Drugs That Can Trigger Psoriasis Flares
Some medications make your psoriasis worse, but your doctor may be able to suggest other treatments that can manage your health problems without causing flare-ups.
Check your medicine cabinet to see if you're taking any of these drugs.
Is Psoriasis Contagious?
Psoriasis causes red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. It can look like a rash, so you may worry that you could get it from someone else or pass it to others. But rest easy: It's not contagious. You cannot catch the disease by touching someone who has it.
Read the Is Psoriasis Contagious? article > >
If you have high blood pressure, you might be taking a drug that slows your heart rate. You may hear your doctor call it a "beta-blocker." Doctors don't know whether all meds in this group make psoriasis worse, but a few have been linked to flares, including:
Ask your doctor if you can switch to a medicine that won't affect your skin condition.
That stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They're painkillers that ease joint pain and swelling from psoriatic arthritis -- but they also can trigger psoriasis flare-ups. Naproxen and indomethacin are NSAIDs that have been linked to relapses of the skin condition.
Other NSAIDs might also cause problems. Ask your doctor whether you can try a different kind of pain reliever, like acetaminophen.
Some drugs that treat mental health issues like depression and bipolar disorder can make your psoriasis worse. They include:
Some meds that treat anxiety, panic disorders, and sleep problems may affect your skin condition, too:
Your doctor can lower the dose of these medicines to see if that helps your psoriasis symptoms. Or, you may need to switch to other drugs.
If you have heart disease or a heart rhythm problem, you might take a medicine that's been linked to psoriasis flares. These include:
Ask your doctor if you can try another medicine to keep your heart healthy.
If your plans include travel to southern Africa or another malaria-prone part of the world, you might need medicine to protect yourself against this mosquito-borne disease. Yet some of these drugs can be a problem for psoriasis, including:
A few other drugs to discuss with your doctor include:
Check your medicine cabinet to see if you're taking any of these drugs.
Recommended Related to Psoriasis
Is Psoriasis Contagious?
Psoriasis causes red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. It can look like a rash, so you may worry that you could get it from someone else or pass it to others. But rest easy: It's not contagious. You cannot catch the disease by touching someone who has it.
Read the Is Psoriasis Contagious? article > >
Blood Pressure Meds
If you have high blood pressure, you might be taking a drug that slows your heart rate. You may hear your doctor call it a "beta-blocker." Doctors don't know whether all meds in this group make psoriasis worse, but a few have been linked to flares, including:
- Atenolol (Tenormin)
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
- Propranolol (Hemangeol, Inderal, InnoPran XL)
Ask your doctor if you can switch to a medicine that won't affect your skin condition.
NSAIDs
That stands for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They're painkillers that ease joint pain and swelling from psoriatic arthritis -- but they also can trigger psoriasis flare-ups. Naproxen and indomethacin are NSAIDs that have been linked to relapses of the skin condition.
Other NSAIDs might also cause problems. Ask your doctor whether you can try a different kind of pain reliever, like acetaminophen.
Mental Health Medicines
Some drugs that treat mental health issues like depression and bipolar disorder can make your psoriasis worse. They include:
- Fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)
- Lithium
Some meds that treat anxiety, panic disorders, and sleep problems may affect your skin condition, too:
- Alprazolam (Niravam, Xanax)
- Clonazepam (Klonopin)
- Diazepam (Valium)
Your doctor can lower the dose of these medicines to see if that helps your psoriasis symptoms. Or, you may need to switch to other drugs.
Heart Drugs
If you have heart disease or a heart rhythm problem, you might take a medicine that's been linked to psoriasis flares. These include:
- Amiodarone
- Digoxin (Lanoxicaps,Lanoxin)
- Gemfibrozil (Lopid)
- Quinidine
Ask your doctor if you can try another medicine to keep your heart healthy.
Anti-Malarial Drugs
If your plans include travel to southern Africa or another malaria-prone part of the world, you might need medicine to protect yourself against this mosquito-borne disease. Yet some of these drugs can be a problem for psoriasis, including:
- Chloroquine (Aralen)
- Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)
Other Medicines That Could Trigger a Flare
A few other drugs to discuss with your doctor include:
- Antibiotics like tetracycline. They’re often used to treat infections like pneumonia.
- Drugs called interferons. They help your body fight off viruses like hepatitis C.
- Terbinafine (Lamisil, Terbinex). This medicine treats infections caused by a fungus, like jock itch or athlete's foot.