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[sussiewong22]

Morning everyone, I was recently diagnosed with Seropositive RA, i was given a short course of steroids for a month, which worked at the time but soon after the course was finished I had another flare. The rheumatologist has recommended 15mg of MTX which apparently takes 6 weeks to get into the system, so he gave me a steroid injection which he said last for 6 weeks. It’s been over a week now and I haven’t felt any benefit from the injection yet. Does anyone have any experience with steroid injection. I feel if this injection doesn’t work then it will mean I’ll be in chronic pain until the medication starts to work.

[Pognose123]

Hello, welcome to the group!

I’m sorry that I have no experience of the injection, but I do know that on here it’s ‘if in doubt ring your Rheumy team’. You are correct saying you can’t go so long in pain and you need advice and reassurance. I have telephone number of my rheumy nurse and I’m not afraid to use it

Hope you have been given a similar set up.

Glad you have found this forum so early on - took me a year to find it and is a real source of support and comfort.

Others may have better info for you regards the injection experience when you get more replies

[sussiewong22 in reply to Pognose123]

I'm glad I found this forum too. I will send an email to his secretary, hopefully I will be given more pain relief to tide me over until the MTX kicks in. I'm in the UK, we don't have contact with the nurse. Take care

[Pognose123 in reply to sussiewong22]

I’m Uk as well and the number we ring is the nursing section but they always log you in for a return call. 👍

Email is even better - good luck 🤞

[sussiewong22 in reply to Pognose123]

Thank you I didn’t know there is a nursing section that I could get in touch with. Maybe when I’m on MTX and fully into my treatment I will be given a telephone number I can call.

[Pognose123 in reply to sussiewong22]

The big majority of my interactions with my rheumy team is with a nurse . I have been under a rheumy team since August 2019 and I have seen the consultant twice - and seen a nurse about three times and had phone calls about a dozen times with the nurses 👍

[Piglet007]

Hello Sussie

I was diagnosed in June and at that time on oral steroids which they wanted to wean me off and shot me in the butt..... of course at that time I was still taking oral steroids... then when they stopped I realised the shot did nothing to help my pain.... I endured a further two shots in butt, and one in each shoulder which did very little for me.... I seem to get the relief from oral steroids only which isn’t great in the current climate. It’s important you let them know how you are feeling. I get a little relief from a TENS machine, and in general just being kind to myself with massage. I’ve been on methotrexate for 17 weeks and still waiting on it kicking in so you need to be realistic and patient?.... 6 weeks may work for some, but defo not for me....I began on 15mg for 12 weeks and the last 4 are at 25mg.... I’m also on a three week course of oral steroids because 3 weeks ago I couldn’t move....and I’m sure it’s only the steroids that is giving me the relief. I hope that helps a little 😊

[Jaxine]

Hi there,

Sorry to hear you have been diagnosed recently, i was diagnosed 18 months ago so feel your pain! You were very lucky to have been prescribed oral steroids followed by an injection! I was given a steroid injection whilst waiting for MTX to work, mine lasted about 3 weeks. The advice I was given was to take pain killers whilst the MTX kicked in. They wont give you another injection or put you on oral steroids so soon after your last injection, it is very frustrating, but try to think positively, (harder said than done I know) that your Dmard will eventually kick in thus hopefully you will at least get your life back. You may very well find you that for you MTX kicks in much sooner Just get plenty of rest if you can. Good luck

[Skymollie]

Hello Sussie, I have had two steroid shots(depo medrol, 80ml) months apart at visits to rheumy. First was like you, waiting for methotrexate to kick in. I gave that five weeks and gave up the metho because the pain was taken care of by an nsaid(celebrex) and acetaminophen . But that 1st shot made me feel like there was hope and the next day I started moving more, stretching and such. I wouldn't say the pain stopped but it lessened. Though, I was still on my nsaid and acetaminophen. So, four months later my shoulders wouldn't let my arms raise above my head. I got the second shot and once again the shoulder pain lessened and I moved more. Arms could go over my head, once more. Yes, they wanted me back on methotrexate but I find that one celebrex and 800 ml turmeric/curcumin keeps my pain under control. It seems that gentle movement and then walking, biking(on a trike so I don't fall off, lol), when it's mostly tolerable goes a long way. I also don't think I have RA but Psa. Good luck.

[Marionfromhappydays]

Hi I am in a very similar position to you, I had a steroid injection in my butt, it helped a little but my joints were still swollen and stiff, pain etc.

For some people its really affective whilst for others not so much so. For me it's a case of using hot / cold compress and pain killers until the DMARD starts working.

[AgedCrone in reply to Marionfromhappydays]

That is a good way to deal with,your symptoms when you are quite newly diagnosed. To my mind anything is better than getting reliant on prednisolone.

[AgedCrone]

Steroid injections are in a world of their own ......one sometimes lasts for 6/8 weeks but sometimes it doesn’t last for six days ....so what you experienced is not unusual.

Have a word with your rheumatology nurse she might be able to give you another short course of prednisolone.

But don’t get sucked into oral steroids.....it’s very easy to start relying on them and then it’s a nightmare to try to get off them.

[sussiewong22 in reply to AgedCrone]

Thank you for your message. I can send email to the Consultants secretary and hopefully he will prescribe a short course of steroids to tide me over until the MTX kicks in.

[Hidden]

Hello Sussie.

I had a steroid injection in the bum right at the start. It didn't seem to do anything for me. However, Prednisolone was highly effective. Initially I was given it for 2 weeks. It's no problem to stop after that short time. The MTX took more like 12 weeks to get working fully - it's brilliant now - and early on I was put on a smaller dose of Pred for much longer. I started tapering after 4 months and it took a further 4 months to taper very, very slowly from 5 mg to nothing. So far as I'm concerned the Pred rescued me when I desperately needed it. I agree with people who say it's better to avoid steroids if possible, but each of us has to decide how much suffering we can tolerate without them.

My conclusion is: Don't be afraid of Prednisolone if things are unbearable, but if you take it for more than 2 weeks come off really slowly to avoid problems. As always, discuss it with your consultant, but remember we are meant to be partners in our treatment, not simply obedient supplicants.

[sussiewong22 in reply to Hidden]

Hello Bacharia, Thank you for your message. I've always been anti medication until recently when I had that major flare and I would have taken anything, I was so desperate. Prednisolone was like a miracle drug to me it gave me my life back. I can send an email to his secretary and maybe he will prescribe Prednisolone to tide me over until the MTX starts to work. Take care

[sussiewong22 in reply to Hidden]

Hello Bacharia, Thank you for your message. I've always been anti medication until recently when I had that major flare and I would have taken anything, I was so desperate. Prednisolone was like a miracle drug to me it gave me my life back. I can send an email to his secretary and maybe he will prescribe Prednisolone to tide me over until the MTX starts to work. Take care