Weary, it sounds like you're having a terrible time at the moment. I hope the new year has brought some improvement along with it.. Have you considered that you could actually have FMS along with RA,...
mscrowbar, I just wanted to try to answer your concerns about deformity a little bit - and the effect the different drugs you may be prescribed might have. The anti-inflammatory drugs (i.e....
This document has a list of questions and answers regarding Remicade (Infliximab) and pregnancy. Looks like it will answer most questions people may have, so hope that helps :)...
Alternating between different seating arrangements regularly is a good way to avoid stiffness and increased joint pain when working at a computer/desk for long periods... i.e. having a large...
Lynny, what other DMARDS have you tried other than MTX?...
Hey guys, Thanks for the well-wishing both of you :) Although Weary, you are making me blush a little!! I did think my arthritis was in remission for about 6 months, I didn't take Enbrel (the only RA...
Good luck crackles, I do hope it's easily fixed and nothing very serious! And without nagging I'd say quitting is definitely a wise choice.... (especially given the nature of your symptoms)...
Dilo, I'm glad to hear the Enbrel helped. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago at 20, and found similar relief from it (although I did have to join a 12 month clinical trial to get on it...) Welcome...
'Cuprofen' from any UK pharmacy contains ibruprofen (200mg) and codeine (12.8mg). These are the strongest OTC pain meds available as co-codamol contains only 8mg codeine. It's also very cheap. Note...
I'm pleased to hear people chatting about this, it is something quite important to me as I am a post-grad researcher in stem cell medicine, currently doing my PhD. I'll offer my 10 cents if anyone...
Oh really? There's a lot of variation in what is considered standard procedure it seems - every pharmacist who has ever given it to me has insisted upon this this, and any doctor I've seen has made a...
One piece of advice is to give it chance to work, the side effects can be very unpleasant at first but these do reduce with time and it's usually worth it. If you find that it is beneficial in terms...
found it! Great news Weary, and I expected nothing less! Enjoy the weekend :)...
I've had no issues as a result of the Enbrel, which I've been using for well over a year now. I'm quite cautious and always stop whenever I've had a chest infection or feel generally unwell -...
What was the result? Sorry if you've posted it elsewhere already! I doubt a blood test would be conclusive enough for anyone to suggest going tee-total - a more quantitate measure of liver function...
Hey Weary - have you had your results yet? hope you haven't put it off again!...
I will do, try not to worry! It's coming along very slowly thanks, 5 weeks till deadline but I won't have publishable results till end of May :( j...
Gbash, that's both terrible and extremely scary! The worst thing is that ceasing usage of Enbrel generally won't rectify the problem (but can stop it worsening). What have you been told about your...
Also, thank you Weary, Gotlitho, Heather, Chartreaux for the words of congratulations :)...
The study in England actually showed that those who drank an average amount while taking MTX actually improved! Their DAS (disease activity score) was noticeably smaller with good correlation. Good...
ahoy there! Sounds to me like your doctor is having trouble keeping his conservative views to himself! Elevated liver enzymes could be a million and one things, and you don't sound like a heavy...
FMS dx appears to be on the rise in people with RA/PsA around here! Personally I think that Fibromyalgia lacks proper classification and is being used as a vague "catch-all" syndrome. The symptoms...
15mg is a reasonably high dose to start on, and some sickness is likely. Everyone has probably already said what I'll say, but it does improve with time, I used to inject 25mg weekly, and towards the...
Personally I'd consider it a waste of money, cortisone is not an expensive drug - nor is this treatment any more statistically significant in treatment than DMARDS/biologics, in my opinion (and from...
I recently moved from Tramadol to Butrans (Buprenorphine) patches, initially 5mcg/hour, now 10mcg/hour - overall I'm finding it 100 times better than Tramadol, there's less side effects and it's...
Hi, thanks for your reply, I've been taking 5HTP for about a week and melatonin for two weeks, and I can see an improvement in function. I'm not seeing a holistic-doctor, just a palliative care pain...
Thanks Karen, I thought I'd go down the natural supplements route and see how it goes, since I'm not really having any luck with normal meds! There's not quite as much choice in the UK at the moment...
1 in 5 people with RA have Fibromyalgia, so to be RF positive with Fibromyalgia is statistically significant and I would think that steps need to be taken to confirm or disprove a dx of RA. If some...
Hi guys, I asked the same question in the Fibromyalgia forum but I know some people here might have some insight and not read the other forum. The other post also asks about Melatonin but I've...
I don't really have anything to add, but I do like the Spoon theory (but I wouldn't try and use it when talking to a friend about such matters, but that's because by friends are cynics). I can...
Hi All, My doctor recently prescribed 2mg Melatonin at night to aid with sleep, used it last night and found I awoke feeling mildly alert, which is a huge improvement for me. I took one with my...
also diclofenac, of outside of USA, arcoxia - both solid anti-inflammatories...
He is extremely reluctant to provide relief, and possibly constricted due to misconceptions about narcotics, at the very least you need to ask him to prescribe tramadol, it's only a partial agonist...
Thanks, yes I am concerned that as I increase the Buprenorphine I cannot use Codeine and other opioid agonists as they won't work - and I think I'm going to ask my doctor for 2mg subutexes for...
If RA is confirmed he needs a DMARD and/or biologic TNF-blocker - i.e. Methotrexate, Plaquenil, Remicade, Humira. Also needs to take care with Vicodin and Muscle Relaxants (diazepam?) as they're...
You're only 26, I don't think death from AS or RA is something you need to be worrying about! RA does reduce live expectancy, but not by a huge amount (7 years or so on average). I'm 21 with...
golitho - Just been doing some research on this opiate-blocking with Butrans patches, apparantely it's not something added but a natural effect of Buprenorphine, it binds so strongly to the opioid...
Hi, Weary, I'll find out officially at some point this week now everyone is back at work, nervous! Golitho, I've not heard about these blockers, sounds interesting - only chem I'm aware of with this...
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Same reaction here, my parents have finally come around to reality but my friends don't get it.... they think I'm incredibly lucky because I never go into college and yet I haven't been expelled....
Hi, My sister swears that certain foods make her arthritis worse, but honestly I have never noticed a pattern between what I eat and how active my arthritis is - my best guess is that it's...
hah, the censorship filter ruined my last post, by b!tch I was of course referring to a female dog. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the holidays, I've been working for a lot of it, and job-hunting for...
When they say walk without aid - what if you could physically do it but it is extremely painful? How do they decide what is an acceptable level of discomfort when talking? My sister was refused a...
Weary, I've read your post but admittedly I haven't read the rest of them (there's a lot and it's late!) Also, I'm not a RA veteran. But I can sympathise with you, many doctors don't seem to...
I have a lot of experience with Tramadol, and at one point I was taking up to 12 tablets a day. Never, ever, ever, ever, exceed the recommended dosage of Tramadol, it didn't cause any long term...
Thanks for the responses everyone - it is only very mild, and only on occasion (not always corresponding to the coldest weather, which surprises me, but also tells me this is pathologic) The open and...
... me! These things don't even bother me any more, I looked down and saw my white fingers after feeling a very sharp pain and just burst out laughing... guess I need some better gloves! x...
Hmm, I'm not sure anyone could make an accurate prediction of which it was - real influenza normally lasts 2 weeks or so though. I'm thinking though, since there is nothing but palliative care...
Hi, I'm 21 and was dx'd with RA 2 years ago (now changed to PsA), and then Fibromyalgia this summer! You're not alone, but I guess it will take some time to sink in, especially if it was totally...