Tired of Hurting | Arthritis Information

Hey Everyone....I am tired of hurting so I am going to a doctor 30 miles from home. This doctor helps a friend that I know with the same disease. I have a question. Anyone have a good recommendation for pain meds? I am absolutely fed up with sleeping issues, not being able to sit through work with out pain, and just plain simple pain. She takes Dilaudids along with other prescribed meds. Any suggestions?There is one I will turn down cuz I am scared of it and that is fetnayl. I knowed someone who is extremely addicted and can not get off. Also, there has been a few ods on them(they were abused but still).There are alot of meds that can help control the pain of your RA. I'm on Celebrex, Rituxan (Iv treatment), and Arava. There are other injections such as Enbrel, Remicade and Humira that maybe of help also. I hope this helps you some and good luck :) AprilNKev----War Eagle! U have the wrong tigets..LS WHO....lol...yeah Celebrex has helped past but it was extremely expensive even with insurance....Lol!! No way!!! Them Bayou Bengals is the way to go!!! That's true, mine isn't expensive, but I have Medicaid as well as State insurance from my mom, because I'm on her plan. Prednisone helps too but I'm has bad side effects and all. Also, to me, Prednisone is a short term fix and not good in the long run. Hope this helps :) Try not to get involved with Dilaudid. Without going into details, that drug caused many problems for a dear departed member of my family and all who loved her. WarEagle,

My arthritis pain drug of choice is prednisone. I take just enough to give me function needed without pain and misery. Yes, prednisone does have side effects, but so does pain from rheumatoid inflamation. If you have joint pain from ra, you probably also have joint destruction going on. Of course, my doctors have always change my meds to get me to a point of lowering my prednisone but will still use the prednisone to regulate my pain. It works wonders but once again and most important is to have doctors that find the right combo to keep you pain free and opiod and prednisone free. good luck.

LEV

hey dilaudid is not any better than fentyal when looking at addiction issues...both are extremely powerful narcotics and should not be used until other pain meds have been tried

So tell us some more about yourself. What is your diagnosis history? what other meds are you on?

I agree also, heavy pain meds like that shouldn't be thought of, unless all other pain medicine options have been exhausted. All pain medicine like that is very addicting and powerful. You and your Rheumatologist can decide which combination of medicines work best for you and your pain management Let me put some of the above mentioned drugs into perspective for you. Dilaudid is 10 times stronger than Morphine. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine. RA pain is bad. These medications are used for pain control for people who just had surgery, kidney stones or are one their way out from cancer. They should be given to people with SEVERE pain. On the 0-10 scale, pain should be greater than 8 for these to be used. Of course pain management is between you and your doctor and not everyone reacts to medication the same way. If you go in to your appointment asking for a specific narcotic, you may be labeled a drug-seeker. Be honest about your pain level and willing to work with your doctor to find relief. Good luck!I agree - sometimes you just have to try a few things until you get the right mix. Reputable physicians will not jump into the heavy drugs, but will instead work up the ladder of different types of drugs.

This is a good time to mention an incidental conversation with a pahrmaceutical rep who was waiting in the doctors waiting room, as I was. We started talking and I mentioned that I loved my Celebrex, but that it stopped working after a time. He suggested I talk to the doctor about using something else for a month or so, then going back on the Celebrex, which would then have its original effectiveness. He was right.

What works for one of us doesn't do diddly for another. Or what works well for another just sends me into a brain-dead state. So it's time to just try a different drug in your physician's arsenal. You'll come across the right fix!

Thanks everyone for the input....I have been taking Celebrex with Loratabs with a cortiozne shot in knee and or ankle once a month. The Celebrex seems to help but not completely. I am on the verge of using my job because there has been days that I can't work or sleep. I am tired of this stuff. I don't want to hurt but I don't want to be dependent. This doctor also not a rhuemy but aggressively treat until my RA appointment in late March. I completely missed one appointment with one but my father had a heart attack and I had more important things on my mind. nad I forgot this info....I have tested positive for RA and Lupus....really called RhupusSorry to hear about your pain. Living with arthritis can make it difficult to perform even the most basic activities. I think there is a time and place for prescription medication. However, I am a firm believer in also using natural, holistic methods since they pose virtually no side effects. If more people are open to thinking this way, then they will have more options for treating arthritis. Wow Rhupus really, thats terrible. How does that work? Does it both hit you at the same time or does it fluctuate?

Did it take a long time to get that diagnosis?

Sorry for all of the queations. I just sometimes wonder if I have that also. My ana is negative. My RF is positive and my feet have alot of damage but the RD's do not exactly know what I have. They say RA maybe? They say something. Inflamatory something is what I have. So that is why I have so many questions.

I do hope you can get an answer for your pain. I take vicoden and flexeril. It does not always do the trick but keeps me walking most of the time. We need to stay as indepentent as possible. If we loose our independence it just adds extra stress which is bad for our disease.

Hi Everyone,
I’m part of a team that’s trying to learn more about those who have Rheumatoid Arthritis. If you suffer from RA, do you think you could take a few minutes and answer this anonymous survey? You’ll find the survey here: http://ArthritisStudy.com
Thank you!

Valerie