Psoriatic arthritis

Revs1

Good afternoon all, my first time posting on here. Roughy 18 months ago I was diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis after 20 odd years with being treated for what my GP believed was Gout. Since then I’m on my third different treatment as nothing has worked. I’m currently in the middle of a flare up that’s been ongoing since February and has not responded to my treatment or a strong injection of steroids. My question for fellow sufferers of Psoriatic arthritis is how long do your flare ups typically last and what treatments work for you?

Arciere

Hi @Revs1

I’m sorry to hear that you've not landed on a suitable medication yet.

I was diagnosed in 2023. Flare ups come and go but are usually around 12 hours.

From what I have read, there are many triggers and it’s all very individualised. If it helps I’ll explain where I am with it all.

Stress plays a huge part for me. Not a heavy workload as such, more like stressful thinking or situations. I left a long term stressful situation and I do think it aided some recovery. Although lately I’ve been through the mill stress wise and I’ve seen more flare ups than usual.

Additionally, my new mantra is; you are what you eat and, let food be thy medicine. I had a Mediterranean diet. However this “healthy” diet was dominated by gluten and deadly nightshade veg. Bread, pasta, pastry, cereals and peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. I also loved wheat beer and guiness and diet drinks with artificial sweetener. Since dropping gluten, deadly nightshade veg and artificial sweetener (which has all been tough - there is wheat in a huge amount of products - same for sweetener) I literally feel like a new man. I also look after my gut biome with fermented food; kefir, sauerkraut and increased fibre though more veg. (If I go to Wagamama - which has a gluten free menu, I literally have edamame beans for desert !). Note; gluten free alternative products are often full of chemicals so I avoid those too (I’m annoying at friends meal events - but they are getting used to it - or I bring my own stuff)

Finally, I went through 4? Medications including sulfasalzine and methotrexate before I was given a biologic or adalimumab which I am still taking by injection every two weeks. This seemed also to really help with no side effects apart from maybe feeling car sick for two days post injection.

I also think hydration helps. Sparkling water is my new pick me up.

So I hope all this helps. I spent ages looking for a supplement before discovering that removing a food group had more effect and what I thought was a healthy diet per se - was not healthy for me and trying to avoid stressful thinking or scenarios really helps.

Check out Rheumatoid recipe books. A documentary called hack your health on Netflix and anything to de stress.

and please do keep talking to your rheumatology team. My first Consultant was not empathetic at all. Then I came across a specialist nurse and different Consultant who seemed to make it their mission to sort me out.

Good luck and keep posting on here - there are loads of people in the same boat with helpful insight.

Hope this helps.

Ellen

Good morning @Revs1 a warm welcome to the online community.

I am not at all surprised you are struggling having such a long flare. My own maximum has been about 6 weeks tapering off after that. I wonder what medication you are on. To be fair as you'll know they do tend to take roughly 3 months to have any real impact. Have they tried oral steroids I wonder some of us find they really help for temporary relief while a new treatment gets in our systems.

I don't know whether this might be of interest?

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2025/january/how-to-maintain-movement-during-a-flare-up/

I did a quick search for old threads on the subject of PsA flares:

https://community.versusarthritis.org/search?domain=all_content&query=PsA%20flare&scope=site&source=community

They might be of interest to you. We have a few regular members who have PsA hopefully some of them will see your post and share their own story with you.

My best wishes

Ellen.

frogmorton

@jamieA is another really helpful person who has PsA like @Arciere, @Revs1 I also am very careful with my diet I am aware just how impritant our gut microbiome is in terms of our immune system and inflammation too. I am a whole food plant based vegan and really am convinced it has helped. If you have time, and diet interests you, reading some of @Arthuritis posts might be useful too.

@Revs1 I'm glad you finally have a diagnosis and hope that soon things will be a good bit better for you.

Toni x

jamieA

Hi @Revs1

I was diagnosed with PsA in late 2020 at the age of 65 having had psoriasis from the age of 15. I was then diagnosed with enthesitis which apparently about 30% of PsA sufferers also suffer from. I was started on sulfasalazine and NSAIDs which didn't work and 3 months later methotrexate was added. The combination didn't work and nine months after diagnosis the adalimumab biosimilar Amgevita was added. The 3 drug combination did work and 2 months after I started this combination I was able to hand back the crutches I'd needed to use to walk. I'm not cured by any means but I'm in a far better place than I was in early 2021.

I know we are all different and what works for one may not work for another. I'm an engineer so it's been difficult to get my head around how all this works. In the first year I was seen by a number of different rheumatologists and been given many different diagnoses. What I would offer as advice is that you need to be as assertive as you can be in dealing with medics - it's you who is suffering not them.

In the past - well before my PsA diagnosis - I was treated for what was thought to be carpal tunnel syndrome which I now know can actually be a symptom of enthesitis. Prior to my PsA diagnosis I was also treated for plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow which similarly can be a symptom of enthesitis. 18 months before my PsA diagnosis I was diagnosed with trigger finger which I subsequently found out is connected to PsA. I've also had issues with my sacroiliac joints which are affected by PsA.

I hope you get a treatment that works for you soon.

Revs1

Thank you all so much for taking the time to reply to my original post. Hopefully, my specialist will land on a treatment that will have the desired effect soon enough. Until then it’s grin and bear it time I think. I cannot believe how much this condition has had such a negative impact on my life though. Unbelievable. Hope that you are all as well as can be and I look forward to engaging with you all and others on this journey I’m on with PsA

frogmorton

Good luck Revs and thanks for noticing our replies 😊

Toni