Silly question probably

Hi ,i was wondering how long it takes people for swelling (both knees in my case) to go fully down when taking naproxen.

I have been taking 500mg per day split in two ,morning and then 12 hours later for the last nearly four days .

I am finding it is working to some degree but its taking a very long time to see any significant difference.

Today i have been shuffling around very slowly and painfully without crutches for the first time in a week or so.

I am still in a lot of discomfort but not the same overwhealming tearful pain.

I really dont want to be taking this stuff for too long,As i was already taking the lowest dose of ibuprofen for a good 2-3 weeks before hand ,but am worried everything will just swell back up again if i attempt to stop when / if im able to walk again.

I have rheumatology in a week or so,But untill then i still dont really know whats wrong with me.

Just wondering what your experiences are with these NSAIDS .

Thank you

[kristapb99]

Naproxen can be a help with the pain and somewhat with the swelling. It is good that you have an appointment with your rheumatologist soon. If your knees are affected by rheumatoid disease or another autoimmune condition, you may need medications targeted to your specific condition. If you have not already had bloodwork, your doctor may need to run some tests to sort out what is going on. I know from personal experience how difficult life is with painful, swollen knees. It took a while to get here, but my rheumie worked with me to find the right meds - I am now on a biologic - and most days I can almost forget that I have any problems whatsoever. I do have an occasional sore joint, but not bad enough to interfere with my life. So hang in there. Make sure you tell the doctor how this is impacting your life! Eventually, it will likely be able to be much improved, but it may take some trial and error.

[Hidden in reply to kristapb99]

Thankyou for your reply ..yeah they dont seem to really be doing enough to be honest.I did start a thread a few days ago explaining my situation which is that i have come back with i think quite a high RF and raised CRP but of course ive had no real advice or conversation with a GP so kind of just been left like this for weeks not knowing .

The GP i spoke to seemed to thinkthe naproxen would sort it out but its not really.

And yep i really feel for you for your previous knee problems.Its totally debilitating isnt it.

Wonderful that you have responded well to the biologics.

Do you have any negatihe affects from them or are you feeling good now ?

[kristapb99 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I am lucky to have had such a good reaction to Enbrel. No side effects, although I do continue to take 10 mg methotrexate weekly as it is supposed to help the Enbrel to continue to work. I feel a bit tired and foggy the day I take it but not too bad as it is a low dose, and I time it so the worst effects would be while I am asleep.

Before I got the drugs worked out, my rheumie did give me some sort of steroid injection in the knee, which really reduced the swelling and pain for a couple of weeks (There was a family wedding coming up and I wanted to be ok for that). Not a long term solution but really helped in the short term. Maybe you could ask your doctor if that might be helpful in your situation. One odd thing - he just injected one knee. I asked him if he was going to do the other; he said no, it would help both. And it did!

Good luck with your dr. visit!

[Hidden in reply to kristapb99]

Oh how weird is that??? Amazing ..ahh thankyou for your reply ..im so anxious about meds so its helpful to get an idea of how others tolerate them ..

I will see what the (R) says as obviously it could be many things..i do already have autoimmune thyroid things so we shall see.

Thanks again for you positive reply and really glad you have got sorted as this is hell!lol x

[Hidden]

Naproxen is not very strong. You need to find out why your knees are swollen and take treatment for that. I hope you get some answers at the appointment. If you've had blood tests recently at your doctors the rheumatologist will use those to assist diagnosis. They will probably do more bloods and possibly x rays.

Any treatment that is pres cribed may take a while to kick in. Might be worth asking for something for the pain and swelling in the meantime. (steroids) I have good success with gel packs I keep in my freezer. I wrap in a t towel and put on my knee for 20 mins. If your knees are hot don't use wheat bags/hot water bottle as heat generates more heat. You need cool to help ease swelling.

Let us know how you get on

Take care

Kiki

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou kiki..yep tried the ice it sadly didnt do much at all.

Tonight i feel the first flushes of relief coming on ..it seemed to start happening this evening and ive felt some significant change.Got up the stairs without crying for one thing!It has taken a few days to get here but my god i feel so grateful.I also dont feel so ill and feverish and have felt like eating so somethings definitely calmimg down.The GP isnt interested in doing anything other than the naproxen until i see the rheumatologist in a weeks time.I have been like this for several weeks with no relief and only just got tbe naproxen a few days ago.So not very happy tbh.

Thanks so much for all your advice i really appreciate it ..x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

The gp can't do anything until your diagnosed and cannot prescribe the type of drugs used for inflammatory arthritis. Needs to be a specialist.

The ice needs to be done 4 times a day every day.

Keep your chin up, you're nearly there.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thanks kiki ..makes you wonder what the point of doctors actually are any more doesnt it ?

They cant seem to diagnose more complex isssues and they cant treat you either ..lol x

[joan31]

The Naproxen never worked for me the swelling did not go down. They said it was because inflammation level was so high and put me on steroids to take the swelling down faster

[Hidden in reply to joan31]

Hi joan31 ..They have been doing something definitely, just extremely slow.Im on day 5 of them now i think and im still not able to walk (just shuffle) although swelling is not as bad now ,it seems to be sliding down my legs.

And poor you ,i cant imagine how you coped waiting for them to work.

[helixhelix]

Do your knees feel squishy? As sometimes there is a lot of synovial fluid from the inflammation which takes a long time to go with just anti-inflammatorys. I had to have my knees aspirated several times before the disease was controlled enough to stop it happening.

But take photos, just in case the swelling goes down before you see the rheumatologist. And in the early days I stopped painkillers and anti-inflammatories a few days before my appointments so the doctor could see the “real” me.

[Hidden in reply to helixhelix]

Hi helixhelix thanks for your reply

No they are actually solid ,and there is no redness or anything ..And they are going down slowly ,i have also had this in my hands which did go very red and mis-shapen.

Ouch !omg how do you cope with that ?i would be screaming like a baby.

Yep thanks for the tip ,i do have a gallery of photos that i have taken over the course of months,I have multiple issues fibro, osteo ,autoimmune.

Its so hard to know whats doing what ..bit bloody miserable to be honest.

But ive never ever had anything like this with all of those conditions so (shrug)

Do hope you have things under control now x

[sylvi]

Well keep your crutches close and i wouldn't worry until you have seen the rheumy. Write down your progress as well so when you see the rheumy you have a diary of what your joints are like and your pain levels on score of between 1-10 10 being the worst pain your in. You get what i am saying. xxxxx

[Hidden in reply to sylvi]

I do sylvi thankyou ..and they are close.

The knee stuff at its worse was a good 9

But gone to about a 6- 7 now.

The worst part is the way its all round the back of the knee and down into my ham strings in my ligaments and they "snap" inside the knee cap which feels like electric shocks ..makes me feel physically sick.Ughh dont know how any of you deal with this at all .xxx

[sylvi in reply to Hidden]

Like you sweetheart we don't have a choice and i am close to tears at the moment due to the pain in my hands.xxx

[Hidden in reply to sylvi]

Im so so sorry ..i completely get it.

Why do we have to suffer so much xx

[sylvi in reply to Hidden]

I have a good old howl in hubby's arms and though the pain hasn't gone i feel brighter. My finger is splinted so here's hoping it helps.xxxx

[Hidden in reply to sylvi]

Aww ..thats good ..im on my tod so havnt got anyone to howl at except the pillow and the dog ..lol X

[-Mii]

I was on Naproxen’s daily and only thing that sorted it literally next day was injections ( steroids) in both knees and perfect ever since!.. also on Rituximab which takes a while to kick in but steroid helped that too!

[Hidden in reply to -Mii]

Hi ,and thanks, that sounds amazing (but painful)

Sometimes you do just need one course of something and it will sort it forever.

Is rituximab something you take forever ?x

[-Mii in reply to Hidden]

Yes every six months to a year!

[Hidden]

Hidden I have OA in my knees and I find a TENS machine some days works really well. Can get the amazon . I find with the knees very rare does anything work on this pain. Some do rally well with Naproxen but does nothing for me.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi ..Thankyou ..hmm never considered that ?i think it might be too painful not sure.

I have OA as well in most places so probably in my knees as well.

The naproxen has definitely taken quite a bit of the swelling down for me,but has taken days so its very slow progress.And im still having the horrible ligament snapping yanking electric shock feelings.I bought a support bandages which has really helped to give my legs some stability as they have been buckling constantly..so thats another thing to try for you if you havn't already?

[bedfordlodgers1]

I was sorry to hear how you were feeling. Some meds do cause swelling, it was Methotrexate with me, it gave me cellulitis and I had to come off them. Try and persevere but if not tell your Dr they might find something else. Stay safe

[Hidden in reply to bedfordlodgers1]

Hi sorry for such a late reply ,thanks very much I wasnt on any meds so the swelling was down to what ever it is thats wrong with me .Still none the wizer at this point.