Unbearable pain = restart the meds.

That is the trouble with remission, is that sometimes it is only temporary. If you cannot function, or the pain is bad why would you even hesitate to go back on?

See your rheumatologist, Plaquenil is not enough. And sometimes when you go off a biologic or DMARD, it doesn't work as well if you go back on it. So probably not a good idea to go off of it at all, to say nothing of how long some of these drugs take to work.

Hope you can get some relief soon, and get the flares under control.

PS Pain also = deformities. You could be creating life long deformities in your joints. Go easy on them, until you get the flares under control.

Why on earth would you want to tough it out? No extra points are awarded for living with unnecessary pain.

Did you have strong medical or financial reasons for stopping the drugs? If so, have those problems resolved? As Marlene and Sally said, go see your doctor and figure out what is the best course of action for you.

It's just my opinion but I think pain can cause other health problems.
Life becomes more stressful & the body responds.
Not to mention how fast those joints can be altered.
Be worth discussing with your doctor.
Sending good thoughts.
Sammy

I also think you should call your rheumatologist, talk to him. Quitting cigarettes is always a good thing. Quitting drinking can never hurt. But Quitting all meds not always a good thing and could possibly hurt.

thanks everyone, I quit taking them , because I am a hard head, I was just tired of taking, I kept taking the other ones, because my gp didn't know what else to do, I was just so tired of taking meds, that didn't seem to do anything, but I realize now that they were, but I just hate to start the process again, but I hear what you all are saying, and I think duh.... as a retired nurse, I should already know that I need to take them, I was just trying to take so much, I will get back in touch with my rheumy, thanks again

As someone who has had a stroke due to excessive pain and heart damage due to excessive pain, I can tell you that being tired of taking the RA meds, can kill you.

At the very least, it's allowing unseen damage to take over your joints again, even if you don't feel it...or worse, move into your internal organs. I have brain, heart and eye damage because drugs like Humira weren't around when I started my RA journey.

Time to suck it up and admit and accept that you have a chronic , incurable disease. Get on meds and stay on even if you go into remission. I went into remission on Orencia but came out when I had to stop it for surgery. RA, once you have it, it usually never stops. It can....I've heard of people having one brief bout of Ra and it disappears or others with such incredibly mild cases that you wouldn't know they had it until they tell you and they have times when they feel fine.

But for most of us, it's a life long disorder than needs to be controlled...think of it like diabetes. Time to accept.

Jen

you're human. i have a best local ra buddy and we ALWAYS talk about ditching the meds because we suffer from wishful thinking

she also keeps suffering from lupus induced crap from the RA meds and I have had my share of pneumonias so we like to fantasize in la la land - not saying that is what you were doing - giving you a empathy reference point that you are not alone

i admire you for posting your journey and doing it your way for a spell and analyzing your options and being h u m a n

:)

depot