Otezla for Psoriatic Arthritis User Reviews (Page 3)

• rml
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 18, 2018

"I have been on otezla for only a month it has taken the pain from my fingers and elbows away. It is starting to work on my plaque psoriaisis I have had psoriasis for 56 years. I'm 73 now otezla is working the best out of anything else I have tried. I had very few side affects just a little nausea not much I sure hope it keeps working"

• Carr
• May 26, 2016

"I was amazed at how quickly Otezla worked on my Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis. I was ecstatic and I had absolutely no side effects. Unfortunately, it was short lived and 5 months later Otezla stopped completely working for me."

• maxsm...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 7, 2016

"I have now been on otezla for the magic 4 months the company says it takes to improve. I am so much worse now. My arthritis is so bad I can hardly use my hands they are so swollen and painful, most of my joints are swollen and painful, and my psoriasis has gotten worse. I wish I had stayed on Enbrel, and as will be going back on it as soon as possible. I did not have any adverse side effects, it just wasn't effective for me."

• Still...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 21, 2016

"I was prescribed Otelza for psoriatic arthritis in my knees and psoriasis on my knees and shins. After 6 months of regular usage, my knee pain has resolved but my psoriasis remains entirely unaffected, (I had way better visible skin results using Triamcinolone cream once a day at bedtime). But what I wanted to share is why I came off Otezla this month: I lost 23 pounds these last 3 months, developed a bowel problem where I had to rush to #2 after most meals, lost some appetite in general, and worst of all, I developed terrible anxiety and fears that I never experienced before. I also lost my sense of joy overall, even though I did not quite reach the lows of depression. I am on day #2 of no Otezla. I am starting to feel better already."

• Zfg
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 24, 2015

"I started taking Otezla in January 2015 & stopped in August due to price. It definitely helped my Psoriasis & also psoriatic arthritis but not completely. There are many side affects that are not mentioned. I had very bad backache & also my Hb A1c went up to 6.2 though I am not diabetic & also lost weight on Otezla. After stopping Otezla now A1c is 5.7 & backache is better too."

• activ...
• July 7, 2017

"I am technically taking this for reactive arthritis, that I have struggled with on and off for 15 years. Most recently on a 4 year stint, where I have been talking steroids. The idea was that this would allow me to get off of steroids. It took a few months to seem to help, but now (6 months) I have been weening off the steroids. In the beginning I experienced migraines, which I never had before, about 2 per week, Now about 1 per month. I also regularly experience diarrhea, not having to go more often, but lose stool when I do. Annoying but tolerable. It also seems to work as an appetite suppressant, which is positive side effect for me at 40 yrs old lost about 8 lbs so far. So overall pretty good med now that migraines are less."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 12, 2019

"I took Otezla for 10 days and I had to stop. At day 2, my neck was so sore, I couldn't turn my head. Next came my arms, and then my whole body was so achy, it was affecting my quality of life. It was a tough decision to stop because I did lose a few pounds. I had constipation so the stomach side effects did not bother me much. I also had really bad headaches but that went away after 7 days.."

• DaB
• August 17, 2016

"This drug was wonderful for my pain and psorisis but caused horrible depression so I wanted to tell people to watch for mood changes. I thought it was only me but my rheumatologist told me this medication now has a black box warning for severe depression. Please be aware and watch for changes in personality. Sadly I had to discontinue use."

• North...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 4, 2016

"My joint pain in hand and feet are all gone . The only side affect I have is a tension headache every evening about the same time, it a good drug I am please with it, going to give it a other month or two to see if tension headache goes away it always on the right side on the back of the head. It help to hear other people side effect to see if any other people have the same effects."

• Renee
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 24, 2016

"I took Otezla as an alternative to Enbrel for 6 weeks.The itching turned out to be the least of my worries.Ideveloped migraine headaches, blurred vision, severe depression and upset stomach. I stopped taking it when I couldn't even get out of bed and saw a psychiatrist.He told me to stop the medication immediately and gave me medication that would eventually counteract the side effects. This took approx 6 weeks.In the meantime I went to see an eye dtr due to the clouds in peripheral vision and blurriness.Turns out, although my last visit to him was in Nov (only five months earlier), my eyesight was completely different. I now need to wear reading glasses& a separate pair for watching tv, driving, distance.If anyone has exper. pls reply."

• BadAqua
• May 13, 2015

"I am on day 6 of this medicine today. So far I have had the headache, more frequent bowel movements, and yesterday I developed pain in my left arm at my joints for shoulder and elbow and fingers as well."

• Trump...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2021

"I have been on Otezla for 3 weeks for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It started out ok, but then I became nauseous, couldn't eat, had diarrhea, but I was managing. Then my joints got worse and worse, I couldn't move. The final straw was I took an evening dose and severely began vomiting. I stopped taking it and called the doctor. I have been without it almost 48 hours and while my stomach is still a little queazy, I'm not nearly as sore and don't feel miserable. 90% of my symptoms came on as a result of this medication, it might have helped a little with my plaque psoriasis, but not enough to keep feeling miserable. We are looking into a new treatment."

• Guess...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2016

"Side effects are tremendous, severe headaches, diarrhea and nearly living on toilet, fever and aches and pains all over. Been taking it for 3 weeks to see if I will ever get use to the side effects and they will subside, so far no. Not sure how much longer I can last on Otezla. Was really hoping it would help..."

• sherl...
• September 28, 2016

"It is hard for me to rate this. I have Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. I have been taking Otezla for 9 months now. Within weeks my severe psoriasis had cleared. However, my arthritis is worse. At first, it seemed to stop the swelling a little. I have to say it was about 5 months before all the swelling and severe pain came back. While the pain was never completely gone, it was never this bad. Not even before Otezla. My muscles in the back of my legs hurt, and on the bottom of my right foot. I am having trouble walking. I also take hydrocodone for pain. I was taking the hydrocodone for two years and was hoping to get off with Otezla. Not going to happen. Has anybody had dental problems. I have had 3 teeth crack in the past 6 months."

• Neal...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 15, 2017

"Was on Otezla for 4 months. Absolutely no improvement, and side effects were dreadful...splitting migraine headaches daily, chronic diarrhea, depression. I would never consider taking this medication again."

• melly...
• August 15, 2015

"This was the hardest drug to get and be approved. I was doing the bridge pack and kept having to call the doctors to get them to keep trying with insurance. Then I had to keep calling otezla to keep it coming to my house. I never felt fully better. Maybe just a tiny bit but definitely not worth all the hassle. I ended up just quitting since I couldn't get it here on time and it kept lapsing my treatment."

• Cindy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2021

"I started with the Otezla starter pack and then began the daily dose. I have to say at first it did help with the psoriasis on my scalp. But I began to have vertigo and felt like I was in a fog. I am still working full time and need to be alert. Also not sure if this is the cause but I am losing my hair. I stopped taking Otezla a week ago and I am not as out of it, although my joint pain and stiffness is really bad so I may need to look into another drug. If anyone else has experienced hair loss please let me know, I am still trying to figure out why this is happening."

• Meate...
• August 13, 2016

"Been taking Otezla for 3 weeks. The first week I had a mild but persistent headache, bad heartburn and nausea, bloating, and muscle cramps in my legs. By the second week the headache was gone and down to slight nausea for a few hours after taking a dose. PsA is much improved, lesions are slightly better. By the 3rd week I am having very slight nausea but the PsA is almost gone. My knees, back and hands and feet feel almost normal. Lesions are still improving but very slowly. I'm still using steriod topicals and an occasional dose of Naproxen for joint pain."

• Middl...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 17, 2018

"I have now been taking Otezla for 2 years. I have never had bad psoriasis, but psoriatic arthritis has affected me for about 5 years. It took me almost 9 months for my psoriatic arthritis saw any improvement. After 1 year of taking, I thought it was a wonder drug. I have had constant stomach and headache issues that I was willing to accept. I figured it wasn't as bad as having PsA. About 6 months ago it stopped working for me. I started experiencing pretty bad moods and felt like I was falling into depression. I have since moved on to a single dose at bed time. I recently started using CBD oil and it seems to be working pretty well. Worked for a while, but side effects were almost as bad as the condition."

• CHANCE
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 10, 2018

"From the start I had joint pain. I needed a couple of advil every day. The stiffness is slowly increasing also. It's been 5 months. We are now going to try something else. I go to the bathroom 3 times a day. My stomach is very upset after taking the pill for 3 hours. My stomach is getting worse. I have a yogurt everyday and avoid disruptive foods. My teeth hurt. At first they woke me up during the nite and I had to have advil for the pain. Now it is mild a couple times a week. My psoriasis has completely disappeared thats the good."

• Net...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2016

"I've been on Otezla for about 6 weeks. I don't know if I'm imagining it but I feel worse than before I started on it. Lower backache, horrible pain in my head and face. Can't get a good night's sleep as my hips hurt. The headaches are the worse,trying to work with a daily headache,I don't have much psoriasis as it cleared up years ago, just some on my scalp now.The doctor says to give it at least 14 weeks to work.Don't know if I'll last that long with the pain in my head/face.I get the meds straight from the company so don't know how much they actually cost."

• South...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 1, 2016

"I started this in March, by The end of Aug this med stopped working. It did a pretty good job of clearing up the Psorisis but my joint pain is thru the roof. My hands are progressively getting worse. It doesn't touch my RA. Instead of taking me off of it my Rheumy added MTX which I don't tolerate well. So I'm taking myself off. I got so bloated, and gassy thru the starter pack. I GAINED 20lbs! Not sure if it's the med or my increase in pain has me sidelined. I currently have tons of congestion which I have had for 3 months! DONE WITH THIS STUFF ,"

• HodaMac
• December 18, 2017

"I was prescribed Otezla for psoriatic arthritis. I took it for about 18 weeks. My arthritis improved only minimally. - I experienced the side effects of nausea, diarrhea and headaches throughout the 18 weeks. I stopped the treatment since it wasn't really working for me. And that is where the real trouble began - I had only suffered mild psoriasis over the years. I have not had a significant outbreak in over 25 years. In very short order, after I stopped this medicine, my psoriasis returned with a vengeance!! It's now almost 6 months since I've stopped taking this drug and I'm STILL trying to get the psoriasis under control. I would NOT recommend anyone take this drug."

• Yandy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 1, 2017

"I took otezla for about 5 months for psoriatic arthritis. I experienced headaches and upper respiratory infections almost the entire time. I saw little, if any, improvement to my arthritis pain and inflammation."

• Ventu
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 6, 2019

"I have only tried for 3 weeks and so disappointed. My one severe spot of psoriasis improved but didn’t totally cleared. I had all 3 common symptoms of headache, diarrhea, and nausea. The worst however is my PA felt like it worsened. I don’t want biologics as I’m only 40 but not sure what other option next."