Hi!, My Ra Dr. called me up yesterday and told me my liver enzimes were alittle more elivated than it was the last time I had blood work done. I am on Humira weekly/ Arava 20 mg. daily/ Mtx 15mg, weekly /Folic Acid 2mg. daily/Fosamax 70mg. weekly/Protonix 40mg. daily/Ibuprofen 800mg. 3 times a day. The Dr. told me he want me to stop taking the ibuprofen because he thinks it is affecting my liver. Myself I think it would be the Mtx or Arava. I need the ibuprofen for the pain and inflamation. He told me to take Vicadin for the pain instead, which I don't really agree. He wants for me to get blood work done again in 3 or 4 weeks to check my liver again. Is the Dr. right or wrong?
He's right. It can cause problems. Ask him if you can take Mobic. My doc has me on Mobic, Vicodin and lets me take Tyelnol in between. I have to watch my overall dosage. Take too much and it can affect your kidneys and that can be worse. But they have a magic number, which I, of course, forget.
Others are on different things besides Mobic. So hopefully they will hop in and make some other good suggestions that you could call and ask the doc about. Some of the nurses on here are hot stuff!
Holy cow, with all those meds Ibuprofen seems to be the least offensive. He may have told you that because it is the easiest to stop with the least impact on your situation, whereas if you stopped one of the others (which are more likely the offending meds) it will create havoc with your RA. Just a thought.My doc told me to take tylenol if I needed to but watch the amount I take and in no way should I take ibuprofen as it can cause elevated liver counts when mixed with the other meds.
Only take the tylenol when I feel a migraine coming on and hope to stop it before it gets out of control.
Talk to your doc
Hi! I was taking the 800mg. of ibuprofen for the pain I am having with my left hip and neck. Without it I am now in more pain. Humira/Mtx/Arava are not pain killers...I imagine he hopes that taking you off IBU will lower your liver enzymes without having to drop another of your more important medications like MTX? Just a guess. I know IUB is very taxing on the liver. Hopefully this will help and you'll be able to continue with your current medication for RA. If you think the MTX isn't doing much.....just wait until you stop it. You'll change your mind.Just because he takes you off the IBU doesn't mean that there are not other pain relievers out there that he can try. He is probably trying to eliminate one source at a time like others have suggested. But there is no harm in calling him back and asking what you can do for the pain in the meantime.
I don't think I could make it without mine. This stuff hurts!
Hi! The Ra Dr. told me to take Vicodin for pain. It might be okay to take at night but I do not want to take Vicodin in the day. The drug is not for inflamation...Paul,
Here's how I take my Vicodin and tylenol. You should check that this is appropriate, but it seems to be tolerable for me.
A lot of times, I take tylenol if I wake up in the night. This takes the edge off my morning pain and helps make me less stiff. Tylenol also seems to make me a bit sleepy, I think because the pain relief relaxes me.
Then I drive into work. You don't want to drive on Vicodin because you can get a DUI. So I don't ever drive until I know it isn't affecting me, at least two hours. But you need to gauge how your body reacts because some people are really affected by it.
That gets me through the day, along with my TENS unit. I usually don't take tylenol during the rest of the day. I wait until I get home and I know I don't have to go anywhere else for the evening and then I take another Vicodin. I am allowed up to 3 a day and I have had to use them. But it makes me wide awake and very chatting.
So, I space the doses out, skip when I can handle the pain and change the times when I take it. I just need to take an edge off the pain at some point. It is more a mental relief because I still am in pain but it takes some of the edge off for me.
I will try many things to not take the pain pills. Distraction works really well for me. If I can get into something I love doing or in a good conversation with a friend, I don't think so much about the pain. I've also learned to take advantage of heating and ice packs. Heating a bag of rice for about 1 1/2 minutes makes a great heating pad and is easier to manuveur than a regular heating pad. Also, getting the wraps that can take either hot or cold are more portable. A lot of people here have tried the pain patches that you can get from the drug store with great results.
Physical therapy can be very helpful if your doctor will send you. That's how I got my TENS and then they used the Ultrasound therapy as well. I could barely move my shoulder before this.
If there is one particular area that is causing pain, they may be able to do a cortisone shot. I don't know if that's appropriate for your hip. But I believe some people have gotten them there. They were a great relief for my knees. And, and pain in the hips or your neck can be referred pain from something else. That's why it needs to be fully investigated.
For your neck, gentle stretching and moving around the neck and shoulders can help. Does your doctor know that this is a big pain area for you? Has he done xrays or MRIs of either your hip or your neck? If not, that probably should be done.
Also, ask about using a cane (used in your opposite hand and sized right for your body) for awhile. It can give you relief from the pain.
I definitely would have tests done if they haven't been already. I have fluid on my hip that gets really painful. But other things can go wrong with the hip. Even if nothing is wrong, it gives them a good baseline to go from in the future.