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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My First visit with my Rheumatologist

biglon
biglon

My first appointment with a Rheumatologist was to be July 19th but I was in such discomfort after getting out of bed on June 27th that I called his office and was able to see him June 3oth. I described my aches & pains and he had my previously completed labs.


His nurse gave me a shot in the butt of cortizone   and he gave me a prescription for Hydroxychloroquine 200 MG to be taken daily. Is this standard procedure for newly diagnosed?

MarleneJ
MarleneJ
Yes. Plaquenil,, or Hydroxychloroquine is always prescribed first. It is a mild drug, and hopefully it will work for you. The cortisone shot is given for immediate symptomatic relief. I hope the Plaquenil works for you. Sometimes it takes up to 6 months to work fully. It never worked for me, but I know people it has really helped. Let us know how it goes!
jacob337767joel
jacob337767joel
The medication you describe helped me for many years.
fed-up
fed-up
It made me sick to my stomach, but yes, it's one of the first drugs they try.
WarriorGal
WarriorGal
I beg to differ with Jacob. Every doctor is different. Some are very conservative and some not. Many use methatrexate a first drug. I hope you will read everything you can and become educated, informed and involved in your treatment plan. Treating RA is about more than alleviating the pain - it's about stopping the progression of the disease in order to prevent crippling.
Sunvalleygal
Sunvalleygal
In Europe, it is more common to start w/ plaquenil but in the USA it is more common to start on Methotrexate. I started on Mxt, but have had much more success w/ Plaquenil. They may eventually add an Nsaid and / or a biologic. When I started the biologic Humira is when I began to get the most relief. Yes, this sounds very common and I hope that you see results. It does take a while for the dmard you are on to kick in... so try not to get discouraged. Sun
shazdot
shazdot
Hi,I was started on methotrexate and then had Hydroxychloroquine added a few months later. This has seemed to slow the RA down from a gallop to a slow crawl. I have noticed altered taste since starting Hydroxychloroquine and its quite annoying especially in combination with the sore mouth from the methotrexate- daily folic acid has tamed the sore mouth so all in all I'm in a better place than I was a year ago, at least I can get out of bed without pain now. :)
etain11
etain11
It's perfectly reasonable. Every doctor is a bit different. Some start with Sulfasalazine or MTX. Finding the right drug for you is just trial and error.
californialynn
californialynn
Very reasonable.
nerot
nerot
Plaquenil was the first drug for me. It worked very well in the beginning. I still take it but we have to keep adding drugs now, trying to find what is going to work. I hope it helps you to feel better!