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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stephgas 10/21/2013

i took my second dose of mtx last night.... and woke up at 2am with RIDICULOUS shoulder pain.

my pharmacist told me it was safe to take tylenol/acetaminophen for pain. it got me thinking - what else can i try to do for the pain? my dx happened rather quickly - maybe three months from pain to ortho to rheumy to mtx. and about 5 weeks of that was spent on prednisone, which helped a lot. and once i came off the steroids, it's like the pain had spread and amplified without my knowledge.

i am out of tylenol (of course) and will run out today for more. but i also have some kind of icy hot in a tube, as well as arnica cream. and ice and a moist hot pack and a traditional heating pad. does anyone have any tips or tricks that they use successfully and are willing to share?

thanks in advance :)

deleted_user 10/21/2013

Would your doctor write you a script for Celebrex? I find it very helpful.

stephgas 10/21/2013

celebrex is an NSAID, right? i was advised not to take NSAIDs :/

lhowemt 10/21/2013

Will you tell me more about being advised not to take NSAIDS? I ask because I was once too, since they were "associated" with an allergic reaction. I challenged them last winter at a doctor's office, and now I am thrilled to be able to take them again.

Celebrex is not considered to be associated with the allergic properties of NSAIDS. Or so I'm told by my allergist.

I find heat helps much more than cold. Other than that, pain killers, pain killers, pain killers.

stephgas 10/21/2013

my rheumy mentioned not to take NSAIDS because they would be hard on my stomach. i called my pharmacist because i'm on other rx medications so i wanted to see what pain killer i could take that wouldn't interact with *any* of my rx's. i was told tylenol was the only pain reliever they would recommend i use. i wasn't told why.

i really don't want to have to take another damn pill, though i suppose i should get used to it. i take methotrexate, an rx for mental illness, calcuim + d twice a day, rx folic acid, flaxseed oil, zinc, and a multivitamin. less than two weeks out from my dx and i'm already tired of it.

oceans11 10/21/2013

I'm kind of surprised they didn't put you on Prednisone (steroid) to get rid of the inflammation & pain (if you have both). I'm on my 2nd month of MTX & I just weened myself off prednisone.

Although I'm not in remission by any stretch of the imagination I feel about 95%!! Better than feeling 20% when I wasn't taking anything.

Anyway, I believe you'd be okay taking the NSAID. I was on Celebrex prior to the prednisone & it helped a little but not as much as the prednisone to be honest.

stephgas 10/21/2013

i was on prednisone for a little over a month and then was tapered off. it helped as long at i was at or above 10mg; once i got to 5mg it was like not taking anything.

altoclef 10/21/2013

You might check into staying on the prednisone. It's a nasty drug, but so is Tylenol: really hard on your liver and kidneys. It's easy to overdose on tylenol, too- the grey area between enough and too much is narrow.

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