Hi, my disease mostly affects my fingers and my toes. I'm not a fan of taking medication because of all the side effects it causes me.
Would it be possible to get steroid injections in the fingers because of how small the joints are? Has anyone had them done before?
But steroids can be much worse that a lot of medications please do look up there side effects- bone density loss etc. I think no one likes taking medications but sometimes it is the only sensible option. If your diagnosed with RA then you'd know RA is not just about joints but is systemic and could affect your blood or heart, lungs in fact nearly everywhere. If you talking about OA then I'm sorry I don't know but long term repeated steroid injections are definitely not a good idea as a permeant treatment for RA. Look up the NRAS website you'll find very good information and advice about medications. In any event steroids jabs do not work for some, and also for others not for long so it might be that you really need to talk to your RA team to make an informed decision about going forward. Best of luck.
Thank you very much! 🙂
Hi Kasia. Please do take these Autoimmune diseases very seriously as much irreversible damage can be done to your joints and organs without proper treatment. I implore you to follow the advice of your Rheumatologist and if you are having bad side effects from the medications prescribed then you need to ask for alternatives but don’t just stop taking your meds. Good luck!
Hi Lola thank you. I feel like I'm slowly starting to give up because it feels like I can't find the right treatment and sometimes I wonder if I ever will. When I feel so terrible it makes me hopeless. Thank you and I really hope you're well yourself 🙂
Hiya Kasia, welcome. I don't believe they're an alternative to treatment, as your Rheumy would doubtless explain, but I believe you're prescribed hydroxychloroquine? I presume you're taking it, & if that's correct then either an adjustment in the amount (if you take half dose for any reason) or addition/change to another DMARD is probably what your Rheumy may suggest, to control your RD better. Cortisone, including injectable Depo Medrone or Kenalog, is a useful med in bringing inflammation down quickly but, again, not used as a sole treatment over traditional treatment. They come with their own set of nasties longer term, potentially very painful if overused, this is why Rheumy's use them only if there are no other options or it is the better option.
I think what would be best is for you to discuss your concerns & options with your Rheumy, he wouldn’t wish you to have unwanted side effects from meds any more than you do but there at least 4 DMARDs available for him to prescribe. I take it he/she is aware of your issues? As long as you give your body long enough to get used to the med, give them a chance, it is possible for common side effects to wear off the longer you take them. I think that's acceptable, you've sealed your end of the bargain so to speak.
I have had an injection close to the base of my finger, palm side, to treat trigger finger. It wasn't as painless as an intramuscular injection shall we say & it was a bit eye watering.
I hope whatever is decided is best helps & you find the med that works best for you, without undesirable side effects. 😊
I have had steroid injections into small joints. But the rheumy warned me there is a risk this can damage surrounding tendons, so not to be done lightly. And best as guided injections under ultrasound - which my rheumy has in her office but you would probably be on a waiting list for a long time with NHS.
It was a short term fix for me to prevent damage while waiting to change drugs. I wouldn’t have done it otherwise.
Steroid injections are only intended to relieve symptoms such as pain and swelling, they don’t prevent the ongoing damage or do anything to manage the underlying disease. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to regularly take DMARDs, and finding the right one(s) often takes time. It’s a trial and error process to find the drugs that both control your disease and have no - or at least bearable - side effects. For some of us that takes longer than others.
Hi all,Thank you so much for your help and advice. I feel happier that I've posted this.
My issue is that I get very swollen fingers that are becoming deformed. Steroid medication made this a lot worse in the past and seems to flare me up. The deformities in my fingers worries me as I'm 22. This is why I was wondering if I could have medication directly to the joints themselves.
I'm on plaquenil right now which doesn't seem to be helping much, it makes me feel very sick and dizzy. The good side is that it gives me more energy.
The problems with your fingers mean your medication is not working well enough for you so your RA is inadequately controlled. You are very young and don't want further degeneration of your joints or any of the other parts of the body that RA can affect (e.g. lungs, eyes). Please don't give up 🙏
Do contact your Rheumatologist. Ask for a medicine review "as my RA is not under control at the moment and plaquenil makes me feel sick and dizzy." Many of us have found that we need to be polite but rather pushy to get the right treatment that works well and minimises side effects!
Do let us know how you get on.
Just to add to what others have already said ( you’ve had very good replies) steroid injections aren’t without risks either. I had one into the base of my fingers and it caused the tendons to rupture. Not trying to scare you but I wish some one had told me about this risk before as I would have thought twice about it. I hope you find a combination of meds that suit you soon.
Going to say exactly the same as Medway and other wise people here who are long time RA/inflammatory disease patients. . Steroid injections are a stop gap .. they “dampen down the fire” I was told re flaring joints. They should be looked at as a temporary measure to help, my former senior rheumy told me as I asked could I just have steroid injections and no DMARDs when I first was diagnosed in 1995. The answer was a huge no way and rightly so. I was scared and reluctant to take meds and thought steroid injections were safer. No that’s not the way to do it and I was soon told.
I do have my knee injected every year approximately but very little else has been injected for several years. That’s because my RA med is working well. I have had a couple of my fingers injected about ten years ago when I was very busy doing some study and very physical artwork, but the relief was short lived tbh. We are very different in the way we react to the steroid injections so they may work well if you have them to tide you over, but they should not be used as an alternative to taking rheumatoid meds, which will turn off the disease activity and bring much more relief. Hope you can soon be on a med that works well for you x
Hello kas99 😊
When my RA was very active, I've had a few steroid injections in my finger joints (can't remember the exact amount!). They've always been very effective and my rheumy has never voiced any concerns regarding this. However, as others have mentioned, steroid jabs are unfortunately not a long-term solution.
Hope this helps!
All the best,
Christine xx
I was offered steroid injections into the finger joints back in march this year, my fingers were swollen and bent over. The consultant tried to straighten them them scan, and it was too painful they. I wasn't told of side effects buy he did tell me it is very painful, and this put me off. So I decided not to have the injections and waited to start new medication, now I've been on a jak inhibitor for 7 weeks and my fingers are not bent, im glad I didn't have the injections tbh as I wouldn't have known if it was those or the meds improving my hands. I still have swelling on my fingers and they are sore but not as bad as they was. I understand how you feel about about the medication, but I would probably speak to your consultant or nurse about your worries.
I was 35 when diagnosed, I'd just had my 2nd baby. Im now 37, and hopefully I won't get the joint deformation you see when you Google RA as ive been told the drugs these days have come on alot. My nurse told me when you Google photos, they are probably years old.
That's the first thing I did after my diagnosis as u wanted to know what I was dealing with.
Let us know how you get on x
I had a steroid injection in the pad underneath the finger to help ease things. It hurt like hell but the relief I got was amazing and was able to move my finger for the first time in ages. Yes it’s a stock gap but it helped me until I could get new meds and allow them to kick in without going back on the dreaded oral steroids. Everyone has a choice in these matters x
Hey Knit, thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I'm so glad to hear that steroid jabs worked for you in the past. How are you doing today? Have you found medication that works for you now? Thank you X
On my 8th drug and at the moment struggling liver and kidneys being affected. Will see my Consultant next month so I imagine I will be taken off the drug. Never give up as the right one will come along. I was originally on the the first drug for 20 years before it stopped working. Take care x
Do steroid injection into the joints always work?
Lumps on finger joints
stinging finger joint
Cortisone injection in middle finger 
