RA and Depression

     I was diagnosed with RA in 2004---I had it years before the actual diagnoses.  I started off with methotrexate; then Humira and recently quit taking Humira because I could no longer afford my insurance co-pay for the prescription.  Now my rheumy has me on Medrol, a steriod and the things are playing havoc  with my emotions.  I wonder if there is anyone out there having trouble dealing with their emotions.  I mourn for the fact that I will never be able to run or fully enjoy things in the past that I took for granted.  Life with RA is depressing and the

more depression comes into play, the more intense the pain of the RA becomes.

                           Gladys Ann

When I first got diagnosed with arthritis, my rheumy said, "We're going to start you on Enbrel.. would you like an anti-depressant?"  I thought, "What?.. Why?"  And he said, that a lot of people with chronic pain issues are on anti-depressants, for a couple different reasons.. like Boo said, one, it can help with the pain.. and two, it helps us deal with everything better..

I never realized how much my arthritis was really taking it's toll on me until my kids would say, "Mommy, can we go play, or do you hurt too much?"  That hit me like a ton of bricks.. and I decided from that day, NO MORE.  I refuse to let this disease run or ruin me..

The thing with arthritis, is you have to stay active.. to keep your range of mobility.. to keep the blood flowing in you.. and to help build the muscles around those joints that ache so bad... It's a vicious cycle.. once we feel the pain, we don't want to be active 'cause it hurts.. but all that does is lead to more pain.. and like you said Gladys more depression.. it's a downward spiral..

Talk to your rheumy.. talk to him/her about an anti-depressant that is right for you..  A friend of mine has Fibro, and her rheumy just put her on Lexapro.. She was devasted.. she said, "But I'm not depressed!"  But once she took a step back and looked at all that she was dealing with in her life, she realized she had a lot on her plate, and no she may not have had "clinical depression" but she was definately stressed and over-taxed.. Low Serotonin levels, can lead to a lot of aggressive and angry behaviors.. depression being one of them.. taking a SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) helps to replace some of that serotonin, therefore helping you with the depression... among other things..

Good luck to you all.. talk to your docs.. there is help out there.. and if all else fails, come here.. we'll be here for ya!

I'm a 35 year old woman who has had RA for 2 years.  Although I was upset at first, I feel like I've been battling with depression more than the RA itself.  My elbow was locked in a 90 degree position and it took at least 8 months of medication and physical therapy to straighten it out, and now I'm 100% fine for the most part, but still severely depressed about life in general.

I first started on enbrel and methotrexate, and all of a sudden I had suicidal thoughts (where I would have never had such a thing before) and attempted suicide.  After reading that methotrexate can cause mental disorders, I refused to take it any longer and the "crazy" thoughts went away.

I began taking Humira and Arava instead and I'm still fine physically, but I'm still severly depressed.  I am on Wellbutrin 300 mg too, but it's not helping and I've gone through 4 different anti-depressants to find something that works.  It seemed like Wellbutrin was fine for a while, but now I'm back to where I started.

Since I never had any mental problems whatsoever until I was diagnosed, I'm starting to think that this medication is actually causing me to be depressed. But this isn't something I can stop taking so what do I do to prove that? 

I just wanted to know if any of you had had these thoughts about your medication too.

Thanks,

Shelly

Hello, Gladys

I felt compelled to sign up in order to reply to your post.  Medrol was awful for me too.  I felt extremely anxious, very sad and angry at the same time, and confused.  I would wake up in the middle of the night tapping my feet.  I could not sleep, and would wake up at 4am unable to sleep.  Apparently, the depression and anxiety can be severe for some on Medrol.  My rheumatologist said to only take one pill in the am for the next 10 days (I called when I was on my 4th day).  I think you will feel much better.  Remind your doctor when you see him/her that you did not react well to the Medrol - mine put it in my chart.  I know the Medrol reduced my swelling, but I was in so much emotional turmoil that it was not worth it.

Hope you feel so much better.  I will keep reading to find out how you are doing. Take care, Laura