Have you tried adding an anti inflammatory too? My pain has been off the charts this month but Im finally getting it down to a 6/7 with prednisone,percocet & mobic. (I take a muscle relaxer too) That combination seems to work best for me. The mobic definitely makes a difference. I just changed from Norco to percocet 2wks ago. It took some tweaking to find the right combo. But I'd still be happier with a 5 or below. I feel like a walking pharmacy, but after a month of 9 I'll take what relief I can get.

I agree that Mobic works wonders and hydrocodone for the pain when you have a flare. Doesn't make you sleepy like oxy.

Norco is a combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen. It doesn't do much for me. Fentanyl is 1 step under morphine. It's supposedly a very strong pain killer. I don't know if my pain level is just too high for anything to help or if I just don't respond to pain killers......ugh.

taking them as prescribed is essential as Buddha sai. chasing the pain is going to result in a bigger need for pain meds in th elong run and keeps them from being effective. I am on 15mg of morphine ER 2x day with 15mg of morphine IR 2x day as needed for break through pain. Been on these drugs monitored by a very compassionate doctor for quite a while now and I can clearly see when I take prednisone I greatly reduce my need for the opiates. they work very well for me and I am waiting for Rituxan infusions to be set up in hopes I will be able to stop taking the morphine, but until something gets better with the disease I am happy to have relief where I can get it.

Thank you buddhacat and offtrack44. The fentanyl patch supplies a steady dosage, but it sounds like I need to talk to my dr about adjusting something somewhere. It helps to know there are others out there that have found a way with persistence. It was hard getting past the stigma of taking the pain killers. I do have 1 question. What is IR? I can't take morphine. It makes my heart stop.

ER is extended release, could be 12 hour or 24 hr. IR is immediate or instant release and usually on last 4 to 6 hours.

Pain killers are a gamble for me. NSAIDs definitely help. Unfortunately, my pain mgmt doctor will not work with me on my pain meds. So, I am on Vicodin and that is it. Even though I have enough to take 3 a day, sometimes that really doesn't even touch the pain. I have been relying on pain killers + homeopathic remedies (ie: hot bath, gloves and braces that keep the inflammation down, trying to exercise as much as possible...ughhh, lidocane cream). My pain level is never below a 3.

Agree with Emerald22, sounds like the inflammation needs to get under control then the pain should lessen. It is tough to be patient, but this evilness called RA can take control without warning & when it does we are caught off-guard. Fight or flight takes over & we tend to fight when this battle sometimes needs the slow & steady approach.
Been there, done that, have the t-shirt as they say, at one point even morphine would not work.

Many Chronic pain patients over time learn that it can & usually does take what is referred to as a "cocktail" for pain. Meaning combination
Of medications. Now I have a combination of problems each causing it's own set of pain.

First & for most I've learned no matter what meds are prescribed I need an effective Anti inflammatory. I cannot gain enough relief without it. The others help control the pain in conjunction with that anti inflammatory.

I needed the anti inflammatory, pain med & muscle relaxer.
Prednisone being a powerful anti inflammatory cuts the need down for the others.
Another key is to stay a head of the pain, which can be hard to do with RA.
Like with most meds it's finding what works best for you. No matter what works for another it may not work for you.
It can be hard to understand.

Example I had 2 friends I met through a support group. We had become very good friends over time. Each of us had very similar problems & each waiting for surgery on our cervical spine with 2 of us also having shoulder surgery around the same time.
Now although OxyContin is the strongest with the dosages prescribed my one friend responded much better to Morphine. She was amazed at the difference in her pain levels. With me Morphine did not cut it at all.
The other did well on methadone.
All of us were in pain management under close supervision waiting surgery. Very very interesting how each found relief with different medications. All of us were on the combination to gain the most control for our pain.
Much like with RA we try medications or a combo & hope it works but at times it's not the right meds to gain control.

It takes good communication & an understanding doctor or team.
For me took several changes. As soon as I found the right combination my insurance changed. Would not cover my medication even with my doctor appealing it.

Another factor is generics. When the generic changed I lost control, my pain levels where all over. My PM said there is a difference in generics when it comes to pain medication.
On one of my support groups this topic always came up.

Hope this helps. Hope you get some relief.
Blessings, Sammy

Helpful information, Sammy. Having both RA and Fibromyalgia, pain management is a big issue for me. Prednisone, although it is a love/hate drug, has decreased the pain. I do have Hydrocodone, which when the pain is bad, can take the edge off the pain. I really try to avoid taking it if possible. Hearing some of you, I now wonder if it might be better to take more regularly, not just when the pain is so intense.

Great information everybody! Thank you and thank you so much for the support!

When I have a bad flare, no painkiller really works. Only prednisone reduces the inflammation and gives me pain relief.

For minor flares I can only take enteric coated aspirin. I developed bad stomach allergies to hydrocodon and anything in the same class after popping them like candy during first part of super flare years ago.

i have some oxycodone that i was thinking of taking to see if it helps. i'm afraid to, though. because what if it works? i don't want to have to keep taking it.

Stephgas, here is the way I see it. Right now you and I are kind of in the same boat. We are both early into taking RA meds and trying to find the right ones and waiting for them to work for us. I see the pain meds as the bridge in between getting the right RA regimen going and the inflammation under control. Once that happens, the doctors works with you to gradually back off of the pain meds. Problem for me it, I haven't found a pain med or combination that works well enough to get he pain below a 7 yet. I'm hoping to get there. I understand your concern, but I see it as a temporary solution and not as a long term solution. We take pain meds to reduce pain, not to get high and feel good. We take it to try to be able to function somewhat normally. That is the difference.

Sammy: Boy, you are so right in that you need to stay ahead of the pain. Once I get behind, it is very, very hard playing catch up.

Stephgas: please don't think that I am offering advice but, personally, I would be ecstatic if I found something that worked for me and decreased my pain and, thereby, increased my quality of life!

Iretz: you aren't going crazy. Part of the drag of this disease is the terrible pain and fatigue. If you are like me, when your pain levels are high, it can disrupt your ability to work, be productive, or think clearly.

If you throw fatigue into this mix, it becomes really hard to work.

Therefore, pain relief is a big issue for me as I still wish to provide for my family as long as possible.

Be well all,
TheWino