I wonder if different meds do different things:
when I was first diagnosed I had never felt 'fatigue' but within weeks I started to experience it. Thinking about though, I haven't had that feeling for a long time. I'm waiting to start mtx, took sulfa. for a very short time but it gave me a constant headache, but I am still taking hydroxychloroquine (which I was prescribed straight away) and I wonder if it is doing 'something'.
I was wondering this, if your DMARDS are working does the fatigue go ?
I can't be sure but I'm beginning to think that without hydroxychloroquine things would a lot worse. There was a time I began to doubt the wisdom of carrying on with it but actually it's not doing any harm and may even be having some effect on disease or at least symptoms.
Myself personally feels when my ra is not controlled properly,eg when the meds fail to work properly or if I have a flair that my fatigue gets worse.
Each drug targets a different facet of the disease...but what makes A nauseous can make B feel great.
That is why finding the right selection of meds can take so long.
As soon as the One Stop Drug is discovered....we shall all be “cured”!
Before I got my diagnosis I didn't really recognize that I suffered with fatigue, I just thought I was getting older and out of condition! but then as I got more knowledgeable and started to keep a diary of symptoms I was able to realize it. I tried MTX for 6 months first but just couldn't tolerate it, I felt dreadful, but I think that was due to the RA as much as the MTX. I switched to hydroxychloroquine and have been on it for over a year now, it was slow but I'm feeling good now. I still get fatigue at times usually due to stress or overdoing things, but I'm able to recognize the triggers now. It all just takes time to get to know yourself and pace yourself. Hopefully you will get on the right medication combo which will allow you to do this 👍
I had fatigue before diagnosis but was blamed on a virus , the menopause , depression , ptsd, repeated flu or season change disorder. I could go on but my gp never mentioned RA. I’m much more knowledgable now it’s taken time to link things together but I now know it’s RA .
After much trial and pain, I discovered that Hydroxy gave me migraines!
When meds are not working, the first thing I notice is fatigue.
Hi Brichny, the NRAS website has extensive descriptions of all available medications to treat RA. Maybe you find an answer in there? We all react differently to the drugs. What I know from my own experience is that patience and being kind to myself helps a lot. All the best.
That's a tough one to answer. I'm technically in clinical remission but still get bouts of fatigue, which I'm told is normal (as I learned, remission doesn't mean completely symptom-free, it just means that disease progression has slowed enough to not cause damage, or something like that!).
It's also worth getting your iron and B12 checked out - what I thought was chronic fatigue earlier in the year turned out to be anaemia (also common with RA). I've been on hydroxy and sulfasalazine for about 2 and a half years now, and had side effects at the start, but little to none now.
I was started on hydroxy 12 years ago and quickly had sulpha and methotrexate added too. I'm still on all 3 but because of possible risk to your eyes, (after a long time, ) I came off the hydroxy for a while earlier in the year. My inflammation markers went up straight away so I guess it is working. I went back on half the dose and upped the methotrexate and all is well. As for fatigue it comes and goes but isn't a real problem, more to do with activity than drugs I guess!
Hi Brychni, I was getting really fatigued too even though my RA seems to be under control with Abatacept. My consultant diagnosed fibromyalgia as the cause of my fatigue. I have just started a trial of Gabapentin, though have been told it only helps 5 in 100 people. Decided it was worth a try though. He also told me that the Fibro you get with RA is different to the Fibro people who have just that have.
Anyway hope you find something to help your fatigue, it is horrible isn’t it.
Drugs, Drugs & more Drugs
The difference a good nurse makes
Different brands of Methotrexate
When to give up on a drug 
