Sorry I don't have any advice. I'm sure many here on the board will be able to help though. Hope you get some answers soon.

Kel

I hear you about the porednisone helping, so we can sleep....5mg of predn..not too bad..How long have you been on predn.?

Not too much help here, but i have had a lot of lower back epidurals, facet joint arthritis, DDD in back....and the pain mgmt doc that does them, says take the osteoporosis meds...u don't want to get a compression fracture, it's painful

SO, you have to be in terrible pain, plus the RA yet!...horrible..my lst Dexa sacan sad soemthing siilar about lower back...my gynie ordered it..he said start thinking of these meds for osteoporosis..right now it's osteopenia...but it's bad in the spine

and rheummy said, no i have to wait, no meds for it, till osteoporosis...and i would want Reclast....

I got a lecture about 10 reasons not be on prednisone....but i told her, this flare was so bad, couldnt sleep, and function....and then i had my remicade, and an increase

hoping i dont flare again, when this round wears off..i am off mtx, thats why

Do u see a pain mgmt doc?..My PCP doc is the one i can talk to easily, and i don't have to go to a pain mgmt doc, like rheummy wants me too...she doesnt prescribe pain meds!!

are they afraid of getting sued?...they prescribe cymbalta for pain

so my PCP give me Norco...I was thinking i would jsut take a high dose of predn..for 2 weeks, till infusion, and then i got off..because i could not function, i mean hard to use Charmin..pull my slacks up, get in bed, pull my blankets up...i walked so slow, that flare was soooo bad, just about in every joint...so i took the predn...i had too

hope u can get ur pain under control, and with that compression fracture..ur suffering bad!

I have osteopenia from many years of prednisone. I was given some kind of pill that gave me such bad jaw pain, I checked the side effects, and it said discontinue if you get this effect. I just told my doc, even though it has been a years, and she just scowled at me. How is that for lousy medical care?

I did build up my density by using weights, cycling, and taking lots of calcium, but still dropping. Mind you I am post menopausal, so that is probably a factor too.

I can't offfer any good options. I am in horrible pain every time I try to get off the predisone, so I don't have much choice. I hope you are able to find an alternative.

Bless our hearts, ladies. If it is not one thing it seems to be a dozen others. My first compression fracture happened 8/7/06 at the hands of a chiropractor :) hence my first bone scan and sure enough, at 48 years old I skipped right past osteopenia to osteoporosis. I have been on Fosamax, Boniva and now Reclast. As for the RA I have been on prednisone for approx. 2 months now....... I was on it for 2 weeks in July as well. But, I have slowly tapered to 5 mgs. As posted earlier, I am cautiously optimistic that the MTX is is starting to work. As for my back :( I guess it's a trip to my gp and a lot of patience. Thanks for your reply.....I love all of your help and support

I have all of the same problems, with Degenerative Disc Disease which has lead to no disc between l4 & l5 and bone movement in my c4 & c5 with neural foraminal stenosis there as well. I break ribs from doing simple things like bending over and just moving and break the bones in my feet from walking or any slight wrong move (even with $3,000 foot/ankle braces) that I wear all the time. I think whenever a rib or two isn't broke I have to deal with the horrible pain of costochondritis. I was down to 7.5 prednisone for a few months then got REALLY sick and it was up to like 60 or something like that for weeks. Now I cannot get lower than 8.5. I've not yet started anything for the osteoporosis but I do take the same vit D as you, then a boat load of calcium and Premarin to help absorb that stuff. I cannot ever fall asleep but when I'm there I'm dead to the world. Lots of meds for that too.

Pittielover....I have nothing but great sympathy for you. I watched my sweet mother go through the same type of things. She broke her ribs reaching for a cup, broke her hip reaching into her dryer, fractured her spine sitting up in bed last Christmas morning. I am so sorry. Mine is hopefully. not even close to how bad yours is. So, I can't say I know how you feel but I sure have seen with my own eyes the torment one goes through with such horrible fractures and breaks. May you be blessed in finding some relief from all of the pain.