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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Frazzled 02/18/2018

So I have taken Humira twice - once on Friday, and once two weeks ago Thursday. Each time the Humira seemed to make me very tired the next day. So now I have combined that with the MTC on Thurday nights, which takes 36 hours to drop me down a bit, so Saturday is out for plans. Do people get used to this? I think someone said that they don't get the fatigue at all from Humira.

I have been to rehearsal a few times, and the last week, one of my buddies said, "You sound more upbeat like the old Mike." I took that as a compliment. So something must be working right.

I just don't think I can ever get enough sleep. Always disturbed, even with sleep meds.

Anyway, the joint pain has gone away in some areas, remains in others, and I am generally geeling better. My back is one of those places where it is not playing nice with others, so I am doing lots of stretching for that. Hoping that will allow continued freedom of movement. The trochanter injections helped out my hips, but they made my back pain worse.

Seems it is true "if something hurts, they inject it to rule something out, and then treat again once they know the source of the new symptoms".

Kimhurts 02/21/2018

Glad to hear that it seems to be working. I used to do my MTX and my biologic together too so that I only had one down day. It worked ok for me. I did mostly adjust to the MTX so that I can function now, but if I am already run down before the injection day, I can still have a bad next day. I'm still slow and tired. Today (Wednesdays) are MTX +1 days for me. I was already run down, so I am on the couch.

I don't know what to tell you about sleep. I know it is miserable and probably contributing to some of your issues. With RA, it is always something.

californialynn 02/21/2018

Frazzled: what's the dose of your MTX?

Frazzled 02/21/2018

20mg one per week.

So what I do now is take the MTX on Thursdays so if I do have some fatigue from that, it happens on Thursday. And the I give myself Humira every other week on Friday nights.

I'd be open to other schedules so I don't lose time...I hate losing my Saturdays because of medication reactions...especially now that the sun is starting the warm up here in the frozen tundra...I want on my motorcycle...I have PMS - Parked Motorcycle Syndrome.

californialynn 02/21/2018

When you go on Humira, they typically cut the MTX [for those who were taking it] back to 10-12.5 mg per week

I don't think it's the Humira making you tired....probably the MTX.

MTX and a biologic together have a synergystic effect.

Frazzled 02/21/2018

Interesting. They have me on a 4 drug cocktail:
MTX 20mg once per qwwk
Sulfasalazine 500mg twice per day
Plaquenil 200mg tqwice per day
Humira 40mg once per two weeks

I asked about cutting back some of the other meds, and they said, "Nope, we're going to get this under control and then see what we can drop."

My next appointment is in April.

MarleneJ 02/21/2018

I take my biologic, Orencia and mthx on the same day. But neither make me tired. Mthx has always given me more energy on it. I wish I could take a whole dose.

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