate injections and prednisone. I'm tired, sleepy, sweaty and somewhat nuts a lot. However, after last week infusion, I have some type of rash-little red dots that feel like pin pricks that itch somewhat. I feel like a thousand fleas are attacking me all at one time! Has anyone had this type of feeling? PLEASE reply-it is driving me nuts.

I have been on 10mg eoday prednisone for years to counter my psoriatic arthritis. I guess I'm the lucky one because I've had no side effects. Psoriatic arthritis is like rheumatoid, but has skin problems associated. A round of arava kicked the arthritis into remission and the pred kept it there, and I've been pretty happy. I decided to try to get off of it, but now all of my joints ache again, so I'm deciding to go back on--although, you-all are scaring me! Maybe I'll rethink this!

I have had psoriasis for 15 yrs and psoriatic arthritis for 5. After having a major flare up of psoriatic arthritis where my tendons and major joints swelled.My doctor finally decided to prescribe me something for the swelling after 4 months of not being able to walk most days. I first started with Sulfasalasine (500mg daily for 7 days, 500mg twice daily for 7 days, 500mg three times daily for 7 days, and 1000mg twice daily for 7 days). After a month my psoriasis started to flare and it looked as if i was having a rash so it was discontinued.

A week later i received a prescription for Plaquenil (200mg x2 for 14 days) and Prednisone (4x5mg) in the mail. It was a two week trial of plaquenil, and with the prednisone i was to decrease by half a pill every three days. By the end of the two weeks of plaquenil i was noticing a red blotchy rash on my chest. I contacted my doctor. 3 days later the rash had gone from my chest to my neck to my cheeks. By the 4th day i had swelling around my eyes and they were also red and blotchy, my hands were also swollen to the point where i couldnt bend them and I was having a fever and night sweats. My doctor finally contacted me on the fifth day after stopping the plaquenil, and told me to discontinue it. I went to the hospital on that day and told them i thought i was having a allergic reaction to plaquenil, they stood five feet away looked at me and said ok just keep taking the prednisone at 20 mgs for a few days. They didnt want to get involved due to the fact that i had psoriasis. But also failed to mention to me that it could be the prednisone causing this reaction also.

The next day i saw my dermatologist, she prescribed 1% hydrocorisone cream which helped with some of the dryness and pealing skin. The next day when i woke up i couldnt open my eyes, i was having shortness of breath ( im not sure if it was the panic from not being able to see) my throat felt as if i had strep throat,and the roof of my mouth felt as if i had burned it. My skin looked like a huge sunburn, the parts where i had psoriasis were very red,raw,and pealing excessively. I was admitted to the hospital for four hrs where they gave me a IV of benedryl and a steriod.My skin was so swollen they could just barely find a vein to put the IV in. After 50mg of benedry they realeased me and told me to keep taking 50mg every 4-6 hrs and they prescribed me 50mg of prednisone for 7 days. By the next day the swelling had gone down by 30% in my face, but i still looked like i had been in a fight, the pressure around my eyes was so much that i had to sleep sitting up. Of course i wasnt really able to sleep with the fear that if i closed them i wouldnt be able to open them again. They also leaking white stuff. My skin was pealing in very large sections. I was bathing in a luke warm bath with oil, which would help with the pealing of my skin but then when i came out i would be freezing cold. I would get hot flashes and then instantly cold 5 minutes later. I felt like i running a fever but my temperature was normal.

Two days later the swelling was gone in my face, but my legs, ankles and feet were abnormally swollen. My skin was still pealing and constantly itchy. My skin tone was all pink it was no longer red and blotchy, but after i would shower or bath my legs would have dark purple and blue spots on them that looked like bruises. I was unable to sleep for more then two hours straight, i would wake up feeling as if i was on fire. It took another six days for the swelling to go down fully in my legs, ankles and feet.

After taking 50mg of prednisone for 7 days I am taking 45mg for 7 days then decreasing by 1 pill every week. After taking 45 mg for 3 days my skin looks as if its a big rash, it feels grainy and tight. Its no longer pealing except for on my feet.

Im told i look as if i have a bad sunburn, my face is red and tight to the point where the skin around my eyes doesnt even stretch when i open them widely.The sides of my mouth keep cracking when i try to open it fully. I look as if i have really dry skin constantly, it is a fine dusty flakeness. I bathe in moisturizing bath oil but it doesnt even go past the first layer of skin it seems, and i moisturize with keri lotion 3 or 4 times a day but it doesnt seem to matter how much i do it 15 minutes later im just as dry.My skin is sensitive to light and feels like its on fire when exposed to any amount of sunlight. The skin around my armpits and breasts or anywhere that the skin has to strecth is red and sore. I still get hot flashes but most the time i am freezing cold. The skin on my hands is wrinkley and i have no sense of touch almost. My nails were so brittle they had to be cut all the way back.

I have numbing of the tongue, i cant even taste food anymore. I have dry mouth, and i feel as if im dehydrated constantly, i can drink bottle after bottle of water and still feel thirsty. I feel really hungry sometimes or not at all at others. Some days it feels like I IBS and then other days it can be fine. I am losing my hair. The roof of my mouth still feels as if ive burned it on something hot. My legs still look purple at times when im standing, and especially after being in the shower or bath. I am taking 1mg of both folic acid and zinc which my rheumatologist suggest to help slow the reproduction of my skin cells. I have blurred vision 90% of the time, and sometimes i see halos around letters. My mood swings are all over the place, some days i feel like just crawling into a ball and not moving, mostly because its too painful to move around and also because i hate how I look. And other days i just feel nothing at all. Im not exactly sure if when i was the 50mg of prednisone i was happy because of the drug or if i was happy in general because i realized what i could have lost. Not being able to see for 15 minutes really put things into perspective.

Im not sure how much worse it can get? I thought the swelling of my eyes was the worst part but from what i hear it can get much worse coming down off of prednisone. I was wondering if anyone else with psoriasis may have experienced any of these side effects while on prednisone? and roughly how long it took for them to go away.

20 weeks ago, I awakened with severe stabbing pains in my head and muscle pains in thighs. In the days following, the acute pain was also in my hips, back, upper arms and legs. I experienced difficulty walking, sitting or standing up. My doctor pulled me off Lipitor (40 mg. for 3 yrs.) but discounted that Lipitor was causing my problems. He sent me to a neurologist (MRI of my head turned out OK but the stabbing pains are still there) who sent me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist gave me a cortisone-lidocane injection in each buttock. It was miraculous - my pain were gone. I was able to walk normally for the first time in months. He also prescribed a 12-day course of prednisone as well as a prescription for Mobic (anti-inflammitant) . I have enjoyed two weeks of pain-free joints and muscles - and no head pains. The official diagnosis of my problems is "an auto-immune problem, polymylitis rheumatica with psoriatic arthritis"!!! Friends, I have no rheumatism, I have no arthritis, I have no psoriasis but I DO have polymylitis (poly=many, myl=muscle, itis=pain; many muscle pains) and I am fairly confident that Lipitor is the cause of it.

With the successful 12-day prednisone course behind me, my muscle pain and stabbing head pains are back! The rhematologist wants to resume with another course of prednisone and I am left with few alternatives other than to go back on the steroids.

Golly, I wish that today's doctors were more educated about the effects of the statins and more willing to think outside of the 'diagnosis box' when it comes to the symptoms and dangers of statin drugs.

Any recommendations? Email me at ******

Thanks.

Jim

I have had numerous remincade infusions over the last year or so, and for the last six months I have been fighting an upper respiratory infection and persistent cough. I am now convinced it is a side effect of the remicate that I was not warned about in sufficient detail. This has become a major problem and I will probably no have any more of the infusion, although my Crohn's in now out of control. Has anyone else experienced upper respiratory disress, cough and sinus problems following remicade infustions? email me with your information. Thanks. Max.