3 Prednisones, 2 methotrexate and Remicade 2nd treatment and still have swelling. What else can I take?
Hurts,
You are probably going to have to open a can of patience. How much prednisone are you taking? 3 tablets of how many mgs? mtx takes quite awhile but prednisone is quite quick.
LEV
Depending on how long you have been on this regimen...it may take up to 3 months for it all to kick in. SOmetime longer.
Will nothing help the swelling until these powerful meds work? I'm having trouble holding my glass to drink water, etc.
How much prednisone are you taking and since when have you been taking it. It should start to relieve pain and inflamation and swelling rapidly. You may need to ask Dr. about upping pred dose. I up and down my own with Dr. okay. If it is of any consolation, probably every one on this board has dropped countless bottles and jars even tho it seemed like we are holding so tight. I have learned to hold everything at least from the bottom. Patience, the pain now will make you apreciate feeling better.
LEV
3 x 5 mgs. of prednisone each day, 2 down from 4 methotrexate (the liver thing is up) every week, and my second infusion of Remicade. this all has been going on for a month, now. Longer for the prednisone.
The pain is gone, but my hands and feet are swollen. The ice helped tonight, thanks so much (the good old remedies). I'm trying to think of how to get more ice into my life. First thing in the morning, the evenings, etc.
Can you take NSAIDS too? They help my swelling a little and every little bit seems to count!Yes, that's a good idea. Which (one) one's do you use? Also, I've heard prednisone causes water retention? I stopped taking Lasix because it seemed to be causing me to have to 'rush' to the bathroom. I'll take one today and see if it reduces the swelling. I've also gained weight taking prednisone. I feel hungry all the time. Is this normal?
Yep, pretty much. Pred makes a lot of people *starving* lol I eat like a PIGGY on it. And it makes some people really emotional. And uummmm what else....Yes, it can make you retain water. You may get some muscle cramps, and you may end up with insomnia. I think those are the most common side effects. I don't think anyone's had *all* of them at one time, but you usually end up with one or two. But hey, it's better than being swollen and in pain, right?Hurts,
You shouldn't take nsaids with the prednisone, the combination can cause big trouble. You should know the facts about all the drugs you take. Every one should read and re-read the drug fact sheet given with each prescription. It is to your advantage to know the warning signs, the dos and don'ts of your drugs. Knowing the facts can keep you from terrible side effects or even death. These are powerful drugs for a powerful disease. If you are in pain, talk to a medical doctor. Please, learn the facts about the drugs you are taking, you don't need more trouble, do you?
LEV
Can you cut down on your salt intake? On prednisone salt can really make you blow up. When my hands are bad, I use alternate baths for my hands of very warm and cold water. If you have a double sink, you fill one sink with cold(add a little ice) and the other with very warm. you alternate your hands between the two, one minute in each. It helps to sit on a stool between the two sinks. I also have a parafin bath I use for my hands that is really comforting. I learned all this stuff at a hand clinic which I was referred to by my rheumatologist.There are also some very helpful devices that can make life a lot easier on the hands like key holders and gel-filled pens instead of ball point ones.
It will probably take longer for the MTX to kick in probably the Remicade too, although I'm on Enbrel so I don't really know about that,
I was hurting from so much pain I didn't have any thoughts of swelling or not. So, now that pred has helped with the pain I can think of other things. I'll surely cut down on salt. Do the ice/warm baths and try the wax. Thanks for helping me think.....lev
My docs know I take nsaids... they, both GP and rhuemy have prescribed pred anyway
???
As long as there are no other reasons for you not to take nsaids, it is perfectly okay to take them with Prednisone or other steroids. They are a different class of drugs and are safe. You can get ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) or naproxen sodiom (Naprosyn, Aleive) over the counter. Standard dosing on ibuprofen is 100mg per hour, so 600mg every six hours. If you prefer to have your physician perscribe something you can look at drugs like Mobic or Celebrex. I personally recommend trying the OTC stuff first just because it is usually cheaper (esp if you buy the storebrand) and more convienient. The other option is aspirin, which is old school to some...but many with arthritis swear by it. I would recommend using enteric coated aspirin, or a brand like Bayer. These are easier on the stomach over time.
You can also take acetominophen (Tylenol) with nsaids. You can have up to 1000 mg every 4-6 hours, and no more than 4000mg in a 24 hours period. But sometimes the combination helps provide more pain relief than either drug alone.
It is important to note that many perscription narcotic pain relievers have acetominophen in them (Vicodin, Darvocet) and you need to account for that. For example if your perscription pain med has 325 mg of actominophen, you can take either two regular strength (325mg ea) Tylenols or one (500mg ea) Tylenol with your pain pill. Then you can add your ibuprofen...and you have a great little cocktail.
If you are interested in this, but still a little unsure just print this out and ask your doc if they agree with this for you.
I also think you may want to ask your doc about the concerns with the lasix. Sounds like that could be part of your problem too. Good luck!
Beg your pardon, you "shoudn't take aspirin or nonsteroidal drugs with mtx as a drug interaction could result, possibly leading to death." That is the way it is written on my methotrexate fact sheet. I guess I had better read my sheets again myself. LEV I have been on MTX for a year and my RD and PMD both are aware of my use of aspririn and MTX. Sounds like you need to get your doc to clarify which things are okay for you, just to be on the safe side. From what I have found, it is dependant on other factors related to your health, and also the dose of MTX which you are taking... there is not always a clear cut set of rules for everyone. It is always best to see what your doc says, and the info on MTX suggests that you can take these things under the monitoring by your physician. I know alot of people here take nasaids and such with MTX, I wonder has anyone ever had a reaction or been told to stop by their doctor? It would be interesting to learn about this from someone who has experienced it. Good Luck...I hope you get to feeling better. The thing that was the worst for me when I was tapering off of pred. was the headaches. I have heard others complain of the same thing. Hope you get through without much trouble..feel better! Your body can tell you long term taking drugs is not OK. You can name any aggressive and effective drugs or cocktail of drugs, the final stage is you body being weaken and the drugs use to be effective are loosing its power and besides are causing side effects. It is because you neglect the healthiness and never realise the abilities of you own body. Only you can nurture your body gradually into healthy stage then the body has the abilities to handle, control and dispel arthritis. Otherwise when drugs dwindle to uselessness then one has to go for surgery. My experience is that appropriate herbs and selective natural foods can systematically and gradually reverse the severity of the disease.
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