How are you finding Taltz so far? I've been thinking about using it myself because I too suffer from psoriasis. I find it so odd that my own body seems hell bent on eating itself from the inside. Do you also get the dry skin on your scalp and under your facial hair? I've been controlling mine with shampoo and cremes. It's always worse in the winter.
I'm happy things are re-opening too. I'm probably going to venture out this week and do some hiking now that the parks are open again. I'm thinking of taking a road trip and doing some day hikes on the Appalachian trail. Any good places you'd recommend? I'd love to do some zip lining and drive into the city for some good food after. I always feel better after I spend a day in your neck of the woods.
Well it's only been a few days, but my back stiffness is the first thing that's disappearing. My skin is flaring less but it's supposed to take some time to get rid of it. Honestly I don't care much about the skin, though I have it on 10-15% of my body, it's quite extensive. Tons on my scalp and a little under the facial hair, but covering my knees, elbows, hands, and lower legs, and a few spots here and there besides. Mine is the red patch type, as opposed to the gray subtle patches. It appeared suddenly when I first went to college. I've been managing it with Eucerin intensive healing lotion for many years. IO don't mind the skin, though it's annoying, but now that it's getting into my joints, it's unacceptable. In particular my lower back has been really stiff and sore for almost a year, whenever I bend over and straighten up I have to hobble around until I can slowly stretch back up all the way, it makes me feel like an old man.
So far I don't feel any different on Taltz except that my back is way less stiff and my jolint pain is receding. It comes in an autoinjector, it skin pops you. I hate needles with a passion, such a bad phobia, but I can inject myself since it's just pressing a button. It burns going in but no big deal.
One thing is, it's really expensive from what I hear. My insurance won't cover it since I didn't try 3 different first-gen biologics first (Humira, Enbrel, and some others - my doctor said he won't prescribe those because they're like shooting a mouse with a shotgun and have a ton of really bad side effects). But Taltz has a program called "Taltz Together" where,
if you have insurance and insurance denies it, they will cover the cost except for a $25 copay for every 3 doses, for the first 36 months. And by then you can almost always get insurance to cover it because your doctor can appeal to them repeatedly and say basically, hey, this is working and improving my patient's quality of life. After 36 months, if your insurance decides to cover it, then Taltz Together will pay all of your copay except $5, so basically you pay $5 for 3 doses.
But if you just plain don't have insurance, then Taltz says sorry, you have to pay full price. Which seems insane, but I figure it's because they're willing to pay for most of a medication that they expect you to be on for life, if they know that they'll get paid by your insurance company for life eventually.