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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? on Naproxen

willferg
willferg
I saw the rheumy dr. for the first time on 7/12/13 and got the official diagnosis. I started on Plenaquil and also got a prescription for 500 mg Naproxen to be taken twice a day as needed.

Now, previously I was taking OTC Naproxen of 440 mg (two 220 mg pills) twice a day and had been since the pain began in in earnest in May, and I had asked him if I could take more or if he could prescribe something stronger, and he did.

The bottle of Naproxen will run out before I see him again on the 21st of this month, and I can get a refill, but I am wondering, should I? Or should I be tapering back and maybe dropping down to 440 mg to see how that goes? I still have pain, although not as bad, and I'm not really looking forward to seeing it ramp back up, but then I realized I'm not really sure how long-term the Naproxen is meant to be taken.

I would appreciate hearing about your experiences with this. Thanks!
altoclef
altoclef
It's only about 10% less, which shouldn't make a huge difference. I was on naproxen 30 years ago, and it really shredded my stomach. It's probably not great for kidneys & liver either in the long term, but for a few days between when it runs out and when you see your doctor, I'd say just go with the OTC. Which is cheaper?
willferg
willferg
Well, I have the OTC already, so that would be easiest and cheapest. I too thought the lower dose seemed insignificant, but then maybe a 10% decrease makes a big difference in pain management. I'd rather not find out the hard way!

Thanks for your input!
debRAinOC
debRAinOC
As long as the naproxen isn't bothering your stomach, I think you can go ahead and get a refill. It helps with both the inflammation and the pain. I took 2 x 500 mg of naproxen daily for over a year -- and I'm sure the rheumy would have prescribed it even longer if I hadn't refused it. My stomach just couldn't handle it any more. (The rheumy added Nexium to my list of meds to help my stomach, but I had trouble with side effects, so I told him no more Nexium or naproxen!)
trishcorsi
trishcorsi
Just make sure to have blood tests regularly, Naproxan can cause damage to the live. I was on it years age and the doctor yanked me off because of elevated liver results. Trish
depotblue
depotblue
i thought it was the the prescription brand for aleve over the counter which you can pick up yourself if you are short and just take at the prescribed level. my rheumie likes to say that aleve is the kindest on the liver and kidneys of all the anti inflammatories. kindest must be relative. since trish was yanked for liver tests. eat toast with the pill. don't do a naked stomach
willferg
willferg
You are right that I should feel comfortable calling the doctor's office. I just started kind of wondering about this on Friday, though, too late to call in. I've tried taking the lower dose pills at night and the higher strength in the morning, but I think Monday I will just get a refill and take the prescription strength until I see the dr. again.

I realized with some chagrin that if I'm taking naproxen twice a day and feel sick from anything else, i.e., headache, there's not a lot I can do except maybe take Tylenol. I guess it was a little sobering to realize I'm already taking something every day to deal with this, so hopefully I won't have to deal with anything else for awhile!

Also, I find it kind of confusing to be advised to take a 12-hour medicine "as needed." I try to take it at 8:00 am and pm. If I don't take it and wait until I start having problems, it could be difficult to get back on track. Or maybe I'm over thinking all this. Nevertheless, I figure I have enough to think about, so I'm just going to get the refill, take the pills, and keep a list of questions for the next dr. visit!
lady3jane
lady3jane
Maybe it's over thinking to some, but i think that way too, so it seems normal to me! As for medication, you have to keep ahead of the pain. If you wait til it's bad, it's hard to beat it back down.