Vitamins to help RA

[Darnell1970]

does anyone know any vitamins that are supposed to be good for RA that I could start till I can see the rheumatologist thanks in advance

[Hidden]

This is what I've found to be most essential.

D3, B-Complex, Calcium/Magnesium, probiotics, MSM & Glucosamine

[Ali_H]

Hi Darnell,

Before starting taking supplements it would be worth asking your GP for blood tests to test your Vit D levels, B vitamins and iron levels, go for thyroid and cholesterol levels as well whilst you’re at it!! Also before your specialist appointment it would be useful if they did a chest X-ray because the most common first med is methotrexate but they won’t prescribe until they’ve check your lungs - getting the X-ray up front will help move things along. Also feet and hand X-rays to check for any erosion is helpful for your rheumy - my GP did all these up front and so should yours considering the messing around you’ve suffered re not being listened to. If you go to your GP take a third person with you and a list of things you want written down and why you want them - the third person helps get a more focused response (sad but usually true!).

As you have been suffering with your hands ask to be referred to an occupational therapist who will assess your hands and may prescribe splints to be worn at times (I was given a pair of soft splints to wear when doing heavy work like gardening and bed making). They will give good advice on how to protect your hand joints like opening a jar with your left and and closing it with your right hand as that way you are pushing forward with your thumb joint and not pulling against it.

Ask to see a podiatrist who will assess your feet and refer onto orthotics if they think insoles will help... I have been given a soft pair of insoles with dips where my big toe joints sit which takes the weight off these joints and makes both walking and standing more comfortable.... you don’t need to wait for your rheumy appointment to have any of these provisions made as your GP can refer direct to each department.

Stewed apples are a good anti inflammatory as is tumaric and ginger. I try to eat stewed apples with fresh ginger and plain yoghurt most days and I take turmeric capsules twice a day. A fish, flaxseed or evening primrose oil supplement may also help (I take flaxseed for my dry eye as I am allergic to shell fish and most fish oils have some shell fish in them).

All the best

Ali

[AgedCrone in reply to Ali_H]

Are you in the US Ali?

In the UK on the NHS, you can't just pop along & ask your GP to sanction all sorts of tests until you have been diagnosed with a condition that requires them.

You can go along & have them privately at considerable expense, but if you don't have a diagnosis... How do you know what you need?

[Darnell1970 in reply to AgedCrone]

Yea I sure am in the US

[AgedCrone in reply to Darnell1970]

I lived in NY for a while, luckily pre having RA....I have friends there now who do have R A & their treatment seems very similar to here in UK.......except they are able see their rheumatologist whenever they need to......on our NHS we have far too few rheumatology consultants.....therefore we have long waits between checkups unless we opt for private treatment.

Do hope you are not diagnosed with this very disturbing disease,but if you are keep posting.......between everyone who posts on here I think we cover most eventualities!

[Darnell1970 in reply to AgedCrone]

Thanks so much such an awesome site

[Darnell1970 in reply to Ali_H]

Thank you so much I need to start eating healthier I don’t really sit and eat junk food I’m bad for skipping meals not that you can tell it but lately I just don’t have much of a appetite if I do crave something it’s mt eggs and toast before breakfast and I’m sure that is prolly bad for me 😥 but I do eat a lot of fruit I eat yogurt not everyday but a lot I love popcorn sure that’s not good I just got to find out what I can eat and what I can’t my only problem is if I don’t eat good at breakfast I have no energy what so ever

[AgedCrone]

In word Darnell.....No!

Until you have seen a rheumatologist and had some blood tests analysed there is no point wasting your money on over-the-counter remedies. As long as you have a good healthy diet, until your rheumatologist prescribes some treatment your best option is not to get overtired or stressed.

Hopefully you will not have RA....but if you have painful swollen joints & smoke......the very best thing you can do is to stop....smoking is really bad for all auto immune diseases.

Sorry but there is no magic Vitamin for RA...if there was we'd all be taking it!

[Darnell1970 in reply to AgedCrone]

Yea I know it’s a sad disease I have a friend that has it we don’t get to see each other often cause of the distance but she has been on the infusions for years and no I don’t smoke at all

[Ali_H]

Yes I do live in the U.K. and I asked for what I wanted stating why and got it!

My GP did the necessary X-rays before my rheumy appointment and my rheumy was chuffed because it meant that we could just crack on and start treating the condition - I started having symptoms in the April by the end of June my GP was sure it was RA and I would have seen my rheumy in August but she was away at the beginning of the month and I was booked to be away mid August so we settled for the second of September. And not a private consultation in sight - I can not fault my GP or the nhs at all!

I keep all my consultations very focused and know what I want to ask or suggest and why before I go in. I check my blood results on line via Patient Access and log them in my monitoring book that way I don’t have to use surgery time unless there is an anomaly in the results.

Ali

[AgedCrone in reply to Ali_H]

You were very fortunate with your GP. I was told when I first went to my GP that at my age (then in my 50's) "you must expect aches & pains - take an aspirin!"

I took myself off to a private rheumatologist (referred by a doctor friend) & never saw that GP again .......after being diagnosed with Sero+RA!

it's a minefield, now made worse by budgetary confines- to get a referral..if it's cheap you get it....if not it's often the aspirin referral!

Glad you are happy with your treatment.

[Darnell1970 in reply to AgedCrone]

Yea sadly a lot of people get done that way I was showing her my hands and feet and told her they were killing me and could she see if she could refer me to a specialist so she said let me get some blood work and give you a call so all the blood panel for RA were all very elevated I i know one was 88 I think normal on it was less than20 or something and another was 50 something and normal was 1.8 and I can’t remember the other 3 but were all elevated when she called said she was getting me an appointment I really love my gp I see went to school with her and known her all my life she is awesome 👏

[nomoreheels]

Hiya Darnell. Am I guessing right that you're not in the UK? I only ask as unless they're needed it may be best to leave supplementing vitamins until or unless they're needed. The only way to check what you're deficient in is to be tested, so you could ask your primary care doctor to test for the vitamins you were considering buying. It's throwing good money after bad if you're supplementing something you've no need to.

It could also throw out any testing toward diagnosis too. Things like Vitamin D or calcium may also hamper diagnosing other comorbidities, osteoporosis specifically. Your PC should be able to determine what's necessary in the lead up to your diagnostic appointment.

I hope you've not too long to wait. I would think you've been prescribed pain relief & an NSAID or anti inflammatory. If so it's a good idea to stop them a few days before your Rheumy appointment, he needs to see your inflammation at it's worst, your pain too for when he palapates your joints for the DAS 28, a Rheumatology-specific test for joints to discern your severity of disease activity.

Keep posting here if it helps, we'll be happy to help with anything leading up to & following your appointment. Hopefully, if you do have an RD the diagnosis will be straight forward & you'll start treatment as unfortunately the meds (DMARDs) aren't fast acting, they can take around 12 weeks to work fully. Once they do though I hope you'll be starting to feel a whole lot better. 😊

[Darnell1970 in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you so much for all the information stuff like this really helps and I am on my 800 ibuprofen and I do have pain meds where I have other problems with my back and neck surgery so thank GOD for those

[nomoreheels in reply to Darnell1970]

Oh good. I'm sure they will be helping.

[Darnell1970]

Yes that makes sense to wait and thanks for letting me know that. I am in the US I did find out that my gp will have already send my blood work to the rheumatologist and after he sees you they have the X-ray am the scans there in the office and the dr goes over them then he sees you again that same day so I’m hoping I can get my appointment pretty fast waiting on insurance to ok the appointment

[sylvi]

I take, omega 3 fish oils,glaucosomaine, turmeric,vit d. Heavens i can't remember the rest.xxx

[Darnell1970 in reply to sylvi]

Bless you are you doing ok I mean I know there are bad days and worse days I’m not gonna say a good day cause I don’t know how that feels hope you are well

[sylvi in reply to Darnell1970]

No day is a good day with ra darling. There less pain days and i am ok thank you for asking.xxxx

[dbestdeb]

Fish oil and turmeric are the two I would start with, both recommended by my rheumatologist. Also cut out as much bread and other wheat products as you can from your diet. For me, they are hugely inflammatory. Good luck!

[Darnell1970 in reply to dbestdeb]

So like no bread of any kind I love my daily sandwich but I really don’t eat a whole lot and I won’t lie I don’t eat healthy especially since all this pain came on last year I don’t feel like cooking so it’s usually just some soup in the evening and eggs and toast for breakfast and then some fruit at night sometime I eat potato chips they are my favorite snack I’m sure this is not good for me I need to look up but I’m a very picky eater always have been I love vegetable but not a lot of different ones

[dbestdeb]

I rarely eat wheat products like bread or pasta because I know that I will pay a price in pain and stiffness the next day. Not everyone is the same though. I would say don’t eat any for a couple of weeks and then have some. If you notice a difference, you’ll know you’re sensitive to it like me. Others find they are sensitive to sugar, beef, coffee, and any number of other things. I won’t say that diet offers a cure, but it can lessen the inflammatory response which translates to less pain.

[Darnell1970]

Ok will try that I love my coffee that is one of the things I truly look forward too is getting my coffee and sitting on the porch