ROME -- Clinicians should allow conventional disease-modifying drugs for rheumatoid arthritis three to six months to start working before they switch to another therapy, according to a study reported here.
The study followed a cohort of 51 patients with early RA treated with a conventional DMARD (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug) such as methotrexate and found that 63% of those who failed to achieve low disease-activity status after three months did so with another three months of therapy without dose escalation, said Edward Keystone, MD, of the University of Toronto.
"In a significant number of patients, three months was not an adequate period of time to decide on altering therapy," Keystone said during a poster session at the European League Against Rheumatism annual meeting.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/20834I do agree with this .... based on my own experience, I did feel some relief in the first 6 months but my largest and most improved status did not occur until a full year had passed.While I am sure this is correct, my own experience is different. I have been on mxt for a year on 4 July, on plaquenil from Feb 2010 and sulfa from April 2010 and still nothing, I only experienced less pain when on 30mg pred. I am now off the pred as instructed by my consultant, and I dont feel that the triple therapy has worked for me [QUOTE=BarbieGirl]While I am sure this is correct, my own experience is different. I have been on mxt for a year on 4 July, on plaquenil from Feb 2010 and sulfa from April 2010 and still nothing, I only experienced less pain when on 30mg pred. I am now off the pred as instructed by my consultant, and I dont feel that the triple therapy has worked for me[/QUOTE]