RA flare --- suggestions needed | Arthritis Information

I'm going through an RA flare so RA MD took me off Enbrel, which I have to be off for a month before trying Cimzia. In the meantime, he's got me on 5 tablets of methotrexate. I'm having a lot of pain. i'm taking 800 mg of ibuprofen twice a day. Does anyone having any suggestions for relief of pain and swelling? Thanks!Is this a rheumatologist? Somehow I'm thinking it's not.

In any case, you should be prescribed NSAIDS in addition to the MTX. What were you told about folic acid?

Hi Kathy, I am sorry you are having such a hard time!!! Can you get a pred dose pack maybe? Something to get you through the month? Or maybe see if the mtx can be upped or go to injectable? At any rate, I would call the RD office and see what they can offer!

I didn't know you had to wait for Enbrel to clear your system? I just started Cimzia after being on Humira (I took weekly shots of Humira) and I started the 2 shot loading dose 1 week after my last Humira shot. It seems to be helping - I got up this morning feeling pretty good. The morning stiffness wasn't bad at all and my fingers don't look like sausages!

When I had bad flares, I iced individual joints, then soaked in a warm tub. I know when its bad, nothing seems to help but this would make me feel, at least for a while, human. Please give your doctor a call - no need to suffer - and I hope you fell better soon!

Thanks waddie -- i was surprised that you could go from shot to shot. My RA MD has always had me off one for a month before starting another. I've been on Humira, then Enbrel and now will be going to Cimzia. I am taking folic acid with the MTX, but when I asked the rheumy about something for pain he said take ibuprofen. I'm now getting evening fevers too and my fingers are like sausages too, can't wear any rings but my wedding ring. I have some prednisone, but I've been on it several times in the past few months, I didn't want to go on it again. I usually go for a tapering dose over about a week to 10 days. Yes it is my rheumy who told me this. He told me to take folic acid with the MTX, gave me a script for that. Also said I should take ibuprofen for the pain, but the ibuprofen just takes the edge off the pain (at 800 mg twice aday) and takes away any fevers I get. I do have some hydrocodone that I take at night when I really need to as it makes me sleepy, can't take that during the day though. Hi Kathy, call your doctor Monday and tell him you need something else to control the inflammation, that the ibuprofen just isn't doing the trick! Besides, he should know and have record of what is happening to you, what you are going through.

Good luck Kathy!

Definitely - you call your doctor and tell him he should know better than to leave it to ibuprofen. Shame on him.

I'd go with the dose pack, too.

The whole idea is to get the pain and inflammation clobbered down early.

[QUOTE=Kathy621]