Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

I have only been officially diagnosed since last April so I can't give you a lot of advice, but I started Prednisone last April, and am on 6 mg per day now. I started at 20mg. I started Enbrel last June, and started Methotrexate in early August. I was taking two tablet of MTX per week, but my doctor upped it to 4 tablets, then I had to go off it for two weeks. I think when I upped it to 4 per week, the MTX was helping. I will go back on it tomorrow. It is not an easy fix as I have found just reading the posts in the site. My doctor feels the MTX and Enbrel work well together, but we won't know for probably another month or so if it is working well. I am pretty fortunate, I have not had a lot of pain, which has made me tolerate the stiffness and fatigue. I wish you the best of luck in controlling this.

PUSH to get on the Biologics as quickly as you can. Methotrexate did nothing for my pain and I reacted badly to it. Don't let the doc mess around (waste time) with the DMARDS only. I wasted two years messsing around with DMARDS that didn't really work. Likely it will require comination DMARD and Biologic therapy to see any signifigant results. Ask for a real pain killer until you find the right drug combo. Don't suffer like I did with anti-inflamatories alone.
Do whatever you need to do to get on Enbrel or Humira or Remicade as soon as possible.

Note: I didn't find that the Methotraxate actually supressed my immune system. I was taking 25 mg (10 tablets) weekly. No infections or illnesses. Just horrible digestive upset and explosive diahrea and migraines. Oh and it didn't help the RA one bit.

Often patients see imdediate improvement with one or two Anti-TNF biologic treatments... there are quick fixes for some!

I suggest you find out if you are one of the ones that the biologics do work wonders for... as soon as possible.

Hi Warley

I ahve been on Mtx 6 pills for about 4 month now. I had to stop for a while b/c of my tooth that's being cut out on the 29th. and I am on antibiotics. My Rheumy don't want to mix the 2 meds. I take Relafen also. The mtx has helped me alot and I miss it already, I am in alot of pain right now. Taking lots of rest. The Mtx does take 4-6 month to kick in, so you have to give it time. Whether you start on Biologics is entirely up to you and how aggressive your RA is. Your Rheumy is the best Judge for that if you trust him. Good Luck to you!
bigi

First of all, yes it is very overwhelming. I remember when it hit me hard back in Jan. and it took several months til I got a grip. I also tried mtx, but the s/e were horrible, so switched to sulfasalazine for a while and added enbrel. Stopped sulfa r/e bad GI problems. Added cymbalta in June and things are so-so now. Patience....I know it's easier said than done. But that's about all you can do. Enbrel worked wonders for me, in about 2 weeks. Of course, I stil have to take a vicodin almost daily after work. You are right, people do not have a clue about this unless it hits them. Hang in there. Take care of yourself. Erica

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I see my rheumatologist next Monday. I expect that he will want me to start back on the methotrexate again. I think it is primarily due to insurance reasons that methotrexate has to be tried first before they will approve use of the more expensive biologics like Enbrel and Remicade. My RA has been very aggressive with the degree of inflammation and fatigue. However, x-rays show that I don't have any joint damage yet - so hopefully with early treatment damage can be minimized and/or avoided. My grandmother had RA many, many years ago before all of the new medications and I saw her suffer terrible pain and disfigurement.

I'm so thankful I discovered this website and RA support group. It really helps to chat with others who are going through similar challenges. Best wishes and healing thoughts to all of you!

Hi Warley. Glad you are here :) I started with just MTX. I took that for about 6 weeks then was put on enbrel as well. To be honest I didn't feel much difference with just the MTX. I started to feel alot better when I started enbrel. I have been on both for about 7 months and am doing very well. I really hope you start to feel better soon. It may take some time but hang in there. It'll come.

Hi Worley! My advice is keep talking to your Rheumy. A caring Rheumy who responds to your issues is worth gold! I was officially diagnosed in May 2009 by my PCP, but I had been looking for a diagnosis by another PCP for 2 years! I had pain in my feet only at that time..he kept saying it was bone spurs or fungus infections, or whatever. I changed PCPs, and she sent me for full CBC and other tests and found the RF of 125. Take long soaks in a hot tub...that eases the pain some. Soak your feet and hands in warm water with Epsom Salts. That works some too. Hang in there! Take support wherever you can. My husband finally is understanding how bad this gets for me. I haven't had any stretches of "good" at all yet, so I am looking forward and Upward (to the Lord) that it will get better.

Hi there! I was recently diagnosed also and while I noticed a big difference when I started taking 10 mg pred the biggest improvement came when I added Humira to the mix. Now I am on MTX, pred and Humira. Hopefully we can start the pred taper soon.

I personally hate taking the prednisone-it has definitely affected me in many ways-weight gain, heart palpitations, moodiness, etc. My doctor is also trying to taper my dosage and it seems every time I cut it, I'm back to square one. I haven't been to work in almost 2 months because of my inability to negotiate stairs. I'm reading everyone's posts about Enbrel, Humira, etc and then I try to research those meds and they sound worse than the prednisone! As for the methotrexate, I don't know if that is re leaving anything, but has given me horrible diarrhea.

So, like you, I'm at a loss. I want to feel better, but the other drugs scare the heck out of me. What ever you choose, I wish you luck:) Keep us posted.

I am a newly diagnosed patient. I am on methotrexate, predinosone, folic acid, and vicodin for pain. I have not been able to return to my job as a cook/cashier for a school district. I have had swollen knuckles, fingers, ankles, sore jaw and pain. About how long can I expect to be unable to perform an intense job? Any advice would be appreciated.