There are many poorly understood diseases. Scientists, conducting research, can not always accurately determine the cause of their occurrence. One of these is psoriasis. Red inflamed areas of the skin, covered with a scaly crust during the exacerbation period, cause terrible discomfort to their carriers.
There is no cure for psoriasis. Scientists have developed a special program that includes a diet, a set of bath procedures and taking anti-inflammatory drugs. One of the remedies used in psoriasis is sodium thiosulfate.
What is it?
Sodium thiosulfate is a salt that has a detoxifying effect. It is most often used in case of poisoning with salts of heavy metals (mercury, lead and others).
In case of poisoning with heavy metals and cyanides, it forms compounds less hazardous to humans, which are excreted from the body through the kidneys.
In medical practice, sterile sodium thiosulfate solutions of 30% and 60% are used. A lower dosage is used intravenously and orally. 60% solution is used only for external application in complex therapy for scabies and psoriasis.
Causes of occurrence
Psoriasis is a poorly understood disease. The causes of its occurrence are not exactly known, and the methods of treatment may be different. This is due to the specificity and individual course of the disease in each patient.
One hypothesis suggests that the cause of psoriasis is the abnormal behavior of the cells responsible for the body's immunity. Psoriatic plaque is an area of inflammation formed by the proliferation of tissues through excessive cell division (white blood cells, macrophages and keratinocytes).
The second hypothesis is that the cause of psoriasis can be a number of factors simultaneously affecting the body: severe stress, taking certain drugs, dry skin prone to irritation, peeling, dermatitis complicated by a fungus or bacterial infection.
If the first reason requires specific treatment, the second is to eliminate the provoking factor. It is then that complex therapy comes into play, which includes several stages.
Psoriasis is a chronic disease with periods of exacerbation and remission. In each case, it is impossible to predict when the acute phase will begin. There are sluggish forms that almost do not affect the quality of life of their carriers.
Treatment
In the early stages of psoriasis, the attending physician tries to harm the patient as little as possible. For the treatment of mild forms, preparations for local application are used: ointments, lotions, creams.
Such an “easy” treatment is associated with the fact that drugs prescribed for severe forms of the disease are toxic. They give many side effects and are considered a last resort.
If a dermatologist considers psoriasis as a form of dermatitis, appropriate treatment is prescribed. Will be used drugs to cleanse the liver, as well as ointments that relieve redness and peeling.
Given that sodium thiosulfate in psoriasis is used specifically as a detoxification agent, there are only two ways to use it: intravenous administration and oral administration. Both methods have their own characteristics.
How to drink it?
Dermatologists offer two methods of treatment: inject sodium thiosulfate intravenously or drink for ten days.
The simplest and most painless is the oral administration of a 30% solution. How to drink sodium thiosulfate in psoriasis? Very simple: an ampoule of sodium thiosulfate is diluted in a glass of clean water at room temperature.
The resulting solution is divided into two doses. Half a glass in the morning half an hour before meals and as much in the evening with a meal or two hours after it. The course of treatment is ten days. It is advisable to follow a diet at this time.
On your table should be vegetables, fish or chicken, cereals, soups. Products are preferably boiled or steamed. Viscous cereals are in the morning. Exclude potatoes, pasta and smoked meats.
With choleretic and laxative effects, sodium thiosulfate with feces removes toxins and toxins. You should carefully consider planning long trips during treatment, especially in the first 2-3 days.
To prick or not to prick?
If the patient has a more advanced form of psoriasis, the attending physician may prescribe a ten-day course of injections. This procedure is carried out daily in a medical institution and only by specialists.
Experienced in-patient nurses know that sodium thiosulfate is slowly injected with psoriasis. The procedure takes from five to seven minutes. If you enter the solution quickly, there may be negative consequences in the form of dizziness, nausea and severe headaches.
After taking sodium thiosulfate, lie down for 10-15 minutes. Thus, it is possible to avoid discomfort.
Contraindications
Sodium thiosulfate may produce allergic reactions in people with hypersensitivity to this drug. In addition, it is worth considering the health of the kidneys. If a person has chronic diseases of this organ, it is worth refusing to take sodium thiosulfate for psoriasis intravenously or orally. After all, the main way to remove the drug from the body is with urine through the kidneys.
This drug is prescribed with caution to hypertensive patients, people with chronic liver diseases, heart failure, as the general condition of patients may worsen.
If your doctor has prescribed you a course of sodium thiosulfate for psoriasis, the instructions for use should be clearly prescribed by him, in order to avoid an overdose.
Pregnant and lactating
Of particular concern is the use of sodium thiosulfate in psoriasis in pregnant and lactating women. Clinical studies in this category of patients have not been conducted. Therefore, use is possible only if the benefit to the mother outweighs the risk to the fetus or if there is a need for health reasons. Therefore, in this category of patients sodium thiosulfate is practically not prescribed for psoriasis.
Reviews
To have beautiful tanned skin is the dream of any girl, but it so happens that suddenly there are small red spots that increase in size over time, as the disease can progress.
The opinions of patients treated with this drug were divided. Most give positive reviews about a drug such as sodium thiosulfate. With psoriasis, only it is recommended and only intravenously.
The only drawback of such a procedure is the mandatory presence of a good nurse who knows how to correctly inject. After the “bad” introduction, many felt dizzy, nauseous, and abdominal pain.
But this method of administration gives a quick result, noticeable already on the third or fourth day. Redness leaves, the skin becomes smooth and clean.
Those who used the oral solution noted not only the good tolerance of sodium thiosulfate. An additional plus was the rapid weight loss due to bowel cleansing. On average, patients lost between three and five kilograms.
Negative reviews 30% sodium thiosulfate solution received in patients with more severe forms of psoriasis. They took an intravenous injection, but no significant improvement came.
Difficult case
In the case of psoriasis complicated by a fungal or bacterial infection, use a solution of Demyanovich No. 1, which includes 60% sodium thiosulfate. This drug treats not only various dermatitis complicated by fungi and infections, but also scabies, as well as demodicosis.
According to the instructions, with psoriasis, sodium thiosulfate 60% is used together with hydrochloric acid, which helps cleanse the upper layer of the skin from dead cells and form a new, healthy one.
When treated with a solution of Demyanovich, it is necessary to apply a solution of sodium thiosulfate three to four times a day. It helps relieve inflammation, itching, discomfort in the area of formed plaques. And only once the affected areas are treated with hydrochloric acid. Thus, the skin is not so injured and irritated.
It is impossible to say that the use of sodium thiosulfate in psoriasis is a panacea for a poorly treatable disease. To undergo a full ten-day course of therapy, you need to consult a specialist. Only he can say with certainty whether you need to use it or not. After all, sodium thiosulfate should be administered especially carefully: when deviating from the rules, undesirable consequences are possible.