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...
I've noticed that Methotrexate is popular for treating RA. I would like to know about it's effectiveness. I would like to know specifically how it has helped you. Does it help with the pain? Chronic fatigue? Inflammation? Do you take it in conjunction with other meds? Thanks in advance!
The area of RA that was affecting me the most, were my feet. There was huge, huge pain and stiffness. It would last for hours. I never did take pred., only Celebrex (my choice, I was offered prednasone) Within a week of adding Humira to the mix, I got up one morning, did a couple things, and then realized that within 15 minutes, my feet did not hurt. They were a little sore.... but that I can soooooooo easily live with. In the last 2.5 months, my use of Celebrex has cut way, way down, and then I primarily am using it for my Osteoarthritis. (I have both OA and RA). One advantage of Celebrex is I can abruptly stop taking it, no tapering down. It didn't work perfectly, but it is what I opted for.
The RA is still letting me know it is there. I am still sore. I am still a little stiff. My hands don't works as much as I would like them to, the strength is not there as much as I would like. Feet still a bit stiff and sore, espec. first thing in the morning, or after a long car (over 2 hours) ride. But, there is probably a 90% improvement, and if this is as good as it gets, I will continue to take my medications, I will not complain, I will be so very appreciative of how much better off I am today, than I was 6 months ago. I feel better than I have for well over a year.
I am still tired, and have fatigue. I do not think that has improved at all. But, all of our children are adults, living away from home. I am self-employed, work from my house, not much more than 20-25 hours a month - in a good month, so I can lay down when I need to. As long as my husband has clean cloths to wear to work, a path to walk through to get where he needs to get, a can opener and soup, he doesn't complain.
It interrupts the enzymatic processes associated with DNA replication and cell division (for up to 12 hours after your dose) and as such, reduces the response of your immune system, which is basically running as if it were on crack and attacking everything from harmful pathogens to healthy tissue. The idea with treatment is to suppress the immune system to the point that it no longer attacks healthy tissue, but not so much that it cannot protect you as it is designed to.
As a result, it reduces the inflammatory signaling cytokines, superfluous lymphocyte production, etc that cause: fatigue and inflammation and result in pain.
For most, it is necessary to take two or more DMARDs, methotrexate works best when combined with another DMARD or a biologic. Some need to take to DMARDs in conjunction with a biologic. A rare few do well on just one DMARD (MTX, Sulfasalazine, Plaquenil, etc).
NSAIDs are good for break through inflammation.
I take MTX and SSZ. I don't think that the SSZ really does much, but while on it alone, my Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate fell to normal limits. MTX made a difference, but I still don't feel like I think I should. However, I am better than where I was two years ago.