Just Diagnosed RA/Sjogren’s | Arthritis Information

Hello,

I am a 60yr old custodial grandparent who has just been diagnosed with RA/Sjogren's.

I have done some pretty extensive investigation into this condition and had my first appt. with a Rheumatologist last week. He ordered some addn'l bloods and films of feet, hands & wrists. He wanted to give me a "burst" of IM prednisone but I opted for injections into my wrists which cause me the most pain.

He advised that we would need to discuss a plan at my next appt. (06/05) and I know that his plan includes starting me on a DMARD.

I am very concerned about the side effects of the DMARDS. Heck! I'm concerned about the side effects of ALL of the rheumy meds except for the IA injections of corticosteriods which I've had for other osteo conditions and have provided me with some relief. At least I can drive my car and tie my shoes now.

I'd appreciate hearing opinions from others with RA relative to their experiences with DMARDS, especially MTX. I'm curious to learn if others have had pulmonary problems from these meds.

Thanks for your time.

Welcome Alzmama...

I can't give you any info as I was recently dx'd myself and am on Plaquenil which has not kicked in yet. I just wanted to welcome you and wish you lots of luck in your treatment.

I look forward to hearing from you after your next appt.

Hi and welcome to the board!

Side effects are very much a concern for people that have been newly diagnosed and also for people that have had RA for a long time.

I have been on mtx for a little over a year now. Side effects from that vary from person to person. One of the lovely ladies has very minimal to no side effects from the mtx and some of the people here could not tolerate it all due to the stomach issues it can create. You have the choice of injecting mtx or taking the pills. The pills can cause gastro issues along with fatigue while the side effect from injecting mtx is usually fatigue the next day. Just depends on your body. I have not had any pulmonary side effects from mtx.

Don't let the side effects from meds scare you away from them. I feel that how you will end up from the ra by not taking meds is far worse than any side effects from some of these meds. A lot of times, side effects can go away once your body gets used to what you are putting in it. The only cancer we really have to worry about with these meds is skin cancer and still that incidence is pretty low. We are already at risk anyways from the ra to developing lymphoma. Those particular nasty side effects can take YEARS to pop up if at all.

Our appts with our rheumy's are the same day!!! Good luck with yours and I hope you and your doc can up with a treatment that works for you!

Hi and welcome! I have taken MTX for over a year and now inject 20mg per week. Yes I do experience some fatigue and nausea the day after but compared to the swelling MTX has controlled it is tolerable. I just inject the evening before a day that I can just hang out if need be.

Good luck.

Hi Alzmama and welcome, I too am 60 years old so it's nice to have someone my age to communicate with. I got diagnosed with RA and Sjogren's Syndrome about 3 years ago after more than 8 years of testing which always came back negative. Before that, I had been diagnosed with OA and fibromyalgia which I also have.

I have severe allergies especially to medicines, so I was not happy to have to go on all kinds of medication. I'm glad I did though. You don't want to fool around with RA because it can do a lot of damage really fast. If you're like me, they will start you on prednisone and maybe a DMARD like plaquanil and see if they can get it under control with that. I wouldn't be afraid of the oral prednisone. I started with 10 mg but was able to go down to 4mg fairly soon and have been on that for 3 years with minimal side effects. I have to watch my weight and avoid extra salt. My ra was fairly agressive so I was also put on plaquanil, which made me dizzy for awhile. I have since adjusted to it. Methetrexate was always hard for me although others can take it with no trouble. It's rally trial and error to see which meds will work and which you can tolerate. Currently, I'm on pred, plaquanil and enbrel and doing pretty well. I'm able to work half time which is ok for 60 and it allows me to keep my health benefits.

Lucky you for being a grandparent, although being responsible is quite some job. I can only brag about my grand dog. My two grown kids (31 and 27) seem in no hurry to settle down and marry.

Hi , just wanted to say 'WELCOME, this is a great board and there are people of all ages to talk to, so enjoy sharing whatever you want and we'll respond. You'll see below what meds I take and 'currently' they seem to be helping me. sarahWelcome to the board! I started on 15mg MTX with Naprosyn in August 06 and was up to 25mg injections by January 07. Works great for me and, other than some minor post-injection fatigue, I haven't had any side effects. The 1mg folic acid a day is a must to keep away the side effects.

For the most part, I no longer take the anti-inflammatory Naprosyn. The MTX is good enough.

All that said, I understand your fear and reservations about putting such a noxtious substance into your body. However, I think GrammaS summed it up well when she said that the damage of RA is far worse that the side effects of the drugs.

Hi welcome. I am also a custodial grandparent, age 54.. the kids are now 5 years and 19 months. we have had the older one 3 1/2 years and the baby since Christmas. I also have RA and sjorgrens.

I have been on all the DMARDS, and have finally fallen into a routine of MTX and Remicade. For me that combo is a godsend and its the MTX at 20 mg a week that does the trick.

I have asthma and cardiomyopathy, and can say that none of the RA meds have caused me any problems.. no side effects EXCEPT for prednisone which causes a very rapid heartbeat, so I avoid pred like the plague.

I also will not take any cholesterol lowering meds because of the strain on my liver. I'm saving my liver for MTX (my heart belongs to daddy though...lol)

I have just gotten over a cold, which didn't turn into bronchitis, and its the first cold I've had in at least 4 years. So for me there has been no pulmonary issues.

Good luck..

Hi, Alzmama

I was diagnosed in December with RA at the age of 64 -- I remember telling my doctor "I thought surely I was too old for this!"

I too was apprehensive of the meds especially the MTX. I was surprised that I have had absolutely no bad side effects from it. Unfortunately it hasn't done as much good as my RD would have liked, so he added Embrel for a month which also didn't seem to have much effect. So I am now on Humira. I was scared about giving myself the shots, but that also turned out to be a piece of cake.

I love prednisone for the wonderful energy boost it gives, but I realize it is not good to stay on it long term so I am going to try to start reducing the dose as soon as I can.

Good luck and welcome!