Flare - pain management options | Arthritis Information

Although i have my bad days with RA, i haven't hve a full blown flare in a few years.....until today.
In the past i have resorted to prednisone which certainly worked but i didn't like having to wean off of it and was more interested in a quick fix, so to speak.
I wanted to see what others used (other than NSAIDS and Tylenol) on those flare days.
Thanks for any advice!
Lisa Here's my formula... I move up the ladder as needed. If I reach the medrol dosepak level, it almost always kills the flare in a day or two. However, you can't go around taking medrol dosepaks every week or month.

Rest -> NSAID/acetaminophen -> NSAID/acetaminophen/tramadol -> NSAID/vicodin -> medrol dosepak

I think it differs from person to person. Your pain tolerance is the primary measuring stick.

When the pain and inflammation are obviously there and impairing my ability to function, I start with heat, massage, and reduced activity. But if I get to the point of wanting to cry that is when I give in and reach for the Prednisone. One thing I learned recently is that you can pop a larger dose of Prednisone for 1 to 2 days without having to taper off. I tried it just last week for a flare. Popped 10mg for two days which stopped the flare, and then went back to my normal 2.5 mg per day on the 3rd day. Everything went fine.

Hope you find relief.

Shame on you and this forum!

AchingAudrey2008-11-30 21:22:24You would be amazed Audrey. It's kind of like the thought of using an ice pack. Sounds awful but it brings relief. Or like having a neck rub when you have a kink in your neck. Not a deep massage. Just have someone gently rub. You'll love it! [QUOTE=AchingAudrey]

Well, I've heard y'all talk of getting massages during flares? OUCH! When I'm flaring I can't imagine someone touching me, Hell, even I can't touch me, lol. I don't know how you stand that, but I guess everyone is different. hi, i'm in a major flare myself, I've gained 7 lbs, in a wk, and I'm so inflammed, i swear i look like the

Pillsbury Doughboy...

The pain has been unreal, what i do, and did,

went to the drs (reg~ closer by) and got a Cortisone shot, at least i think thats what it was.

Today, still hurting like heck..

took Vicodin ++~ its got a large dose of motrin in it.and maybe something else/?.

Also.. I'm on Opana, major med, for chronic pain..

and soon a hot bath...but it usually hurts too much , to even get in and out of the tub lately..so probably won't do that..

The Vicodin plus is saving me at the moment..

...

Good luck! hope you feel better.. i also like heat..but the blankets too heavy for me , to even pick up.. its that kind of day! sigh and ugh..I have so much arthritis in my neck and back anyway that even when I'm not flaring I hurt all the time. The drug of the moment is percocet. Sometimes I feel like a flare is coming on, I'll hurt like hell run lowgrade temp. This is usually after working. Then I'll take nught time sleepy meds and wake up the next morning and I'm not flaring. Do you guys do this too? [QUOTE=wendyr]I have so much arthritis in my neck and back anyway that even when I'm not flaring I hurt all the time. The drug of the moment is percocet. Sometimes I feel like a flare is coming on, I'll hurt like hell run lowgrade temp. This is usually after working. Then I'll take nught time sleepy meds and wake up the next morning and I'm not flaring. Do you guys do this too?[/QUOTE]

I get the low-grade fever/achy crap, and naproxen combined with rest usually nips it in the bud.
[QUOTE=wendyr]Sometimes I feel like a flare is coming on, I'll hurt like hell run lowgrade temp. This is usually after working. Then I'll take nught time sleepy meds and wake up the next morning and I'm not flaring. Do you guys do this too?[/QUOTE]

I always know when a flare is coming because my fingers stiffen up and I get really tired. Then boom! Flare! I wished I could take some sleepy time drugs and wake up without the flare.

I have this friend who "shops me to death." Most of the time when I go shopping with her, towards the end of the trip, I'll start flaring in one joint. It will turn red and swell. I won't have any fever or any stiffness before. It's just one joint and by morning it will be gone, or almost gone. I guess that's similar, but not exactly, like your experience.

Heat, rest, and drugs!

I take muscle relaxers which help. My dr took me off vicodin and gave me darvocet which is not helping me whatsoever. Dr said when I go back on the 30th we will talk about pain control. She thinks I have been on vicodin too long (3 years) and I am addicted. Which I don't think I am because I have been without it for over a month and I don't have any symptoms of withdrawal. JUST PAIN!

I hope you feel better soon!

Hot baths and even with epsonsalts never hurt anyone. I am a pednisone girl myself.

I am in the don't touch me club. Two Reumys tried that. One i thought was going to pass out from my reaction. His comment, something is wrong with you.

Another one asked if i had gotten an mri of the area. I said yes that is an injury free spot. So i am not into message or accupuncture thinking. When i am stiff i can not tolerate needles very well either. I do prednisone vicoden and hotbaths. Sometimes even that does not offer much comfort. And i put a hot rag on my face while i soak in the hot bath. Helps sinuses and migrains.

[QUOTE=CinDee]Heat, rest, and drugs!

I hope you feel better soon!

[/QUOTE]

CinDee,

My RD had me try Darvocets first. I didn't think they were very good either. I might as well have been taking candy.

I honestly don't understand the "addiction" thing. If you need daily pain relief, what does it matter if you get physically addicted? Isn't controlling the pain more important at the time?

Bless you heart Cindee I guess i had missed that post. Call your doctor Monday. At least I would tell him the Darvocett does not help. Tramadol I am allergic to. But it at least works better than Darvocett. You may need to take three or four a day. Less upset stomache also. Darvocett is not an RA drug thats my opinion. All it ever did for me was give me an upset stomache. I don't even get it. Can't people get addicted to Darvocett? They used to give me big bottles with 200 Darvocetts. Of which i maybe took two or three. They just didn't help.

Vicoden they write take three times a day as needed. Write the script for 60. Well i am as needed every day so that equals 90.

At least from an FM standpoint, it's probably because I don't get enough rest that I'll flare. Be good to yourself and don't overdo stuff. No free lunch.

I'm paying the price now from doing triage on a nearly brain dead computer.
The new one's up and running

Shame on you and this forum!

AchingAudrey2008-11-30 21:21:49Wish I could understand the difference between a flare or just having a more pain. Is there a difference?, maybe I am not as bad as a lot of you guys. I find that if I have a bad day of eating, overdoing things, my wrists are so painful and throb even without doing anything, even taking more meds don't help very much, but on a good day my wrists don't know they have RA until I try to do something like dress, shower etc. Is that the difference?

But I love my hubby to massage my neck ( he has magic fingers) even when I can't move my head sideways, it feels sooooo good!

I do remember when I was getting married, RD put me on more Pred for a couple of days to get me through, I can't remember the dose but it wasn't the same daily it was staggered to get me over a 5 day period.

Hope you are feeling better soon!.

Shame on you and this forum!

AchingAudrey2008-11-30 21:21:11Audrey ....I can remember only being like that when I was first diagosed, although, I only needed help was when I was getting out of the car. The pain was so intense and so unpredictable I could actually feel it coming on and just as I thought I couldn't bear it anymore it was dissapear just as a quick. I remember the pain easing up after the RD putting me on Prenisone. You have brought it all back to me. I do hope you are feeling a lot less pain now and never have that Major flare again. It was good to hear how someone else describes their flares....makes it easier to understand other when they go through theirs, if that makes sense.....Annie
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