I'm sorry to hear you're suffering. Can you call your rheumy and let him/her know how much you are hurting and ask for something stronger? That is what I would do. My dr prescribes Vicodin and gabapentin for my pain. I totally understand how constant pain leads to depression; I deal with that too.
I hope you you get some relief soon.

Is Prednisone an option for you? I know it's bad long term, but at the moment, I love the stuff.

Oh, and naproxen. I can tell when I have forgotten to take it. It takes some joint pain away.

I am in the process of changing rheumys. Mine is VERY conservative and does not give out pain meds if he can help it. I have been on the prednisone and felt better but he made me get off. Grrrrrrr

I take Meloxicam. But you can't take it while on steroids, so it's kind of 6 of 1 or a half dozen of another; I do continue to have a love/hate relationship with steroids. I'll do a three week regimen and then go back to Meloxicam along with the Methotrexate once a week. Trish

Ugh I'm in a flare too. Your rhuemy is a meany. I take small dose of prednisone when I'm in a flare. He lets me have a prescription any time I ask.
Not working this time the pills. , I have an appt. this week. Only thing that helps long, drawn out flares, is cortisone shots. I can't wait till Thursday. I'm dying...over here. Ow whole body hurts. Cortisone shots are so great. Instant pain relief on flares.

I hate when the flare gets so bad, you can't think.

Lin
Hugs =)

Thanks Dreamchaser. I'm in so much pain. It is becoming increasingly difficult to function. I am at my wits end. I have a call into the dr we will see what happens. I have a few prednisone left from my last round. I may start those. There has to be something that can give me some relief

Prednisone for me & struggle then if my RA is not treated with right meds.
I'm learning most Drs won't deal with pain meds.
I'm in PM & that is my saving grace. Even with that help the pain exists. No total relief.
I've come close when the Enbrel helped & my PM did all my procedures. Oh how I enjoyed that time.
Sammy

I took tramidol for a short time, and the only nice thing about it was the bright pink color of the pill.
I have taken several different kinds of narcotic pain meds, until I found the combination that seems to help the most. I am still in pain, but it is usually 4 or under. My Rheumy reminds me that they cannot take all the pain away, but rather try to keep it at a bearable level. I take one med for pain relief and have an extra one I can take for break-through pain.
Be blunt and ask for something stronger than Tramidol. Rheumy's are required by law (at least in my state) to provide adequate pain relief. Do not ask for a certain kind of pain med (narcotic) or a certain dose. Let your dr suggest one and try it. If it does not help, don't wait more than a few days, but make another appointment to discuss pain. Often Dr's don't seem to take our pain seriously unless we frequently complain.
Pain is incredible in it's awfulness.
My rheumy wanted to send me to a pain management specialist, but all the only one my insurance covered had written 70 articles on the benefits of marijuana...which my Rheumy disapproves of. I was relieved to get out of going to a PM, as quite often they are even worse about prescribing anything for pain...they just want you to think happy thoughts. I have seen a PM, and heard many stories, and a good one seems to be rare. But if you want non-narcotic relief, you could try one.
I also take medication for anxiety and depression, so that is an option too.
I hope you will soon have some relief, and I am sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble with this flare.

Update: Prednisone is my best friend today! Called the Dr again this morning and he put me on 60mg a day until I see him Thursday. As much as I hate taking it, I am SO grateful for the relief. I still have pain, but it is manageable ! Thank you all so much for your advice and support but mostly for letting me rant when I need to. You are all the BEST!!!!