Not a Newbie....but MIA for a while...have some questions!

So many names that I do not recognize....I sure feel like a newbie! So I would like to re-introduce myself! So....Hello Everyone, I am happy to meet you all and look forward to getting to know each of you!! I went MIA because I was having a really hard time adjusting to the "new" me! I really was a negative person for a while and I did not want to spread my negativity!! I have RA, fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis, severe depression along with a few other things! I am finally off of steroids....after a year of taking them! Thank goodness! I understand why they call them the devil's tic-tac! They do, however, work great when you need them!! Currently, I take Plaquenil, Gabapentin and Cymbalta...along with Morphine for the pain!!

When I first started taking the Plaquenil...it seemed to help me a lot. I was already taking Cymbalta when I started it. We then added the Gabapentin and for a while, I felt really good! Not pain free, but better then I have felt in a long time!! Lately, however, I feel like the plaquenil has just stopped working! I hurt...a lot...all the time!! The morphine does not even feel like it is helping! I am not bed-ridden or anything like that...I am still functioning...but not well!! I am just pretty darn miserable!! I am just not sure what to do! Has anyone else experienced this?? I did really well on the Plaquenil and had no major side effects....can it just stop working?? I saw my rheumy about 2 months ago and told him that I was having some increased pain and he thought it was probably from stopping the steroids and told me to give it some time! He said that my SED rate was good, so the plaquenil was doing it's job! Well it is just getting worse instead of better!!

So....my questions are...Do you have to have inflammation to have RA pain? Is it something else then? because it sure feels like the RA! Every joint in my body hurts to some extent and at times it feel like it is bone on bone...like a grinding feeling when I move some of my joints! Can a medicine that seems to work very well, just quit working. I guess the part that bothers me is the Whole SED rate thing! Before when I had a lot of pain, my SED rate was quite high and now it isn't! I do feel heat on many of my joints when they are aching!

I am just not sure what to do....help!!! I am so tired of this pain!

Hi Weary,

Thanks for the welcome back! My rheumy started with the plaquenil because my liver function tests came out a little high, and it was easier on the liver. So we went ahead and tried it and it worked very well...at first! I also did not have insurance before, but I have heard that MTX is not as expensive as many of the other meds. I do have some prescription coverage now, but it is not great. Do you think that it is possible that it just stopped working?

And What do you think about all the pain with out an elevated SED rate?

Take care.
Beckey

Hi, Ant,

I am seronegative, so my blood tests are always normal including my ESR. So, blood tests have nor correlation to the pain and swelling I have. I just started Humira. I am tapering on prednisone, and I take MTX once a week/oral. I still do not have my RA controlled. I struggle to get thru the work week and sleep all weekend. That is why my doc started me on Humira.

Drugs can stop working for individual patients. I was on Plaquenil for six months and it helped a lot. Unfortunately, I becdame allergic to it and had to stop taking it. I think you should stress to your docotr how fatigued you are and how much pain you are having. Make him/her listen and ask about meds that may help you.

Blessings,
V

Hi Ant, I've found that we seem to become resistant to meds after awhile. If you switch around and then go back they seem to work again. I found humira stopped working for me but after a year of trying other meds I'm now back on it and its working again!
It may be you could switch to mtx for awhile. It is heavier on your liver though. Often blood tests say you're ok when you're obviously not, my rheumy says often the symptoms come and it may take a few months for it to show up in your blood. So she treats symptoms rather than blood tests.
It can get really depressing, I have joined a hydro therapy class and it has helped build my core strength and improved my general wellbeing but it has really helped as a support for me. Maybe you could get your rheumy to reccommend one for you, mine is run by the hospital and as a maintenance prgram it only costs me $8 per week. Worth its weight in gold.
Goodluck and welcome back, golitho

Here we have a local Fibro Chapter that meets bi-monthly and they brought in someone that
teaches tai chi and I'm going to see if the dvd turned out so I can set it up in my dvd player, the
moves for tai chi are pretty simply so I hope that can help you.
Glad to see you posting again missed you.
keep getting your liver checked and maybe it was the prednisone that elevated that, if so maybe
you'll be having normal liver tests soon..will keep positive for you on that.
Make sure you get into your eye doctor for eye checks as the plaquenil can effect the eye's.
I sure hope your doing better soon...
many well wishes for you and keep on posting.