Treatment

Treatment usually begins with medications that are intended to suppress blister formation. It's generally more effective when it begins as early as possible. If use of a drug triggered your condition, stopping use of it may be enough to clear up your pemphigus.

Medications

The following prescription medications may be used alone or in combination, depending on the type and severity of your pemphigus and whether you have other medical conditions:

• Corticosteroids. For people with mild disease, corticosteroid cream may be enough to control it. For others, the mainstay of treatment is an oral corticosteroid, such as prednisone pills.

  Using corticosteroids for a long time or in high doses may cause serious side effects, including diabetes, bone loss, an increased risk of infection, stomach ulcers and a redistribution of body fat, leading to a round face (moon face).

• Steroid-sparing immunosuppressant drugs. Medications such as azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan), mycophenolate (Cellcept) and cyclophosphamide help keep your immune system from attacking healthy tissue. They may have serious side effects, including increased risk of infection.
• Other medications. If first-line drugs aren't helping you, your doctor may suggest another drug, such as dapsone, intravenous immunoglobulin or rituximab (Rituxan).

Many people get better with treatment, although it may take years. Others need to take a lower dose of medication indefinitely to prevent their signs and symptoms from returning. And some people need treatment in a hospital — for example, to care for severe or infected sores.