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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Fatigue

darwin73
darwin73

Hi - thank you for all the responses to previous posts. Today I would like to consider fatigue. I've been on MTX 6 weeks and I know I need to be more patient. Does the fatigue with RA get better as the MTX takes affect? I'm not very patient and just trying to wrap my head around all this. I slept 10 hours last night and could have kept sleeping. I do understand that if I'm active I may experience more fatigue. Yesterday was a normal day. Still fatigued today. Any thoughts? Thank you kindly. Jennifer 

trisun
trisun
I can sleep 10 hours everyday! I actually find that if I am up & around then I'm good, it's when I am sitting down that I am tired.
After 10 years w/ RA I am still figuring out the fatigue. I can't figure out what is from the RA, the meds or something else.
Sorry I'm not more helpful. :)
californialynn
californialynn
I'm 25 years into this disease, am approaching 70, still own and run a consulting business, am well controlled with MTX and Humira.

I feel totally rested with 7 hours of sleep.

Yes, I often feel sluggish during the day.....but is it RA or is it old age?

No matter. Life is good.
PinkCat68
PinkCat68
Jennifer, I am also extremely fatigued. I now have been on MTX consistently since June of this year. I was diagnosed in 2014. I probably started with the fatigue in 2011 or 2012. They first tested me for fibromyalgia and put me on meds for that of which everyone made me sick. Was then signed to a rheumatologist and he basically said it was RA not fibromyalgia. I can sleep all day and night if I allow my self to. This is something I want to bring up with my doc when I see him in Dec.
greentea
greentea
haven't started meds yet and I can easily sleep 10hrs. Oh boy... :/
MarleneJ
MarleneJ
When my RA is not under control, severely fatigued. I used to be a 5 or 6 hour a night person. But the good thing is, with my RA under control I am now ok with 7 or 8 hours sleep instead of 10 or 11 hours. Also, sometimes it is hard to know how much you are sleeping. I got a CPAP a few months ago, and it is much more accurate than me just figuring out when I went to sleep and when I got up.

When my RA was not under control, I tried to do everything really necessary in the morning. I knew by night I would be non-functional. Making dinner was a nightmare, I was ready to start making all my meals via crock pot. I used to do my indoor exercise in the evenings, when I was doing well, in the winter. The last two winters, figuring out how to use the remote control for the TV was my limit.

Now, the fatigue is much better. Not sure about the mthx. It has been a wonder drug for me, but I know it doesn't work for everyone. So do see your rheumatologist and tell him about the fatigue. It is a part of RA, but with good meds, you should get over this problem.