Otezla and Fatigue: What Users Say

• Suz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2019

For Plaque Psoriasis "My doctor gave me 2 starter packs, so I could slowly work my way up to tolerance without side effects. After about two weeks on the starter dose, I had noticeably clearer skin. I also had throbbing headaches, fatigue, and severe diarrhea. After 2.5 months (still not taking the full dose), the headaches are not a problem, but acid reflux, diarrhea, fatigue, and extreme (sometimes debilitating) nausea are issues. I love the clear skin, but cannot tolerate constantly feeling sick, so yesterday I took Otezla for the last time."

• eer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 26, 2019

For Plaque Psoriasis "I was okay with pushing through the vomiting, nausea, fatigue, and headaches. Then all of a sudden, the muscles in my legs cramped and seized up. Unrelenting, excruciating pain for 3 days. Went to a sports medicine clinic. They gave me a shot and muscle relaxers. Things started to improve. Well, yesterday, Christmas Eve, my muscles in my legs, then in my arms and hands, started up. I started getting pustular psoriasis in places I never had it. Horrible. Cannot sleep. I purposefully missed a dose of this stuff to see what would happen, and after about 12 hours it faded. Needless to say, it ruined my Christmas, and I’m stopping this drug."

• acm...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 26, 2016

For Psoriatic Arthritis "Otezla had recently been approved. After three months on Otezla, my skin was mostly clear (psoriasis returned fast post-Embril). I was able to stop ibuprofen completely. The pain was reduced to 1/10. Anti-nausea meds helped with stomach discomfort of Otezla side effects. Fourteen months in, the nausea was getting worse, lasting all day. Tremors. Appetite non-existent. Fatigue and anxiety increasing to unbearable levels. Spending more time in bed than not. Pain returning to joints... especially hands, feet, and lower back. Stopped Otezla three weeks ago. Appetite is back, nausea and diarrhea gone. Anxiety minimal. Energy level much higher. Was only going to stop Otezla for two weeks. I believe I am done with Otezla. Quality of life decision."

• jus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2018

For Plaque Psoriasis "Otezla; my back hurts again, daily headaches, and feel so tired every day! Wake up with leg cramps every night. Like jumping out of bed because they hurt so bad. I'm a painting contractor on ladders every day, my legs feel very weak and shaky. Besides that, my teeth and nails throb. Back pain! It's absurd how bad it hurts. My energies are so low..."

• Tim...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 10, 2018

For Plaque Psoriasis "I took Otezla for two years, it did help to a degree, but I still had to use clobetasol cream along with it for a decent result. For the past year, I have had five sinus infections, which my doctor picked up on as being from Otezla. I found out chronic sinusitis is a common side effect of the drug. We decided it was not worth it, and I did have a bad flare when I stopped using it, and it took a month to get it under control. One thing I did not realize is how fatigue-inducing this drug is. After I stopped taking it, my energy levels came up over a few weeks, and I feel great now. My psoriasis is a little worse without the Otezla, but not too much."

• Huc...
• January 3, 2017

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I have been taking Otezla for about 8 weeks. I experienced nausea, frequent bowel movements, headaches, and a lack of appetite. Although the severity tapered off after a few weeks, they still continue. As I did more research into others who have taken it, I have experienced 2 trips to the ER due to inflammation in my feet, and I feel so fatigued and don't want to do anything...but I feel better if I move around a bit...but I get worn out pretty easy, and then my feet are killing me. I'd like to say I feel better than when I started...and in some ways, I do. I used to feel like my joints were fusing together, I couldn't walk up or down stairs, and I couldn't open a bottle of water. I feel a lot looser now and can do some things. I still hurt."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 14, 2018

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I’ve been on Otezla for almost 6 weeks for psoriatic arthritis. It improved my psoriasis almost immediately, but then the change slowed way down. No patches have totally cleared yet, though they do look better. No noticeable effect on pain yet. Unfortunately, the GI side effects seem to be getting worse instead of better, to the point where I don’t want to eat anything. I’m also consistently having headaches and increased fatigue. I’m going to try taking only one pill a day, but if that doesn’t get the side effects to a manageable level, I’ll have to stop."

• Wei...
• May 25, 2017

For Plaque Psoriasis "This medication is like a miracle. I have gone from no fingernails, no toenails, no skin on my feet to almost completely healed. It takes some time for the medicine to kick in, but this has been a life changer. My fingernails are coming back, my psoriasis is much more manageable, all because of Otezla. The medicine I took before was a biologic, and it made me so sick, tired, fatigued, and depressed. So thank you to those that make this product, this is a great thing for people with horrible psoriasis. It is such an insidious disease."

• Mar...
• September 9, 2018

For Plaque Psoriasis "I started taking Otezla in 2015 for inverse psoriasis. I experienced nausea, diarrhea, migraine headaches, and extreme fatigue for the first 6 months. The intragluteal fold fissures and fissures under my breast and arms were gone in less than a month. I had plaque on my shins that was spreading painfully and rapidly, and my skin cleared in less than 3 months. The side effects were horrible, but tolerable. I reported the extreme fatigue because I was unable to drive a full ride home without calling for a ride when I was driving. I found myself pulling over to sleep because I couldn't keep my eyes open. I'm taking a stimulant now, and my skin remains clear. This medication has really helped me, and the side effects are now tolerable. I get sporadic headaches, nausea every day, but my skin is not open anymore."

• RLT...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2016

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I have moderate/severe RA overlapping with PSA. I developed a worsening of psoriasis on Humira. I stopped Humira, and the doctor wanted me to try Otezla to clear my psoriasis. I can say this is the worst drug I have ever taken. I had a severe migraine for 5 days. I had very low energy levels, loss of appetite, and nausea. I also developed really bad spasms. I took Methotrexate for 5 years and didn't feel this bad. I stopped Otezla, going back to Humira and Methotrexate... I hope!"

• son...
• July 5, 2016

For Plaque Psoriasis "I had to stop Otezla after 16 days due to vomiting and severe diarrhea. I felt generally fine until day 16 and was beginning to see improvements. Seven days now after stopping Otezla and still have 7-10 diarrhea episodes per day and significant fatigue. I do not plan to restart."

• Sco...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 8, 2017

For Plaque Psoriasis "Slow but steady results... Plaques are significantly reduced, but whole areas of plaques are left slightly pink. I have new plaques in areas I have never had them before: hands, forearms, and biceps. They are small, but a little unsightly due to the location. Whilst the initial titration of the Otezla was generally easy, the maintenance of 30 mg, twice per day is just simply unbearable. I am an upbeat, happy, and balanced individual, but after 40 days, I started noticing a slight inability to make clear decisions and felt generally gloomy. I also was noticing a lack of happy thoughts and feeling continually malaise. After my family asked me to stop the Otezla, I spoke to my dermatology group, who have reduced the dose to 30 mg per day."

• Ish...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2018

For Plaque Psoriasis "I really wanted Otezla to work. I've stuck with it for five months now with zero result on my skin. I've pushed through the fatigue, headaches, generally feeling down, total apathy, and weight gain. Yes, you heard that right, I of course did not lose weight on Otezla. I've gained a huge swollen pot belly. This despite working out with a personal trainer and eating the same as before. My dermatologist confessed to me that the real numbers for those helped by Otezla are closer to 20%. The other 80% of people see absolutely no change whatsoever. I appear to be among the latter group. I wish that information on this drug was more accurate. I also wonder at encouraging people to stay on this drug for six months. I've yet to hear from anyone who said it took that long to kick in. I'm starting to suspect that it's really all about sales. If anyone here has been on it for six months before seeing any results, I'd be really interested to hear about it."

• Kan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 13, 2017

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I was diagnosed with HLA-B27 (a specific protein on your white blood cells that can be a sign of autoimmune disease). Dr. told me I had Psoriatic Arthritis, gave me a starter pack of Otezla, took it for 12 days, during which all of the stiffness and joint pain left. I am also on Phentermine and Topiramate for weight loss, so I didn’t experience any headaches, however, I did get somewhat depressed and had no energy to do anything. I ran out of the starter pack and had to get another, but I was off of it for 3 days. While off of it, I noticed my mood was better and back to normal, but this morning, oh my, all my stiffness and pain are back, so I am going back on the new starter pack and trying to deal with the mood thing because this pain is crazy. I also do have a sinus head cold that I have had for 4 days, but I kind of chalked that off to the time of year and weather."

• Anonymous
• March 20, 2018

For Plaque Psoriasis "I had started Otezla and had the typical nausea and loose stool but was completely tolerable until I hit the 8th day, and then I had a rare reaction to this medication. I experienced severe dizziness, thought blocking, cluster migraine, extreme vomiting, and uncontrollable bowel movements and could not function. I had to cancel two days of work because my dizziness, a headache, and thought blocking were so bad. I became completely dehydrated. Of course, my doctor said to stop the medication immediately. I am now about a month post and still do not feel well - I had a minor bout of depression - constant tearfulness for no reason, and I am battling some sort of fatigue. I am an educated professional and have dealt with psoriasis for my entire life - this was my first time agreeing to take a medication orally. It was a horrific experience. Anything that can cause this type of violent reaction in my mind is unhealthy."

• Thr...
• September 30, 2021

For Plaque Psoriasis "Have you ever felt like you had the flu, morning sickness, and needed a toilet strapped to your rear end? Welcome to Otezla! I'm a 49-year-old healthy female with great blood work, no obesity, and overall decent health besides plaque psoriasis. I tried Otezla for three weeks! Not only did I feel like someone kicked my ass during the whole three weeks, I also felt like I couldn't go anywhere without an emergency exit for my rear end. Nausea? Yup. Diarrhea? Yup. Headache? Yup. Fatigue? Yup. I normally walk 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day. I was lucky to get over 3,000 with Otezla. I've been living off ginger ale and crackers for the most part. When I do eat 'real food,' my stomach is tied up in knots, and I either throw up or poop. Or both. Usually, it's both. The amount of sleep I have lost, the meals I haven't enjoyed, and the minimal effect it's had on my psoriasis are not worth it. At all."

• Jim...
• January 24, 2017

For Plaque Psoriasis "All was okay while I was taking Enbrel injections, and then after months my doctor told me to take a new medicine that was safer. So I took Otezla. I took the starter kit and continued to 2 pills per day. Nausea, diarrhea, and headaches started then. The doctor told me that in the first month all these things happen. Then, after 2 months, I had brutal headaches, fatigue, and pain in some of my fingers, my legs, and also in my back. The back pain is the worst of all. I wake up early every morning with strong back pain. When I cough, I also have pain. First, I thought that the pain was because of the bed, then I realized that it was the side effects of the medicine. I still continue the therapy and am waiting to change back to injections."

• Tra...
• September 19, 2017

For Plaque Psoriasis "I started with the starter pack, and when I went from 10 mg to 20 mg, it was a train wreck. I actually couldn't function, my entire body was like hell no... massive fatigue, cramping in the stomach, fogginess, couldn't go to work. I feel like I had 30 beers. I hope this works out for you if you are trying it, but I'm finished with this."

• Bab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2016

For Psoriatic Arthritis "Started taking Otezla 12 days ago. I have experienced headache, nausea, fatigue, swollen and painful joints, upper right abdominal pain, swollen belly on the right side, feet pain, back pain, mild diarrhea, no ambition, hoarseness, light-colored stools. I still have to take indomethacin for joint inflammation and pain. I thought this drug would relieve my pain and prevent inflammation and further joint damage, instead, it has made it worse. I don't see the advantage of continuing to use it along with an anti-inflammatory drug. I might as well stick with indomethacin."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2024

For Plaque Psoriasis "I started on Otezla about 2 months ago. It's done wonders for my psoriatic arthritis and my psoriasis. However, I'm considering stopping the medication. The diarrhea, headaches, and vomiting continue. The worst part is the fatigue. I have zero energy and no ambition. I've had psoriasis for 61 years, and topical meds no longer work."

• Spe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 5, 2022

For Psoriatic Arthritis "I have been taking this medication for 10 weeks now. My psoriasis has progressively gotten worse. I'm about 90% covered. I'm miserable. The nausea, diarrhea, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, muscle cramps, stinging itching pain... Yeah, I need to get off of this medication. I've become agoraphobic, I don't want anyone to see me like this. I'm miserable."

• Beh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 1, 2018

For Plaque Psoriasis "Awful. I was on Otezla for Behçet's syndrome (as an experimental treatment). I had depression, GI issues, severe fatigue, and no relief of symptoms while on it. After 4 months of suffering and still flaring, I stopped the medication. My skin has now become flaky and really itchy! My skin was always fine before this. I’ve heard it worked for some Behçet's patients but never worked for me."

• Mat...
• March 16, 2017

For Plaque Psoriasis "This drug might as well be full-blown chemotherapy. My best friend started taking this, and the chronic fatigue and overall depression that he is now battling have kept him from participating in his nightly role as a special forces operative. Otezla has caused him to miss multiple engagements over the past week, and I see no signs of this changing. If this continues, the drug trade in Bolivia will continue to skyrocket, and the flame of democracy will move even closer to being snuffed out. This is how the terrorists win. Thanks, Big Pharma."

• dr ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2016

For Psoriatic Arthritis "Had flu-like body aches, constant urge to defecate, and brutal migraines from day 3. Fatigue was all-consuming. Rather deal with the joint pain!"