Low-dose DOI against Psoriasis?

[kewagi]

A friend of mine is suffering from Psoriasis, and has to do weekly injections of TNF α-inhibiting drugs to manage his condition. While talking the other day, I told him about DOI, a substance I had been experimenting with lately, he looked it up on WP and found that DOI is, in fact, a TNF α inhibitor. He now wants to try and switch from his current meds (which, he told me, have annoying side effects and are also immunosuppressants) to low-dose DOI.

Would anyone have any information, or even experience regarding this? I realize this is a highly esoteric question, and that Bluelight is not a valid source of medical information, but I thought I'd ask around, just in case.

 

[nuke]

I can tell you that no one could offer me a sum of money large enough to consider taking low doses of DOI everyday. The side effects of the drug are horrendous (no appetite, no sleep).

 

[kewagi]

Understandable, although I'm pretty sure one would develop a tolerance over time. The idea is to use a sub-effective dose. Said friend will talk about it with his doctor this week, if anything new comes up, I'll post an update.

 

[dhtns]

Understandable, although I'm pretty sure one would develop a tolerance over time. The idea is to use a sub-effective dose. Said friend will talk about it with his doctor this week, if anything new comes up, I'll post an update.

I've recently read a paper on the topic which reached a similar conclusion that a low dose would be therapeutically effective.
Did your friend actually try this? If so, I'd be interested in the results.

The paper:
Serotonin 5-Hydroxytryptamine2A Receptor Activation Suppresses Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha-Induced Inflammation with Extraordinary Potency
[PDF version]

 

[atara]

Some guy in the supplement thread said vitamin D and calcium worked really well.'

My impression is that any inhibitor of TNF-alpha is by default immunosuppressant. Furthermore, any 5-ht2a agonist should inhibit TNF-alpha, since this is the suggested mechanism by which DOI works its magic. For this reason you may wish to consider something more well-tolerated...

 

[Allein]

My first post here so please be gentle

I've suffered from Psoriasis for more than 20 years, I'm no doctor or chemist so I'll have to do some background reading on DOI.

After many years of acute suffering and as much as 40% coverage I did a course of Cyclosporine cleared the condition completely and then slowly switched onto Calcipotriene cream, religiously applied at least twice a day.

My condition is vastly improved now and maintainable, the impact on my life is greatly reduced so I haven't changed the regime in years. It's probably time I updated myself on newer treatments.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

My first post in Healthy Living too

I have had psoriasis my entire life and honestly, I have never found any drug that effectively treats my psoriasis and doesn't have major adverse side effects or health effects or high risks. I have found that changing my lifestyle and using natural remedies has provided a huge improvement. One of the main things that seems to exacerbate it is stress. Secondly, many recreational drugs can make it worse. Drinking a lot of water, eating very healthy and taking vitamins/supplements (such as Vitamin E, Fish Oil, Vitamin D, Zinc, Calcium, Magnesium, 5-HTP, etc), not bathing too often or using any harsh cleansers, and switching to gentle natural body care products has helped immensely. I use Aveda Scalp Benefits shampoo and conditioner, and a special pH balanced natural cleanser instead of soap. Coconut oil soap seems to be ok too. I also use natural deodorant (they have some great ones at The Body Shop that actually work) and only use natural hair products, nothing containing alcohol, no harsh gels or hairsprays, etc. Bathing in Epsom salts (or swimming in the ocean ) also helps. I know all this stuff takes a lot of effort and it can take a while to see the benefits, but when you are someone who was constantly made fun of about your skin and extremely flaky scalp, not to mention the pain, itching, etc, it is worth it to not have to worry about that any more and also not be putting unnecessary drugs into my body. I have other auto-immune diseases as well but I am not personally comfortable taking immunosuppressive drugs.

I know Bluelight is a drug forum and sometimes people get upset when I suggest alternatives to drugs, but I just thought I would share my experience.

As for DOI, I don't know if there has been any research into the effects or safety of using DOI therapeutically. If it inhibits TNFa, doesn't that make it an immunosuppressant? I would not be comfortable taking it on a daily basis.

There are some foods that act as natural and gentler TNF suppressants, such as green tea and turmeric.

 

[atara]

As for DOI, I don't know if there has been any research into the effects or safety of using DOI therapeutically. If it inhibits TNFa, doesn't that make it an immunosuppressant? I would not be comfortable taking it on a daily basis.

Opportunistic infections and activation of latent tuberculosis are seen with TNF-alpha inhibitors. I don't know if it would matter whether it's an antibody or a hallucinogen. There does exist some record of psilocybin and LSA being used successfully long-term for cluster headaches, without particularly serious side-effects. I do not know if the cluster headache preventing dosages are also able to inhibit TNF-alpha or if the safety generalizes to DOI (it might not). Also cluster headaches are a good bit worse than psoriasis and it's understandable that sufferers would be willing to take that risk.

With regard to omega-3 supplements, a lot of people seem to like them for a lot of inflammatory disorders, which does in fact seem to generalize to psoriasis. Among the tastier dietary sources, the fat in oysters is nearly half omega-3. I guess they're a bit more expensive than fish oil supplements...

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I believe that the method for treating cluster headaches is, when someone is experiencing one, to take a tiny dose of LSD/LSA/psilocybin once every 5 to 7 days until the headache is gone, or to take a dose right at the onset of a headache. DOI is a much greater inhibiter of TNFa than other psychedelics. I have not read anything about simple molecules being any more safe than antibodies - I would hazard a guess that side effects are correlated with a substance's strength as a TNF inhibitor. Major side effects that occur frequently with TNF inhibitors include lymphoma, infections, congestive heart failure, demyelinating disease, lupus-like syndrome, induction of auto-antibodies and systemic side effects.

 

[RhythmSpring]

I have rheumatoid arthritis, which is related to psoriasis. I take Enbrel, a TNF-alpha inhibitor, which is also used for psoriasis. Anyway, I tried micro-dosing with DOI several times for it. It would work at first, and then tolerance would build up, and the side-effects were subtly unpleasant. It was exciting to watch the inflammation recede as a result of taking something that wasn't approved by any doctor, but other than that, it's not a miracle cure.

I see DOI (and many other psychedelics, like mescaline, psilocybin, etc.) as great temporary symptomatic relief. I would *much* rather take .25mg DOI upon waking than an NSAID like Ibuprofen. The side effects of Ibuprofen are tearing up your stomach lining, taxing the liver, whereas the side effects of DOI are feeling high, energized, and with a slightly decreased appetite. I find that I can easily go to sleep on .25mg DOI. Actually, I find that my sleep, especially naps, are much more satisfying while on DOI. Hope this helps.