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Posted 1/6/2020 3:30 AM (GMT 0)
Is joint pain and body aches a side effect of Stelara? After my initial IV dosing in October I felt ok with just a 3-4 day period of being very fatigued. After my injection in December I had the same period of fatigue with the addition of muscle and joint stiffness and pain. I have had joint pain over the last few years but this is worse. The other pains are in my neck, upper back, legs and hips. My doctor said they have not seen these complaints with other patients. Hoping this will subside and not occur with each injection.
Posted 1/7/2020 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Annie, I went back through some of the older threads & some members reported joint pain associated with Stelara. It puts a person in a tough spot on how much they can tolerate while on these meds. If you find Stelara is helping, can you put up with the joint pain for a few days after the injection. I had joint pain while on Remicade & Humira, but they worked well for the disease so I stuck it out. While on Remicade I always felt a little fluish like for a couple of days & then it would pass.

I don't know if you have been seen by a rheumatologist or not, but you might ask your GP to send you for a consult.

Take care.
Posted 1/7/2020 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
Susie—
Thank you for the response. I guess I just need to wait this out and see how my body responds. It has been 4 weeks since the injection and the body and joint pain has not subsided. I could handle an couple weeks but constant discomfort is not working well with my daily routine! I was interested in knowing if it will be constant or intermittent. The med is working with my gut pain and stricture so this is good since I wasn’t able to eat much and have been considering surgery as an option.

I have seen a couple rheumatologists and they don’t have any good options for my situation.
Posted 1/8/2020 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
Have you not tried pre-meds like steroids & benedryl? I had screaming knee pain about a year into Stelara. Had to stop ballet classes , sometimes crawled...benadryl stopped that for a year. More recently it started again & my rheumie suggested taking Benadryl for 3-4 days post injection. Worked like a charm.

Hope this is helpful & you find relief.
Posted 1/8/2020 11:57 AM (GMT 0)
Good to know that Benadryl works for you. I will discuss with my doc. When I was on Cimzia I pre and post medicated with prednisone and it helped. I have had CD for 40 years and when first diagnosed prednisone was the choice treatment so I was on it for 10 years. Was on Imuran most recently and have also been on 6mp, remicade and Humira. After so many years of meds I try not to add more prednisone. The rheumie prescribed prednisone a couple years ago for severe bouts of joint pain and I gave it a try and it worked well. Soon my joint pain was very constant and I didn’t want to take prednisone daily.
Posted 1/13/2020 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
Have you had a blood test to see if you developed antibodies to Stelara? I had the test done after I restarted Stelara and I did not have any antibodies.

My insurance didn’t cover it but Prometheus only charged me $75 for it. I’ve paid $500 in the past for their tests.
Posted 1/13/2020 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Keith-

Thanks for the comment. I haven’t had any bloodwork yet to check for antibodies. I will discuss this with my doctor.
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