So if Celebrex and Pain meds dont help what would be the next step? I see and feel the swelling... Celebrex is supposed to make it go down right? Y wouldnt it help? Y do i just sit here and feel nerves twitchin and hurtin in different places at differnt times when i lay it is worse? What makes us so sleepy? Since there are triggers for flares are there also triggers that can help stop them? Do the meds really stop flares or just help? Once u start taking the real medicines to activly help control how long does it start to see a difference? Right now I take Celebrex twice a day and Hydrocodine 500mg as needed for pain... Im not seeing much difference and im frustrated! Im takin Nexium to help my tummybut its still bloated and I cant hardly eat!
celebrex and pain meds do nothing to stop the disease process. so hopeully yes once you are on disease modifying drugs you will feel better. How long it takes depends on the medication, how long it takes to find the right dose and your own body
Fatigue is part of the disease process.
Linda- I am so sorry you are feeling bad, unfortunetly it takes patience with meds to work but maybe you need to call your docs office for a rethink on your meds( depending on how long you have been on them) I never found that celebrex or hydrocodine helped me, the codine played havoc on my stomach. Tiredness go hand in hand with RA but with little ones to look after it is hard, call your doc to see what he/she can do.Have you been dx'ed with anything yet Linda? The meds you are on aren't nearly good enough for soemthing like RA. That's basically just pain meds and does nothing to slow the progression. That's where your get your most relief. You need a DMARD not just and anti-inflammatory and a pain medication. That will only hold you until your next dose.
the celebrex did not help me, so i'm going to try embrel
the next step that most likely will happen is a switch in meds to a dmard. Your rheumy most likely will start you out with plaquenil and then go from there.
Have you called and talked to your rheumy that you are in pain and have swelling?
Celebrex just is not the right nsaid for you. There are at 30 nsaids on the market - odds are that there is one you can tolerate that actually works. It takes between 3 days and 3 weeks to know if you can tolerate a particuliar nsaid, and to know if it will provide relief. I find nsaids to help more than pain pills because they get rid of swelling and so relieve stiffness.
DMARDs are really powerful drugs and no doc wants to prescribe them until all the testing is in (usually). Most take quite a while , 3 or 4 months to actually change things enough to provide relief.
It takes time and courage and a ton of patience to find the right combo for an individual.
In the meantime try heat for aching and cold to reduce swelling. Cold packs don't usually help me but heat really relieves pain for me. Hot bath or shower every morning and sometimes in the evening too. Can't live without my rice pack and microwave!
Best wishes and a hug to you.
Linda, I feel the same way about cold. Heating pads, hot water, warm jacuzzi all feel wonderful. Cold is like a knife going thru me.
Glad you're getting your refill and an earlier appt.
Please keep us posted.
Gentle hugs,
Nini
I'm allergic to the cold, always have been. I get huge hives everywhere on my body, last about 30 min. Even getting out of shower I get them so yes heat is my best friend too. Oh and go figure I live in Canada