I am fairly new to this site, I thought this would be a perfect place to ask who out there is maybe in the same place as I am. I have R.A., and have been on disibility for about a year. I have tried Enbrel, Humera, Remicade, Orencia, methotrexate, & Arava. I am now on Cimzia with Arava. I really can't take NSAIDS, I was on mobic so long it affected my stomach. I am on Voltaren which helps some.
Today I went to an Orthopedic Dr for the pain/ inflamation in my knees. Well, he gave me cortizone shots in my knees....which are not feeling so good right now. I swim 3-4 times a week to try to excercise, but I am feeling kinda frustarted with the whole mess! I am always tired, always in pain ( red wine does help some Any suggestions? Has anyone tried Cymbalta for pain? I don't know if I even want to go with an antidepressant
Thanks
Terese
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Terese
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I'm not on the same meds but i understand the fatigue and pain and yes it does get you down.I take codeine for pain and have morphine patches for the really bad days.I don't take anti depressants (yet) but i know a lot of folks on here do and have good results so maybe worth a try?
Really hope the jabs work for you -i've had good results in the past with them.I was told by the rhuemy nurse to rest as much as you can for 48 hrs after to allow them to work properly(maybe a glass of wine can help with the rest bit)
Terese, the shots in your knees will take a while to settle in. You will have to rest for a couple of days. Don't worry if you have to take antidepressants they can go hand in hand with ra. I'm on them and have been for a while.I can't advise on drugs but i know there are more people on here who are better qualified than i am. Tiredness is a sid effect of ra too.
Do you work,if not are you claiming esa. Are you on the higher of dla for mobility? I don't work anymore. I don't think i could manage half a day let alone a full week,especially if i've had a bad nights sleep.
Feel fee to rant or ask any thing you like,we are a great bunch on here and i have had some very useful advice and cheered me up when i've been very down. We swap good stories and funny ones as well.
My doctor advised me to try anti-d's. I was not keen and I did stop after 4 days. She insisted I tried them and now I have nearly completed 1 month. I am glad I tried them and persevered. They have made a difference. I am only on a low dose 10mg, but I feel much more optimistic and so I don't want to cut of my hands every day, just sometimes now.
On yesterday's visit she offered to up the dose to 20mg, I declined and she gave me a further 2 months supply at 10mg. I am gonna take them, because I do need them and they have helped me face having ra and managing the pain that accompanies ra.
Never thought I would ever take anti-d's, but ra has made me consider things I would have never done in the past.
If you are offered them try them, you may be pleasantly surprise how much benefit they may bring to you!
Hi Terese, the meds all cause fatigue as well as the RA so it's no wonder we're tired all the time.
I take Leflunomide (as well as the rest of the stuff) and used to drink a few glasses of red/white over a weekend then suffered for the rest of the week, I was so tired I didn't go out for days and spent most of my time on the sofa. I still have the odd drink but feel terrible next day.
I spoke to my consultant about it and he said some people can't drink at all on DMARD's and I seem to be one of those people. So I cut out the drink and now feel much better mentally, I now have more energy and try to have a short walk everyday for exercise. Stopping alcohol made a massive difference to my energy levels and mental health/wellbeing.
As for anti-depressive meds I've been on them over the yrs (for short periods) and they did help at the time.
I now have a general steroid shot (3mthly Kenalog) for whole body pain and take Amytriptyline it acts as a muscle relaxant in low dose (10 - 20mg) I take with Tramadol to help aid sleep, it works great for me.
Hi Teresa, welcome to the site. We all try to support each other as much as we can. I am on MTX and Enbrel which seem to suit me but of course,not everyone. I have to be careful with drink although I usually stick to rose wine and only one glass normally. Very Occasionally a very weak gin and tonic or the occasional small glass of champagne but that's all. Very well spread out and only on special occasions.
Well done for keeping up the swimming as that does help the joints. I wonder if there is a hydrotherapy pool anywhere near you that you could go to. The warm water also does wonders. Have a word with your GP or your consultant, they may know of one near you. Sometimes they are attached to residential homes for the elderly or disabled.
You could try anti depressants as they also have a sedative effect and may help you with sleeping at night. Otherwise, get as much rest as you can and try to rest between jobs and put your feet up for at least an hour every afternoon if you can. Tiredness goes hand in hand with Ra and we all suffer from it. So try not to overdo things or do too many things in one day. The pain clinic at the hospital may be able to help with suggestions for managing pain if you can't take pain killers any more. Hope your GP has prescribed something for your stomach. Also try a TENS machine - for targetting painful areas they do work very well.
A quick tip - when replying on comments/replies, if you click on "Reply to this" below the other person's comment/reply then they are usually sent an email to notify them of this message -- Lavender Lady will probably not be aware that you've asked this follow up question because it's in the general thread not as a 'reply to this' and your question is no longer 'new'.
Hope that little tip helps -- it'll stop you feeling ignored!
(and, of course, welcome to the site!)
Best wishes
Katie
HealthUnlocked
ps - TENS machine info (a little formal) here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans... I know they're used a lot when women go into labour too and my mum uses one for her back pain.)
Welcome terese, cymbalata is prescibed for neuropathic pain it used for this as well as being an anti depressant.. Some drugs have more than one use.
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Any suggestions? Has anyone tried Cymbalta for pain? I don't know if I even want to go with an antidepressant
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