Help needed for taking Turmeric for RA?

[wakeham]

I was wondering if anyone has any help for taking Turmeric to help for RA? I also have under active Thyroid plus Sjogrens disease. Looking to be able to take less Hydroxychloroquine.

Thank you in anticipation of your help wakeham

[stbernhard]

Hello wakeham, In a documentary I saw they said you'd have to take very large amounts of Turmeric every day for it to make a difference. I would not do anything without consulting your Rheumatology team. Certainly not reduce medication without their agreement.

[wakeham in reply to stbernhard]

Thank you for your help I will discuss this with RA medic. Regards wakeham.

[AKA13]

Hi. I use turmeric paste and it is generally ok with Methotrexate. It is best to speak to your Rheumatologist first. There is a Facebook 'Turmeric User Group'. They provide good support in use of Turmeric for health and give guidance on any interactions with medication you are taking. Wishing you well.

[wakeham in reply to AKA13]

I will speak to my RA medic AKA13 Regards wakeham

[CagneysMum]

I have been taking turmeric supplements for 2 years but not in the quantity that you propose. My RA is currently well controlled so I am considering stopping it.

[wakeham in reply to CagneysMum]

Thank you for your reply, the problem is that my RA seems to be getting worse although I take Hydroxychloroquine 400 mg. Regards wakeham.

[Mmrr]

I started turmeric a few weeks ago and have found no difference at all to my RA.

[wakeham in reply to Mmrr]

Thank you for your help Merry. Regards wakeham.

[oldtimer]

I tried taking turmeric. It made no difference to my joints and gave me indigestion.

[wakeham in reply to oldtimer]

That’s what I was afraid of old timer but how do you get on with the meds for RA? Regards wakeham.

[medway-lady]

I totally agree with stberhard, be careful as a lot of medications do interact with seemingly innocent foodstuffs. I think if it worked the NHS would have it as a pill by now as its probably a lot cheaper than a medication. Imagine going to the GP and them saying nip off and eat Tumeric no need for expensive meds at all. I wish ! xxxx

[wakeham in reply to medway-lady]

Thank you for your help I will ask my RA medic Medway-lady best to be safe.Regards wakeham.

[----54]

I agree that it’s always good to consult your MDs first. A holistic-minded pharmacist recommended turmeric to me, but I haven’t tried it. I have had a couple of acquaintances who believe that it has helped with their swelling and joint pain. I’ve also heard that supplements made with black pepper are thought to promote availability or absorption of turmeric (v. turmeric alone). I’ve read that there can be some concerns around turmeric thinning the blood. Maybe this is rare or in very high doses, but perhaps something to be mindful of when taking other blood thinning medications, before surgery, etc.??? Maybe an MD would be able to monitor this for you?

[wakeham in reply to ----54]

Thank you for your reply and help 54 regards wakeham

[ketiv74]

Hi there, Turmeric is certainly useful for inflammation control and has many medicinal properties. It is very commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine since many centuries. Important thing is - it is a medicine and hence should be used with caution. Definitely ask your physician or Rheumy before trying. I can tell you that it will help but won't be a substitute for RA meds unfortunately. I am using turmeric in some way, shape or form all my life but I still have to take meds to control my RA. I am taking Mtx & HCQ. But who knows it might be helping other things in my body. I do trust hundreds of years of wisdom that came from our ancestors.

Traditionally, Turmeric usually is not ingested raw. It is either boiled in water with other herbs and spices or used in cooking with some kind of fat such as oil or butter or ghee. May be you can try turmeric latte - take half a teaspoon of good quality organic turmeric powder in milk, add a pinch of black pepper powder & dried ginger and boil for min or two, strain and drink before bed time. If dairy is a problem, make turmeric tea with water instead.

This certainly helps calm down nerves and reduce inflammation. If you add pinch of fresh nutmeg it not only smells & taste good, it helps your sleep as well. This I have tried myself and really did work. My grandmothers & mother always gave us Turmeric milk if we were feeling sick, had sore throat or fever. It always helped, I still give this to my kids, they even ask me for "yellow milk" if they are feeling sick.

Hope this helps, Take care.

[wakeham in reply to ketiv74]

Thank you for your reply ketiv74 you have made me think about this Curcumin , I was hoping to cut down my Hydroxychloroquine as I take 400 mg and I’m having a lot of eye problems and UTI’s. I’ve been taking this for approximately 4years so I was hoping to find a natural aid! I can see you take a lot of medication for RA so do you have a lot of problems.

[ketiv74 in reply to wakeham]

I am taking Mtx for last 2.5 years, started Jan 2019, recently since I was getting repeated flares my Rheumy added HCQ- 300 mg. It's been almost 6 months and seems like it just started to work. I will stick with it for little longer, hopefully it keeps getting better. I was taking Turmeric pills but didn't feel like it was having enough of an effect to reduce Meds. Then my Ayurvedic Physician advised to take it traditional which I already do anyway. But I am doing other life style & diet changes that seem to help, like Intermittent fasting, Juicing and exercise including walking & yoga. It does help. And I am glad the meds are allowing me to do all these physical activities. Before Mtx I couldn't walk this much or do yoga, but now I can

[Deeb1764]

I tooktumeric with black pepper and landed up with this weird cough. RA nurse advised stopping as the black pepper can interact with the MTX. I am now on Olumiant after 2 years of getting nowhere with MTX Leflu/Benepali and Sulfas. Best drug for me.

[Boxerlady]

It sounds like you need to chat to your rheumy - maybe a different DMARD is worth considering?

As I understand it, Hydroxychloroquine is considered to be quite a mild medication -one rheumy described it to me as an "enabler" in that it helped other DMARDS to be more effective.

I'm on triple therapy - Methotrexate and Sulfasalazine as well as Hydroxychloroquine - and am doing well; although it's a lot of medication, for me it's well worth it to avoid joint damage 😊