Treatment Struggles: Why People Quit

Alisha Bridges has lived and thrived with psoriasis for over two decades. She is a blogger and health advocate who strives to inspire others with her story of living with a chronic condition.

Words of Wisdom from Alisha Bridges, leading psoriasis blogger for "Being Me in My Own Skin"

I’ve lived with psoriasis for over two decades. I’ve experienced all the nuances which accompany a chronic illness including finding an effective treatment. One of the biggest challenges for me was using my treatment as directed. I remember the excitement of receiving a new treatment for the first time. It signified hope, a new beginning, and the burning desire to achieve psoriasis free skin. But after about 2 weeks, if I didn’t see what I thought to be reasonable results my motivation to use the treatment began to decrease and eventually the fire I once had quickly went up into smoke.

A research study revealed that I wasn’t alone in my frustrations and treatment challenges. There are several reasons why people don’t comply with treatment instructions. These include:  people forget to take their correct treatment dosage;  they can no longer afford their treatment; they run out of their medicine before filling their next prescription; they become fed up with their treatment and stop using it; they start to see improvement and stop using it; they question treatment effectiveness. 

The National Psoriasis Foundation recommends using a treatment for 3-6 months before calling it quits. But, to determine true results you must use the treatment as directed. I realized I could not use a treatment every other day if the requirements were 2-3 times a day and expect to achieve reasonable results .

From my experience and research, here are a few ways I have become more consistent with my treatment regimen:

Find a psoriasis treatment that’s convenient  

If you know you can’t commit to a treatment which requires your attention several times a day, find something which you only have to use once a day such as the Prosoria™ Psoriasis Treatment. Prosoria™ was designed to achieve results with only once daily use to fit well into our busy schedules.

Make it a routine

Did you know it takes 21-61 days to create a habit? The only way to see effective results from a treatment is by using it consistently as directed. Set your alarm when it’s time to apply, place it in a familiar place where you will be forced to see and then use it, write a reminder on a sticky note and place it on your bathroom mirror. Incorporate small reminders until using your treatment becomes second nature.

Use an app

There are apps which will remind you to take your medicine as frequently as you need. My app of choice is Drugstars. You set up an account with the amount of times you do your treatment per day and each time it sends you a reminder. The cool feature of this app is every time you use your medicine as directed you earn stars which can be donated to non-profit organizations converted to real world money that the charities receive via bank transfer.

The biggest complaint I have found among people living with psoriasis is finding a treatment which is effective and convenient. I love Prosoria™ because it doesn’t require a lot of my time.

It is simple and easy

Prosoria™ is a treatment system which you use only once a day. I found it to be very simple. It fits easy into my daily  routine.

It absorbs fast

I put Prosoria™ to the test and timed how long it took me to apply the products. Both products combined took less than 25 seconds to rub into my skin. 

You only use it once a day

I’ve had psoriasis for a long time, and I’ve had to use numerous topical treatments. Most treatments I have to apply to the skin suggest using it 2-3 times a day to get results. This is where compliance became a huge factor for me and I found it hard to adhere to the required usage. I love Prosoria because it’s one and done. You apply it once a day and that’s it. The study referenced earlier also discovered patients who only had to use a treatment once a day did so 82% of the time. Those who had to use treatments more than once a day only did so 44% of the time. Thus, those who pick Prosoria™ are more likely to use it as required which increases the effectiveness of the treatment.

You are more likely to use topical treatments, like Prosoria™, correctly

This study also found patients who used oral treatments only adhered 46% of time, while those who used topical treatments used as directed 71% of the time. The challenges noted with adhering to the requirements of oral treatments include forgetting and drinking alcohol. Many of the oral medications for psoriasis have strict guidelines of alcohol use.

Prosoria™ is convenient

One of the reasons people don’t adhere to treatment is because they run out of treatment before purchasing more or having their next prescription filled. I love Prosoria’s easy and convenient service. It’s easy to set up an account. Once you place your first 30-day supply Prosoria™ will send you a 60-day supply which will be billed in two payments every 60 days. The subscription program allows you to reschedule or postpone shipments as needed. I love it because  this allows the system to be automatically delivered to you. Now, you never have to worry about running out of your treatment, the nuance of filling out information to order every time you need more or standing in long line at retail stores.

Prosoria™ is cost effective

I’ve used prescription topicals which cost me $500 a tube, which typically only lasted me 30 days or less. Phototherapy and biologics, common treatments for psoriasis, can cost $60,000 or more per year. Prosoria™ is not even a fraction of the cost of other treatments and it is affordable to use.

The side effects are non-existent

Another big complaint I hear in the psoriasis community is the fear of side effects when it comes to treatment options. Prosoria™ is safe and gentle for daily use, steroid-free, fragrance free, and paraben free therefore the worries of side effects can be put to the side.

It’s important to find a treatment which works for you and you can consistently use it as directed. I love Prosoria™ because it only requires my attention once a day and doesn’t have the annoying harsh smells, or the inconvenience of frequent use several times a day, like I’ve experienced with other topical treatment options. 

 

You can learn more about Alisha’s story at www.Beingmeinmyownskin.com