I've just been prescribed hydroxychloroquine by a reluctant rheumatologist and wanted to know how successful a combination people found it to be?
I think my rheumatologist is convinced Im trying to pull a fast one. Why anyone would want more RA meds prescribed is beyond me, but it is such a fight to 'prove' I'm ill enough to warrant treatment. I've been on methotrexate 15mgs for over 6 months with some improvement in that Im not getting any flares and my CRP and ESR are back to normal, but I'm exhausted and take painkillers for pain in my hands and feet. I've been taking 20mgs prednisalone for the last couple of months so that I could get back to work, but despite that my rheumatologist is suggesting my problem is down to OA . I do have a couple of fingers with OA on both hands but the pain is quite different. I feel fobbed off and not believed or listened to.
At my last visit he prescribed hydroxychloroquine, but said I won't qualify for biologics ( I didn't ask for them so a random thing to say?) He also said that the RA meds won't make any difference to my fatigue.
So Im desperate for this combination of meds to work as I don't feel very hopeful I'll get any more help without a fight! My anti CCP is 298 and RF 35 so this really isn't my imagination. I'm feeling very dispirited and hopeless about my treatment and even my friends and family are saying, well maybe it's OA. He's also ordered an ultrasound to see if there's any inflammation present, but selected my left hand and as Im left handed and have more OA, I can only think he's trying to prove the point!