Hi everyone Im a bit curious to know if organic supplements like ginger & turmeric or even omega 3 has helped while taken with the likes of sulfazaline or MTX.?
Has any of you nice people out there tried anything like this that has helped your RA?
Thank you in advance for any answers as this forum has been so helpfull.
Hello Ff,
Ginger has helped me. It is very good for taking down inflammation if you take it often enough. Turmeric has been shown in many studies to take down inflammation. Important to take it correctly since absorbtion not easy. Turmeric has also shown to protect the liver when on Mtx. All the best Simba
Thank you
I’d be cautious with Sulfasalazine and ginger. They are both blood thinners.
Ginger is said to be helpful for nausea while taking mtx. Turmeric is thought to be safe while on either drug just be sure not to take them at the same time. Herbs and drugs are metabolized by the liver and can either inhibit the effectiveness of your meds or enhance it! Always check with doctor/pharmacist first.
Thank you
Nothing really worked for me, but I have gut issues. I don't seem to be able to digest much. I do eat a lot of fish. I'm sure that's helpful.
I think you just have to try and see what helps you. 😁
Same here as I have a peptic ulcer so I eat alot of veg n spuds and no spicy foods. Thank you for your reply.
Hi, I’ve always taken omega 3 for years and been on lots of meds, I have recently started taking Tumeric capsules and can’t comment yet on their efficiency, but I also take folic acid, and vitamin D in the winter months, I also tried CBD oil without success. But I would always check with a professional even your pharmacy before trying something new. 🤗
Thank you
I have taken turmeric curcumin with black pepper (all in one capsule, pepper aids absorption) and Boswellia in place of NSAID since 2016. Excellent research studies showed that these two capsules are every bit as effective.
I also take MSM, boron, astaxanthin and other minerals and omega 3. My thinking is that we need to optimise health and our bodies’ ability to cope with harsh DMARD or biologic meds. 
Charisma where do you buy yr capsules of turmeric with curcumin and black pepper from? How much are they and how many do you take?
Hi Kalimera57, link to organic bought most recently. I used to always buy Swanson’s from amazon but they’re not organic and not so strong. Dose: used to take 500-800mg turmeric curcumin and 800mg Boswellia. Sometimes twice a day if stiffness was severe. Not had stiffness since 2016!
The higher strength organic via link, I will take once a day when finished my old bottle of Swanson’s. Dosing needs to be high for stiffness/inflammation associated with RD. Hope that helps!
amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07DQQ...
Thank you
Thanks Charisma. I’ve just ordered some.
Thank you
I spend the equivalent of a small mortgage every month on supplements. Curcumin, vitamin D, egg shell membrane, fish oil, flax seeds, MSM Sulfer, cannabis oil and paste. No idea if they work or not. Scared to stop now!
I use CBD oil too but find certain brand (improve Me 500mg, minimum) works better than another. Bought the paste but not used it yet.
I reserve CBD stuff for worst pain days as I cannot take Tramadol any more.
And I always tell my Rheumatology nurse/specialist what I intend to take. Nothing has so far been disapproved.
I use activated charcoal sometimes too, to ensure any toxins do not build up in gut. Timing must be at least 90 minutes away from any food/drugs/supplements, if anyone wants to try it!
You could drop flax seeds. New info on the benefits and risks. The phytoestrogen bit on flax seeds is not so good since it seems to affect estrogen levels that are often too high in relation to progesterone and this pushes towards an inflammatory state. Here is some reading.
Know what you mean about being scared to stop - I’ve been taking some things for so long now, I can’t remember why I started taking them in the first place, so I just carry on...!
Evening Primrose Oil, Omega 3, Vit B Complex, Vit D3 and Black Garlic.
I suspect many of these were for PMS, but being long past that now, maybe I ought to stop taking them or at least research whether they are of any benefit to me now.
Love black garlic but I cook with it 🤣.
I had a spell of cooking a lot with garlic and gave it credit for me never having so much as a cold for over two years. When I got a fed up of all the garlicky food, I started taking garlic tabs, eventually switching to black garlic, but now I wonder why.... old habits die hard as they say!
I’m a huge fan of Yotam Ottolenghi. Lots of his recipes use black garlic. I have to order it online though which is a pain.
I take shed loads of perscription meds now and Riveroxaban for about 4 years its a blood agent its not a thinner and been told no supplements as a lot do interfere with 'script stuff. Having recently been in hospital the pharmacist was very anxcious that I had taken nothing off 'script as had an AKI. I was supried he was interested in Tumeric and obviously Canabis it was no to both and St Johns Wort plus vitamins too. I suppose to elimate things really. So I'd be careful and only take under medical supervision just in case.
Will do Thank you
I usually check interactions online as well as with RA helpline at my Rheumatology Dept; nothing so far banned out of a list of minerals, vitamins, herbs/spices.
Perhaps the pharmacist was overly cautious?
Eg activated charcoal can help in many ways as well as drawing toxins from deep in organs eg liver. So it is recommended to leave at least 90 minutes to 120 between taking it and eating or taking any other supplements or drugs prescribed.
There is no interaction with turmeric curcumin while taking methotrexate (MTX) Hydroxychloroquine or leflunomide.
It’s very easy to find drug interactions which do include not just those with other medicines taken concurrently but also reactions/interactions with other substances.
Thank you
Hi Frankie
I am on MTX. I tried taking turmeric for a year but did not see any improvement in my condition. I cleared it with my consultant first and he said to go ahead as there were a number of studies showing good positive results. I took powdered turmeric with warm whole milk (the fat in the milk releases the curcumin) and he recommend no more that 1/4tsp a day.
However, I do feel Omega 3 worked for me. I had been taking cod liver oil since I was a baby. I then read a book on Omega 3 and found a section on the relationship between Omega 3 and fatigue. It recommended a high dose for about a month I think. Then if you felt a reduction in fatigue to then move on to the standard dose. I did feel a benefit and have been taking Omega 3 for few years now.
Joy
Thank you
Frankiefocus
Hi,
Likewise I have been given to understand that ginger is a useful addition to your diet, there are various ways & mixes for it so do check with your GP.
IKeith
Thank you
I use all of those and feel if I wasn't I would be ten times worse. Right now using heavily as I am still awaiting new biologic - just surviving on prednisone 5 mg
Thank you
I use ginger and turmeric oils to rub on places that ache, also lavender and some others mixed with a carrier oil. It helps
Thank you
Hi, I’m new at this so I shall give it my best. I have been fortunate to have a friendship with one of my previous doctors (we both moved to different places) who is an advocate for Eastern/Western treatments, or a combination of, also alternative methods (she is a licensed acupuncturist, she endorses, uses and teaches an ancient art of healing (JinShinJytsu from Japan), meditation, music, aromatherapy) the list goes on...actually I am very blessed to know her professionally as a patient and as a friend. She is equally licensed and adept at recommending Western interventions when and if deemed appropriate and acceptable to the patient. I must apologize; I am a bit complex with having nerve damage (chronic pain syndrome from a surgical trauma) therefore I see a pain specialist/anesthesiologist specialist, an internist, an orthopedic surgeon (one for my hands, the other for my feet and knees), an ophthalmologist and the rheumatologist. I have three types of arthritis (RA, Psoriatic Arthritis and the usual Osteoarthritis). The nerve damage and associated pain has been going on for the last 12 years. The RA and PsA are both delayed diagnosis’ due to a different rheumatologist’s mis-diagnosis and dismissal of my reported symptoms.
Back to the original topic; that phenomenal doctor/friend strives to stay up-dated in recent research and studies. There has recently or on-going studies on supplements to support our bodies multi and interconnected reactions to what we put inside as well as what happens out in our environment. Everything you mentioned is highly recommended (turmeric, slightly higher than recommended doses of Vitamin D (blood test will let you know), folic acid (especially if taking MTX), Vitamin C, Magnesium...) There is so much information out there that it can be very overwhelming. I read on and off-line articles and subscribe to both magazines and web-sites to include the FDA’s Alert topics. There is one fact that I know; we are unique, the diagnosis’s may not be, but how each of our bodies react to interventions, herbal supplements, supplements, food and lifestyle choices is what makes all of us unique. I am usually open to try something “new” that is plausible, I can find articles, research, studies to read and compare and inquire. I also ask my Internist for certain lab tests (some are not the usual) which gives more insight to ME, my unique chemistry. Just recently upon reading about so many foods and the choices we make; I started to do the method of eliminating some of the more controversial ones, such as bread, processed food and so on. I have discovered my love of bread 🥖 is a temptation to avoid (it gives me a headache and hurts my stomach when I reintroduced it). If you want to “try” something new such as a supplement (herbal or manufactured) you could do what I listed and/or talk with your doctor. Something that I find lacking in the medical community is nutritionists that are not only knowledgeable but trained in complementing our medical care with food choices that impact the inflammation factor in each of us, as an individual, and not always the medical book version.
I got started and just could not stop myself! I am truly sorry but I would love to chat with same or different minded individuals.
Thank you
Yup. I take ginger and turmeric and it really helps me x
Thank you Jules
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