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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThe goal of bullous pemphigoid treatment is usually to reduce inflammation — thereby easing the symptoms — and suppressing the autoimmune response in your skin.
- Corticosteroids. Corticosteroids help relieve inflammation. You can take corticosteroids as a pill (oral) or as a cream that you spread on the surface of your skin (topical). Most people with bullous pemphigoid need to take oral corticosteroids at least in the beginning of therapy.
- Immunosuppressants. These drugs, such as azathioprine (Imuran) and mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept), help calm the autoimmune response in your skin, which reduces inflammation.
- Corticosteroid-sparing agents. Drugs that help reduce the dosage or the need for continued use of corticosteroids are referred to as "corticosteroid-sparing." Examples include dapsone and tetracycline medications, as well as immunosuppressant drugs in more severe cases.
With therapy, bullous pemphigoid usually disappears within one and a half to five years. Left untreated, the condition may disappear spontaneously, but it can take as long as six to 10 years to disappear completely.
