Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsClobex SprayCyclosporineHumiraOther BiologicsPhototherapy

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Clobex Spray

Cyclosporine

Humira

Other Biologics

Phototherapy

A few treatments are known to help clear psoriasis symptoms fast, such as Clobex spray, cyclosporine, and Humria. When choosing a psoriasis treatment, however, also consider other factors like side effects, cost, and your healthcare provider’s recommendations.

BURGER / Getty Images

Woman scratching her hand

Clobex spray is a spray version of clobetasol, a potentcorticosteroid. According to the manufacturer, the spray version of this drug can help relievesymptomsfaster than other versions.

In studies, eight out of 10 patients with moderate-to-severeplaque-type psoriasis were clear or almost clear after just four weeks oftreatment.Unfortunately, however, this drug is not safe to use for more than four weeks. After that, you’ll need to switch to something else.

Side effects of Clobex spray are similar to those of other topical corticosteroids and include:

With the short course approved, these problems are less likely to occur. Not that Clobex spray is not for children, nor for use on the face, underarms, or groin area.

Neoral (cyclosporine) is more commonly used for organ transplant patients as an anti-rejection drug but is sometimes used in psoriasis. Neoral is available in both pill and liquid form.

Cyclosporine can work quickly to treat psoriasis, with some improvement noted within the first week in many patients.

The side effects of the drug are very dose-dependent. In other words, the higher doses that lead to rapid improvement also result in a quicker onset of side effects. Side effects can be serious and may include:

Psoriasis patients with a history ofPUVAtreatment have a higher risk of developing skin cancer while using cyclosporine.Biologics, which appear to have a safer risk-to-benefit ratio compared to cyclosporine, have more or less supplanted this drug for psoriasis in most patients.

Humira (adalimumab) is a commonly prescribed biologic treatment for psoriasis. Some studies have found it to be more effective than other biologic drugs prescribed to treat psoriasis.

Humira was previously approved for psoriatic arthritis at a dose of one injection every other week. When the drug was approved for use in peoplecoping with psoriasis, a dose was added which essentially called for two additional doses of the drug over the first week of treatment.This change greatly accelerated the improvement seen in psoriasis versus the previous dosing schedule.

Humira may increase the risk of severe infection or malignancy. Fortunately, as more and more data comes to light, these risks are appearing to be less worrisome than originally anticipated some years ago.

Other biologic medications are available for treating psoriasis. Generally speaking, biologics are typically prescribed when first-line treatments haven’t worked.

Some of these medications include:

What can I put on psoriasis overnight?There are no treatments that will cure psoriasis overnight, but it can help to apply an ointment-based moisturizer to your skin and wrap with plastic wrap. This will help loosen scales so they can be washed away after unwrapping.

What can I put on psoriasis overnight?

There are no treatments that will cure psoriasis overnight, but it can help to apply an ointment-based moisturizer to your skin and wrap with plastic wrap. This will help loosen scales so they can be washed away after unwrapping.

Phototherapy can be used to treat stable psoriatic lesions. There are a few different types of phototherapy treatments, including:

These therapies may take a few weeks to a few months to work, and results can vary depending on the treatment used and the type of psoriasis you have. Exposure to UV radiation also has risks such as photoaging, cataracts, and skin cancer.

Summary

It can take time for psoriasis symptoms to improve, but some therapies have been shown to work faster than others. Talk to your healthcare provider about the topical corticosteroid Clobex, cyclosporine, or a biologic medication such as Humira. These medications help clear up psoriasis relatively quickly in some people.

10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.GALDERMA LABORATORIES, L.P.CLOBEX® (clobetasol propionate) Spray, 0.05% [packaging label].National Library of Medicine.Clobetasol topical.Einarsdottir MJ, Bankvall M, Robledo-Sierra J, et al.Topical clobetasol treatment for oral lichen planus can cause adrenal insufficiency.Oral Dis. 2024;30(3):1304-1312. doi:10.1111/odi.14588National Psoriasis Foundation.Cyclosporine.Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.NEORAL® Soft Gelatin Capsules (cyclosporine capsules, USP) MODIFIED NEORAL® Oral Solution (cyclosporine oral solution, USP) MODIFIED [packaging label].Sator P.Safety and tolerability of adalimumab for the treatment of psoriasis: a review summarizing 15 years of real-life experience.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2018;9(8):147-158. doi:10.1177/2040622318772705AbbVie Inc.HUMIRA® (adalimumab) injection, for subcutaneous use [packaging insert].American Academy of Dermatology Association.Psoriasis treatment: Biologics.National Psoriasis Foundation.Over-the-counter topicals.Zhang P, Wu MX.A clinical review of phototherapy for psoriasis.Lasers Med Sci. 2018;33(1):173-180. doi:10.1007/s10103-017-2360-1Additional ReadingAlthough the above-mentioned drugs seem fast, few studies comparing them to other drugs have been done. Drug companies rarely do comparison studies of their drugs versus another (rather they like to test versus aplacebo). So for the time being it’s more a matter of perceived speed than hard, cold facts.Source:

10 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.GALDERMA LABORATORIES, L.P.CLOBEX® (clobetasol propionate) Spray, 0.05% [packaging label].National Library of Medicine.Clobetasol topical.Einarsdottir MJ, Bankvall M, Robledo-Sierra J, et al.Topical clobetasol treatment for oral lichen planus can cause adrenal insufficiency.Oral Dis. 2024;30(3):1304-1312. doi:10.1111/odi.14588National Psoriasis Foundation.Cyclosporine.Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.NEORAL® Soft Gelatin Capsules (cyclosporine capsules, USP) MODIFIED NEORAL® Oral Solution (cyclosporine oral solution, USP) MODIFIED [packaging label].Sator P.Safety and tolerability of adalimumab for the treatment of psoriasis: a review summarizing 15 years of real-life experience.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2018;9(8):147-158. doi:10.1177/2040622318772705AbbVie Inc.HUMIRA® (adalimumab) injection, for subcutaneous use [packaging insert].American Academy of Dermatology Association.Psoriasis treatment: Biologics.National Psoriasis Foundation.Over-the-counter topicals.Zhang P, Wu MX.A clinical review of phototherapy for psoriasis.Lasers Med Sci. 2018;33(1):173-180. doi:10.1007/s10103-017-2360-1Additional ReadingAlthough the above-mentioned drugs seem fast, few studies comparing them to other drugs have been done. Drug companies rarely do comparison studies of their drugs versus another (rather they like to test versus aplacebo). So for the time being it’s more a matter of perceived speed than hard, cold facts.Source:

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

GALDERMA LABORATORIES, L.P.CLOBEX® (clobetasol propionate) Spray, 0.05% [packaging label].National Library of Medicine.Clobetasol topical.Einarsdottir MJ, Bankvall M, Robledo-Sierra J, et al.Topical clobetasol treatment for oral lichen planus can cause adrenal insufficiency.Oral Dis. 2024;30(3):1304-1312. doi:10.1111/odi.14588National Psoriasis Foundation.Cyclosporine.Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.NEORAL® Soft Gelatin Capsules (cyclosporine capsules, USP) MODIFIED NEORAL® Oral Solution (cyclosporine oral solution, USP) MODIFIED [packaging label].Sator P.Safety and tolerability of adalimumab for the treatment of psoriasis: a review summarizing 15 years of real-life experience.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2018;9(8):147-158. doi:10.1177/2040622318772705AbbVie Inc.HUMIRA® (adalimumab) injection, for subcutaneous use [packaging insert].American Academy of Dermatology Association.Psoriasis treatment: Biologics.National Psoriasis Foundation.Over-the-counter topicals.Zhang P, Wu MX.A clinical review of phototherapy for psoriasis.Lasers Med Sci. 2018;33(1):173-180. doi:10.1007/s10103-017-2360-1

GALDERMA LABORATORIES, L.P.CLOBEX® (clobetasol propionate) Spray, 0.05% [packaging label].

National Library of Medicine.Clobetasol topical.

Einarsdottir MJ, Bankvall M, Robledo-Sierra J, et al.Topical clobetasol treatment for oral lichen planus can cause adrenal insufficiency.Oral Dis. 2024;30(3):1304-1312. doi:10.1111/odi.14588

National Psoriasis Foundation.Cyclosporine.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.NEORAL® Soft Gelatin Capsules (cyclosporine capsules, USP) MODIFIED NEORAL® Oral Solution (cyclosporine oral solution, USP) MODIFIED [packaging label].

Sator P.Safety and tolerability of adalimumab for the treatment of psoriasis: a review summarizing 15 years of real-life experience.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2018;9(8):147-158. doi:10.1177/2040622318772705

AbbVie Inc.HUMIRA® (adalimumab) injection, for subcutaneous use [packaging insert].

American Academy of Dermatology Association.Psoriasis treatment: Biologics.

National Psoriasis Foundation.Over-the-counter topicals.

Zhang P, Wu MX.A clinical review of phototherapy for psoriasis.Lasers Med Sci. 2018;33(1):173-180. doi:10.1007/s10103-017-2360-1

Although the above-mentioned drugs seem fast, few studies comparing them to other drugs have been done. Drug companies rarely do comparison studies of their drugs versus another (rather they like to test versus aplacebo). So for the time being it’s more a matter of perceived speed than hard, cold facts.Source:

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?