Psoriasis is one of the autoimmune disorders characterized by a chronic skin condition in which people have symptoms of red patches with small scaly spots and silvery scales that cause intense itching, bleeding, and crust formation.
An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the immune system attacks its own healthy cells and tissues. In psoriasis, a person’s immune system attacks the skin and nails, causing a specific type of inflammation. More than 3% of Americans have this condition.
In most people, psoriasis goes through a period of cycles when symptoms worsen and then resolve. The exacerbation of symptoms may last for weeks to months. Between those exacerbations, the disease may go into remission. Although incurable, the symptoms and flares of psoriasis can be managed through oral medications and topical applications.
Generic Drugs for Psoriasis
Psoriasis has many good treatment options. There are over-the-counter (OTC) medicines that can help, but most people need prescription medications. Medicines help you feel better by reducing the intensity of symptoms and frequency of flares. Generic prescription drugs used to treat psoriasis include topical medications, oral medications, biologic medications, and phototherapy.
Topical Drugs
Topical treatments for psoriasis include creams and ointments that one can apply directly to the skin. People with mild psoriasis need a topical treatment, while those with moderate to severe psoriasis need topical drugs as well as other medications. Topical treatments include:
- Corticosteroids such as triamcinolone (Generic Kenalog) and clobetasol
- Vitamin D analogues such as calcitriol and calcipotriene
- Calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus and pimecrolimus
- Keratolytics such as tazarotene and salicylic acid
Oral Drugs
Oral drugs are often advised to people with moderate to severe psoriasis. Generic drugs for psoriasis include”
- Methotrexate (Generic Rheumatrex)
- Cyclosporine (Generic Sandimmune)
- Acitretin (Generic Soriatane)
- Apremilast (Generic Otezla)
Biologics
These drugs target the immune system and are used to treat severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. They are given in combination with the abovementioned oral medications. Most biologics are available in injectable forms, which include:
- Adalimumab (Generic Humira)
- Infliximab (Generic Remicade)
- Tildrakizumab (Generic Ilumya)
- Brodalumab (Generic Siliq)
- Ustekinumab (Generic Stelara)
Phototherapy
Also called light therapy, phototherapy includes exposing patients to ultraviolet (UV) light to treat psoriasis. The skin is exposed to certain rays of light regularly. It is an outpatient procedure, which can be done at home. Phototherapy can be used along with oral medications to treat the severe condition. Generic drugs for psoriasis are much cheaper compared to their branded counterparts. You must check with your doctor before switching to any generic drug.
