The Best OTC Psoriasis Treatments When Your Medication Runs Out

If you ever find yourself without your prescription, finding effective over-the-counter options becomes crucial. Here are some products you can find at your pharmacy and some alternative methods to consider.

If you’ve been living with psoriasis long enough, you may have experienced the pesky problem of running out of your prescription meds before insurance is willing to pick up the tab again. Or maybe things have been tight this month and you need to put off getting your medications.

Whatever your reasons, if you find that you’ve run out of prescription medications for psoriasis, you may be wondering which over-the-counter (OTC) treatments will work best.

Types of OTC psoriasis products

Treatments — even prescription medications and topicals — can’t cure psoriasis, but they can help manage symptoms such as itchiness, scaling, and discomfort.

You don’t need a prescription from your doctor to get OTC psoriasis products, and chances are good that you can find these products both at your local pharmacy and online.

Products that help with psoriasis often contain ingredients such as coal tar, hydrocortisone, salicylic acid, and urea. Some contain similar active ingredients to prescription products but have different formulas and strengths.

Like prescription psoriasis products, OTC options come in a variety of forms, such as:

• bath solutions
• lotions
• gels
• creams
• foams
• shampoos
• oils

But before you start using a new OTC product for psoriasis, you should probably contact a doctor who is familiar with your condition. You may want to let them know that you no longer have the prescription, how long you expect to be out of it, and whether there are any issues with the medication that make you hesitant to restart it.

In addition to potentially helping you find new treatment options, they may be able to recommend specific OTC treatments that could work best for your needs.

Coal tar

Coal tar is a common active ingredient in OTC treatments for psoriasis. It’s made with a combination of pine wood and coal.

It offers several potential benefits to psoriasis, including:

• slowing skin growth
• smoothing your skin
• reducing itch, scaling, and inflammation

The effectiveness of coal tar often depends on the concentration. In general, the higher the concentration, the more effective it is. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends concentrations of 0.5% to 5%.

While coal tar can be effective for treating psoriasis, it can also cause several possible side effects, including skin redness, dryness, and irritation. It can also stain clothing and linens.

Coal tar can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun, which means you may want to avoid exposure to direct sunlight for up to 24 hours after applying it.

Salicylic acid

Salicylic acid in OTC products is FDA-approved to treat psoriasis in concentrations of 1.8% to 3%. 

It’s a type of keratolytic (peeling) agent that lifts the outer layer of your skin. When used for psoriasis, salicylic acid helps remove scales, leaving your skin softer and smoother.

Salicylic acid can lead to side effects, particularly at higher concentrations. Possible side effects include:

• skin irritation (stinging, peeling, or burning)
• dry skin
• dizziness
• nausea and vomiting
• headache
• ringing in your ears
• absorption of too much of the product if you use it over large areas
• weakened hair shafts, potentially leading to areas of temporary baldness

Bath additives

While you shouldn’t take a bath that lasts longer than 15 minutes, several bath additives can help relieve psoriasis symptoms. Some people experience smoother skin and itch relief when they add products such as oils, Epsom salts, Dead Sea salt, and oatmeal to their bathwater.

Immediately after a bath, make sure to apply moisturizers to your skin.

Moisturizers

Preventing your skin from drying out can help relieve psoriasis symptoms such as itchiness and redness and help your skin heal.

The National Psoriasis Foundation suggests using heavy creams and ointments to help trap in moisture. You could also use shortening or cooking oils as an alternative.

Here are some tips on using moisturizers:

• Use them after you take a shower or bath, after washing your hands, and after prolonged water exposure.
• Look for fragrance- and dye-free moisturizers.
• Pair them with moisturizing soaps.

Anti-itch creams

Anti-itch creams provide temporary relief to itchy patches of skin. Active ingredients approved for use with psoriasis include:

• diphenhydramine hydrochloride (HCl)
• calamine
• camphor
• benzocaine
• menthol
• hydrocortisone

While potentially helpful, these products may increase the risk of drying out your skin and causing irritation.

Occlusion

“Occlusion” refers to covering your skin. Some products, like moisturizers, may work well when covered. Occlusion may help increase their effectiveness and increase the amount of the product that absorbs into your skin.

Often, occlusion involves applying a topical cream or ointment to an area of psoriasis plaques and then covering the area with a wrap for a short time. The wrap material can be:

• a waterproof dressing
• plastic wrap
• a nylon suit
• cotton socks
• cellophane

But make sure to talk with your doctor before using a wrap with an OTC product.

Scale lifters

Scale lifters (also called keratolytics) help loosen and remove scaling. This can lead to fewer scales and smoother skin and can help medication reach under your skin.

Some scale lifters are designed for body use and others for scalp use. The ones for scalp use tend to be stronger and may be too strong for other areas of your body.

Scale lifters may contain one of the following ingredients:

• lactic acid
• urea
• salicylic acid
• phenol

Other options

People swear by a variety of other OTC products to help with psoriasis. Many of these products contain natural ingredients, but they’re often not well studied or well understood.

This means their effectiveness can vary greatly between people, and they may not be safe for everyone.

Ingredients that people have used to try to ease psoriasis symptoms include capsaicin, jojoba, zinc pyrithione, and aloe vera.

“Natural” does not automatically mean safe. Before trying a natural remedy or a product with natural ingredients, consider talking with your doctor to see whether they’ve heard of it or recommend its use.

The takeaway

Several OTC products can help manage psoriasis symptoms and provide temporary relief. They come in a variety of forms and contain different active ingredients.

Before using a new product, you should strongly consider talking with a doctor who is familiar with your medical history. They may be able to recommend products and ingredients that will work well for you.