I am a 46 year old female. When I was 14, I was diagnosed with discoid lupus. Since then, and after many doctors, they have added a host of other connective tissue diseases to that. Fibromylagia, Raynauds, Sjogren's, Disk degenerative disease, Rheumatoid Arthritis, just to name a few. I take a lot of meds which have kept it bearable. The main ones are Arave, Salagen, Prednisone, Plaquenil. For the last 4 months, I have suffered and I mean suffered with my hands. It seemed almost as if all the moisture had been sucked out of them. They were so incredibly dry. They never had any peeling, or flaking. I first went to the dermatologist, and went three more times in addition to that. They seem to think the palms are from exzema, with the fingertips being raynauds. I have been treated with additional steroids, and many steroid and non-steroid creams. Nothing has helped. I visited my rheumatologist, who felt I swhould continue with the dermatologist. The pain has been unbelievable, and I just didn't think I could take much more. Normally I take 2 Salagen. One night recently I had a particularly dry mouth even after taking the Salagen. So about an hour later I took another. The next morning I awoke to normal hands. During the night I did have problems-too much saliva in my mouth, profuse sweating, fast heartbeat, and headache. I actually was worried I might be having a heart attack, but I just couldn't get up. The next day I resumed my 2 a day ritual, my hands went back to dry again. So I decide to try it again taking two of the Salagen except I took it during the day, so I could watch symptoms. Again my hands cleared, but still with the side effects. Has anyone out there had the same symptoms with their hands?
this may sound like a simple treatment but have you tried buying cotton gloves and latheringing your hands with vasaline or other high concetrated moisturisers and sleeping with the gloves one? it might be worth a try.
has anyone joined their lupus local chapter? it is very informative for autoimmune issues.there issues. there is a new drug that is very excieting in the field of autoimmune.it is called BENYLSTA. IT IS WORTH JOINING TO RECIEVE THEIR NEWS LETTERS AND EMAILS WITH NEW INFO