Remission in Psoriatic Arthritis: Miracle, Myth or Reality?

By Diane T

2 min read

Have you ever found yourself daydreaming about a pain-free life? How about even a day with limited pain? Well, then you've gotten lost in happy thoughts about PsA remission.

Remission is the state of any disease where you experience little to no severe symptoms. Amazing, right? For people like us, it sounds like heaven. But is it even possible?

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My own journey with psoriatic arthritis remission...

Achieving remission with PsA is possible. How do I know this? Well, I experienced it - during a time in my life before I was on a biologic treatment. That said - and as you can guess, remission didn't last forever.

My own journey with remission was quite rigorous and different for everyone. I am proud to share my journey and experience to hopefully give you some faith and insight on your own journey.

A joint partnership with my doctor

It was during an emergency visit to my doctor. I was complaining about my joint pain. It was getting worse and I just couldn’t take it anymore. He said, “If you want to escape permanent disability and joint damage, let's make a plan.”

The plan my doctor gave was a regimented medication schedule with two regular check-ups a month. Within the first month, we did not see much progress. So, my doctor increased the dosage of my medication. During the second month, I got some relief from the joint pain and my nails started getting into a better shape.

During the third month, the joint pain came back and pinned me to my bed. I was really disappointed and lost all of my motivation.

Emotional support can make all the difference

My doctor motivated me. He offered emotional support and encouraged me to continue. I reflected. If not this, what other options do I have? Tolerate miserable joint pain? Realizing this, I continued my plan even more strictly.

The doses of my medications were increased during the fourth month and boom, during the sixth month, I was like “What joint pain? Is this is a miracle?”

Do you know what kept me strong and upright during this journey? My determination and faith. Along with this, my doctor made sure I didn’t fall at any point and if I did, he supported me.

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Remission doesn't have to be the finish line

I know we are all different and that we all react to medications differently. Remission doesn't have to be the finish line. In fact, there is no finish line - this race is our lifestyle.

We have to take the medication to withhold disease progression, bone damage, and the hope of remission. I will also mention that drug-free remission is also possible but very rare.

My dear psoriatic arthritis survivors, begin this journey with a lot of positivity, faith, and strength. My remission only lasted a few months, but it was a wonderful few months. I wish you continued hope and pain-free days as you daydream and one day may receive remission. Good luck on this journey.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Psoriatic-Arthritis.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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grace Member
Im finally experiencing “almost” no pains from my 5 year debilitating PSA tendon attacks and sadly it’s taken both Cosentyx and Otezla to make this happen….. Im finally able to walk up to 3 miles which is a long way from when I was hardly able to walk 3 steps. I also made a purchased for a massage gun from Amazon (Olsky) its been the smartest purchase Ive ever made for my PSA and use it religiously after my walks or if my tendons start to act up… it helps a lot and only cost me $50.00. 
1. Lori.Foster Community Admin
 Hi <inline-mention username="grace" user-id="3290201"/>. Though it's been a long journey, I am so glad you are nearly pain free. I hope you only feel better over time. I bought that same massage gun for my twins, who run track and cross-country. It's awesome. Worth every penny. Wishing you the best! - Lori (Team Member)
fearlesswarrior Member
Thanks for sharing your story! This gives me great hope. I admire everyone's strength to get through our daily struggles. I do agree that faith and positivity are so important. I started a biologic and started seeing improvements. I recently had a very bad day and lost some of my motivation, but I talked to my therapist and she has been so instrumental in maintaining a positive attitude and allowing myself grace for those bad days. I also have a very supportive partner, and that helps too. We can do this! 
1. Lori.Foster Community Admin
 I am glad you have so much support from both your partner and your therapist, <inline-mention username="fearlesswarrior" user-id="4255700"/>. It's easy to get depressed when you are in pain every day and so important to reach out. I hope the biologic brings you lots of relief. If not, know that there are plenty others out there you can try. Keep us posted if you feel comfortable doing so. Wishing you the best! - Lori (Team Member)
Mary Lynn Member
 Diane T, can I just say that you are a woman that lives out grace. I needed this article today. In spite of a variety of medication and lifestyle changes, I have yet to be in remission and can end up feeling like a failure. Your comment that remission doesn't have to be our finish line made me feel a whole lot better. I will do this the best that I can and I can allow that to be good enough 😀 
1. Diane T Moderator & Contributor
 Hello <inline-mention username="Mary Lynn" user-id="4513411"/> , Thanks so much for the kind words. If I was to wait for remission; my whole life would be gone. I just turned 66 last week, and I want to share what I have learned. Don't get me wrong, there have been many of tears on this journey, but I dried them up and had to figure out how can I help the generations of today. This illness won't end with me and remission doesn't have to be our finish line. The one thing that makes me happy is that so many more young adults know about this disease. Back in the 60's, we couldn't find a doctor with the knowledge of PsA. We have come so far. Thanks for sharing some of your journey with us. We would love to hear more. Diane (Team Member)
debhib91 Member
May I ask what medication you were taking during remission? I'm currently on my 5th biologic. I've also tried several DMARDS such as methotrexate. I also take prednisone. Prednisone is the only thing that has ever helped my pain aside from Tramadol, but I have to take breaks from both as I develop tolerance to them. The side effects are bad too. I'm 3 months into Skyrizi now with no help for the pain. Just saw my rheumy and she said we need to stay with it until 6 months is up. To me that just means 3 more months with no relief. My CRP level was also quite high which hasn't happened with the other bios. I'm feeling really discouraged at this point and wondering if I've even been misdiagnosed or have something in addition to PsA. Surely something would have worked by now. I'm really scared that I'm just going to get worse and worse to the point where I won't be able to work. Already, I can't keep up with housework and laundry. Home is a wreck. No energy for anything but work. Sorry for the long vent. At this point, I'd sell my first born child for a chance at remission (kidding but...)
1. Diane T Moderator & Contributor
 Hello <inline-mention username="debhib91" user-id="8766917"/> , Thanks for sharing some of your journey with us. I have had psoriatic disease for 60 years, so I understand. I just started taking Skyrizi too. I am in my 4th month. This will be biologic number 8 in 20 years. Yes, you will have lots of ups and downs with this illness. We are all different and won't react to medications the same way, but I do want to say you stay strong. Don't sell your firstborn, if I had I wouldn't have had my beautiful 6 grandkids and my great grand-baby. If you feel you have been misdiagnosed, get a 2nd opinion. Because of the era I grew up in, I was told all my pain was in my head. It took 25 years to get the right diagnosis. You do have to give biologics time to work. My doctor added Methotrexate to help with the pain. There were days I couldn't get out of bed. I know this is hard right now but take baby steps. I don't know what type of work you do but ask for help at your job if you can. Also, something that I have been doing for over 40 years, right before bedtime is to take 10 to 15 minutes to do as much cleaning up as possible. (if you have the energy) It can be as small as picking up something, wiping down the bathroom, or putting things back where they belong. Of course, this doesn't work for everyone, but it helps keep my home tidy. I hope you find some relief soon. Don't get discouraged. Make sure to stay in contact with your healthcare team. You are not alone. Diane (Team Member)
2. Diane T Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="debhib91" user-id="8766917"/> I believe I was on Taltz when I went into remission along with Methotraxate. Diane (Team Member)
debhib91 Member
Thank you Diane! I always enjoy your articles and find them very helpful. I've only been dealing with pain for 13 years and never really had any skin issues so I know I've been very lucky. I was first dx with fibromyalgia. 7 years in my MD referred me to Rheumatology and I had positive ANA and high CRP and ESR. My rheumy said that doesn't happen with fibromyalgia and tried me on prednisone. It was the first time I'd felt normal in nearly a decade. It was like a miracle. But of course prednisone is like a siren song. Makes me feel great, but so bad for me in the long run. I have tried Taltz which didn't help. I've also tried Humira, Stelara, and Rinvoq (which did help some but made my cholesterol go way up). Skyrizi has at least not caused any outbreaks of pustular psoriasis on my hands like Stelara did. I think Skyrizi is probably really good for skin issues. Thank you for all your words of wisdom. I know I need to be patient. I'm just not a very patient patient : ) It helps a lot to know that I'm not alone in this though.
1. Diane T Moderator & Contributor
 Hello <inline-mention username="debhib91" user-id="8766917"/> , You made me laugh out loud!! I'm not patient either. There's not a day that goes by that my grown kids or husband don't tell me to calm down. I just roll my eyes at them now!! I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia too. This was years ago. They put me on some crazy medication that made me have hallucinations!! That was the end of that. We will get through this together. Thanks for sharing so much of your journey with us. It is so helpful to people who are new to this illness and the ones who don't know what can happen when we do have it. Thanks for the kind words. Diane (Team Member)