Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Celebrex

Hannah91
Hannah91
So I ran out of my Celebrex last night and had to go get my refill today. I'm not sure how I feel about this medicine anymore. First off Celebrex is expensive, even with insurance! Being in college, money is a big deal. Second, I'm not so sure that it is working as good as it did when I was first put on it. I feel like my body may be slowly becoming immune to its effects.
It's hard for my doctors to put me on anything too strong because of my young age and how small I am, but there has to be a better alternative. It's also hard to get them to really listen to me. What are your thoughts? I'm open to hear anyone's...
deleted_user
deleted_user
I took Celebrex for a time, and felt it really helped my pain. If you do not, why take it? There are many side effects, and like anything else- you have to learn to really evaluate the effectiveness of each medication and whether or not you are benefiting enough to overlook the potential risks. I have learned to take a whole new outlook on every medication they throw at me. For example, they are insistent that I stay on a heart medication, but it is dropping my blood pressure so low that I take a much smaller dose than they are prescribing. I just cannot function on what they expect me to be taking. Good luck, hope you find the right combination/balance!
Christine26
Christine26
Hi Hannanh, I understand the doctors being cautious with you, but they also need to prescribe something that will help you. I was on Celebrex a while back and it helped at the time for a while and when it stopped working for me I had to move to something else. That seems to be the story of my life now and others as well. As I have had RA for the past almost 8 yrs now and have been through a gammet of medications, Good luck in finding what works for you.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Hi Hannah

I'm sure there are other options out there for you - you know that young children can get RA and they can be put on meds, so there has to be something else out there for you.

Are you on any other medications specific for RA (any of the DMARDS?) - those will help with the progression of the disease, which, in turn, should help with the pain and inflammation. Do you see a Rheumatologist?

How long have you been diagnosed?

I'm sure lots of people here can offer some great advice :)

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