Hi! I was just wondering who was on pain meds and what are they taking?? My ortho prescribes them to me, but my rheumy doesn't.I would have a terrible time getting up and going to work if I didn't have them...my work is physical and I couldn't get through it except for my pain meds. We haven't found a combination of meds for my pain yet...am just starting on Arava, it has not kicked in yet. I am on Percocet and Tylenol 3...depending on my pain level...anyone else??
My doctor gave me tramedol last week; but I just take it when I have to have it. Usually at night. I have a lot of problems with my back and I'll use muscle relaxers a good bit when it's acting up.
I take Humira and MTX and I've found that once you've got your disease under control you won't need as much pain medication.
I will admit to taking 4 advil at a time here and there for the past 10 years or better. But that's only as needed which has been less and less since MTX & Humira combined.
It took about three months for humira to start working well for me...don't give up on it yet. I imagine reimicade is kindof the same...although I've heard people say they have had quicker results with it.
I'm taking 4-6 5/500 vicoden daily, sometimes substituting tramadol, depending on where the pain is. I'm about to finish 3rd month of Embrel, still waiting for relief.
Mike
Brand names are all different over here, so I'll give the generic name too. As well as the Plaquenil which hasn't kicked in yet, I take nsaid, usually Voltaren (diclofenac) but depending on what kind of day it is sometimes I take Brufen (ibuprofen 400mg, 2 up to four times a day). Voltaren works great for shoulders, elbows, knees and hips, but Brufen is better for hands and feet. Weird
As far as pain killers go, at the moment I take Panamax (paractemol 500mg) but when the pain gets bad I have Panadeine Forte (paracetamol 500mg/codeine 30mg). Although I'm not crazy about taking the codeine, so I'm thinking about asking the doc for some tramadol.
I'm not sure if I've ever told you guys, but I'm a prescriptionist. I work in pharmacy and I dispense medications, mainly for people in nursing homes or hostels.
Mike, I am just wondering if you worry about addiction? I know vicoden are very addicting. I know darvocett is too and I have been taking them daily. Since this is a long term illness, I do wonder how safe it is to take narcotics daily. I am grateful that my doc does prescribe darvocett. The ultram (tramodol) I use for sleep but it is not strong enough for daily activities. I know I am not on the right meds. to effectively treat my ra yet. I am hoping that will happen soon. I do worry about going back to work next month. I cannot imagine trying to work when I never know what my pain level is going to be from one day to the next. Anyway, I am very interested in this subject. I feel like I should have several prescriptions - depending on my pain level
Personally, I've been at a constant daily dose for about 7 months, no desire to take more, and there doesnt seem to be any real high from taking it.
Okay, my crude explanation! Now, where is my vicoden?
Mike
Hey Mike,
Not trying to make this a "pick on Mike night", but if you have been on Embrel for three months and still have no relief, I think I would be asking my RD why. I could be wrong because I have never taken Embrel, but I have known people who after three months were getting some if not a lot of relief. I realize that I "preach" in some of my other posts that meds work at a different pace on each of us and I hope this is the case for you. Whatever the case, Hang in there!
I am very interested in what others do for "pain management". We talk a lot on this board about our pain and I am sure many of you have different coping strategies. I would very much like to learn from you.
Mike
It took at least three months for me to be happy with Humira. I still wasn't thrilled with it until we doubled the dose.
I understand what you are saying about dependence on certain medications Mike. I feel this way about MTX...and now Humira as well. I wouldn't call it addiction because I can do without it when I HAVE to. Like right now I'm off both due to ANOTHER infection....but I'm not going crazy craving it. I do however know that with in days...a week at most I'll be going down hill fast without it. I'd say I'm dependent on it for sure because I depend on it to keep me going. Your description of the difference between the two makes a lot of sence.
I realize we're talking about two different types of medications here...but I think it's the same type of thing though. I'm just to a point in my treatment that I depend more on the DMARDS more than I do the pain killers. Of course over the next couple of weeks I'll be using more pain medications considering I will not be able to have what I like best.
Hi,
I take Humira and celebrex (200 mg) daily. My rheumy just increased my celebrex to 400 mg daily. I also take Tramadol and Vicodan 750 pretty much every day, or I should say every work day. I try not to take the Vicodan on the weekends because I am a little worried about the addiction. I have been taking Vicodan off and on for the past 4 years. I am scheduled to have another joint replacement surgery in Oct. (this will be my 3rd) After surgery I am usually on Oxycodone while I am in the hospital and then on percocet for awhile. I am not sure if I could continue to work without the pain killers. I am a receptionist so my job is not very physical. I do get some relief from the Humira and I don't take as many of the vicodan as I did before.
Linda
In the course of the last 9 years, I have been on every DMARD that is sold, some more than once. I am currently taking Enbrel, for the second time, methotrexate, prednisone. Prednisone is one of my best friends, even with all of it's side effects. However, the drug that did more to give me my life back than any other thing that I have taken is Oxycontin. My Rheumatologist started me on Oxycontin 16 months ago. I don't get a high, I don't run through the streets screaming. It has given me the ability to continue working, support my family, and have a normal life 70% of the time. Does it always make all the pain go away? No. But it sure is better than it was. The battle between dependancy and addition will probably continue. At this point in my life, I really don't care which I am. What I do care about is the fact that I can take my kids fishing, or swimming, or to the beach. Quality of life is important, and pain killers help improve that qualilty with much less apparent side effects than Prednisone.Roxy..I'm like you - i want to learn whatever I can about my disease & how best I can live a quality life(Garyt
My biggest worry about the pain meds is that someday they won't work anymore & there won't be anything i can take! Can anybody tell me how long it takes for MTX to start working? Thanks everybody! Lulu I was taking Oxycocet and it was ok at first, but didn't take the pain away as well as I had hoped. Then after a month or so it started making me feel like I was going to vomit and a few times I did. I just went to my doctor to get another pain medication and gave me Hydromorph to try. He told me that had I taken the Oxycocet on a regular basis, I probably wouldn't have felt sick like I did. But I only want to take pain medication when I can not stand the pain anymore. Maybe that's silly, but I just hate taking so many pills. Hopefully the Hydromorph will help when I need it. Kelly Yes! That much I know is true - keep on a regular schedule with the pain meds or else they don't work as well - like antibiotics or antidepressants - you have to keep an consistent level in your blood for the best results
Prof.Lulu I still have some days with a lot of pain and even though I take a minimum dose regularly I have to take more at that time. I too was worried about work and knew that I just couldn't do it. Hang in there You'll probably figure it out. I worried about that for a long time so I would only take the vicodin when I had to - but then I seemed to need more to make it work or I would just try to put up with the pain. I've always enjoyed the "brainy" side of my life too so I've tried to take as small a dose as possible because it made my head very foggy. I also found myself getting very irritable when the meds were wearing off. I don't know what the future holds but what I am doing now is breaking the vicodin ES into 4 pieces and taking 1 piece every 4 hrs. So far I've been able to survive without taking more than 1 1/2 pills per day. There were times when I had to take as much as 3 a day back when I only took them when the pain was very bad. I don't know how long it will work. I've done a lot of reading about it and it seems that the there is agreement among the experts that if you are taking the meds for pain relief and not to get high there is a low probability of addiction. I hope they are right and I'll have to be very careful. I have a doctor that I trust very much so it's something I do in consultation with her. Also I can't say enough about how much the provigil has cleared my head and boosted my energy. I'm not like I was 20 years ago but I'm actually able to function much better than I have for a couple of years. Again though, I can't be for sure if that will last until I take it for a period of time. I was a drug counselor for 20+ years so I know what you mean about not wanting to get addicted. I gave up counseling when the pain was so bad that I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to respond to emergencies. Computers have been a long time hobby for me so to keep my mind active I switched over to computer consulting and learning more and more about computers. This is a really nasty disease and I'm constantly trying to compensate. Thanks, Lulu Hi everyone--- im new to this message board and i was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for me to help ease the pain. Im 23 and I was diagnosed with RA in jan of 02 (6months after i had my daughtor) i am currently taking methotrexate (15mg/week), plaqunil (200mg twice/day),sulfasalazine (500mg 2X's/day) and 10mg prednisone per day. I want despritley to get off the prednisone but every time i lower my dose im in constant pain. Now my arthritis is making is so hard to use my right hand...I just dont know what to do anymore. I dont have any insurance so all of the meds i have to pay out of pocket so i cannot go on enbrell....If anyone could help i would appreciate it more then anyone will know Thanks!!! Shannon This is a good topic, and I am learning alot from reading everyone's responses. I take 30 mg MTX weekly ( with leucovorin and folic acid), and 20 mg Arava daily. I am a little better with the Arava added, but not what I was hoping for. I have to work, and I have found that I have to take my pains meds on a regular schedule while I am working. I take 1 darvocet every 4 hours, with 1/2 a vicoprofen in between for breakthrough pain. Although this usually works adequately, it didn't quite do the job for me yesterday. However, I don't dare take more while I am working, so I just deal with it til I get home. I have been taking 1/2 to 1 vicoprofen at bedtime to lessen the pain so I can sleep, but lately I am finding that I wake up in a lot of pain in the middle of the night and my sleep is suffering. My mother (also RA) took amytriptiline for sleep for years, but I tried that and I never really woke up during the day, just kind of walked around in a fog, so I couldn't wait to get off that! Does anybody have any suggestions? I am finding this whole pill merry-go-round very distressing, as I used to never even take an aspirin for a headache, and now.......well, I'm sure you all know the feeling. Thanks! Bren, a couple of things come to mind. Personally, vicoden or vicoprofen will kill most of my pain, but they don't allow me to sleep. I take Ambien right at bedtime or 1/2 a dose if I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. The Ambien is a short term solution, but might help out when you're exhausted but can't sleep. For me, it doesn't cause the "hangover" effect that some OTC sleep meds cause. What about one of those pain patches that can be worn for 2 or 3 days? I don't have any experience with it; I just know that it delivers a constant dose of pain relief. Fentanyl is the one I'm thinking of. Another recommendation from my doc to me was to take trazodone. It's a little hard to shake off the next morning but worth it. My doc says that trazodone is not likely to cause addiction and it is the only med he is allowed to prescribe for pilots that need sleeping medication. Good luck, hope you get some rest. Mike Wayney, That was a cracking article. To my mind taking pain medication when you have pain is a bit like filling your car up with petrol, it is something you need to function. If the tank is already full then you don't need petrol, if you are not in pain you don't take pain relief. If the tank is empty you are going to get nowhere unless you fill up, if you are in constant pain you will get nowhere with your day to day life. Most of the people on this board have good days and are just relieved they don't have to take any pain relief, that to me shows that it is not an addiction but a requirement for a semi-normal life. Great article Wayney. My thoughts on my percocets; Do I suffer (even more) now or later. I choose LATER. My RA is rated severe. RF factor 1030. I tried everything before finally going to Dr. Well-intended friends even sent me herbal cocktails geared for RA. One of them made my feet swell and throb. At that time my feet were the only body parts that didn't hurt. Boy was I angry. LOL (at the herbs, not friend).
OTHER AUNT OF MINE HAD BROKEN FOOT. STARTED ON STRONG PAIN MEDS AND WENT UP AND UP AND UP AND UP TILL SHE WAS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY ADDICTED. SHE WOULD FIGHT FAMILY MEMBERS FOR HER MEDS EVEN THOUGH HER "BROKEN FOOT" HAD LONG SINCE MENDED. SHE HAD A BREAKDOWN, SHOCK THERAPY AND HAS SPENT THE LAST 25 YRS IN AN OLD FOLKS HOME. SHE WENT IN THE NURSING HOME IN HER EARLY 50'S. SHE'S ABOUT 75 NOW. EVERYONE IN THE FAMILY REMEMBERS AUNT ELOISE AND HAS SEEN ADDITION AND HOW IT AFFECTED HER FIRSTHAND. TWO DIFFERENT STORIES. IF INFLAMMATION, SWELLING AND PAIN ARE STILL VERY ACTIVE, HOW MUCH OF AN ADDICTIVE PAIN MED IS ENOUGH?? YOU NEED TO TAKE MORE AND MORE TO ACHIEVE THE SAME PAIN MANAGEMENT. AS YOU INCREASE YOUR DOSAGES OF PAIN MEDS, AS THE DISEASE IS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL THROUGH PROPER RA MEDS, THERE CAN BE PROBLEMS COMING OFF HIGH DOSAGES!! TREAT THE DISEASE AND INFLAMMATION AND YOU TREAT THE PAIN.....NO NEED TO POSSIBLY ABUSE PAIN MEDS AND AVOID THE BETTY FORD CLINIC!! MY "AUNT ELOISE" IS EXACTLY WHY DR'S ARE AFRAID OF OVERPRESCRIBING PAIN MEDS. IF THEY ARE OVER PRESCRIBING PAIN MEDS, THEY ARE NOT DOING THEIR JOB!!!!! I'D RATHER TAKE HIGHER DOSES OF PREDNISONE VS. PAIN MEDS THAN HAVE A PROBLEM GIVING UP NARCOTICS LATER. PS, I DIDN'T GET THIS OUT OF A BOOK. THIS IS FROM A REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE!! I go through periods when I don't have so much pain and I haven't had any trouble cutting back and discontinuing the p meds but I've also found that I just can't work the way I always did. I had to give up a career I really liked but then I took a hobby I've had for over 20 years and started working at that. I am coping better with it all right now but the hardest thing of all is the unpredictability of the disease. I find it very hard to pace myself. There was a time that I could use adrenalin to keep me going but I just can't do that anymore and I can't stand the pain. Then I resort to the meds. I do still worry though and don't let my guard down too much because even though I am not as fearful of addiction as I was it's always at the back of my mind. Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts. Living with CHRONIC PAIN is no fun! I could only get some minor pain relief with my regular docs, until a friend turned me onto a Pain Specialist. It took a couple of visits, but my pain has been reduced. Thank God that he grew the Poppy Flower! Most physcians will not prescibe anything stronger than a darvecet/percocet, both of which contain fillers such as tylenol or Ibuprofen which is very very bad for the liver. Over the years you will kill your liver with daily intake of those meds. My Pain Doc prescribed Oxycontin which contains no fillers and is a time release pain killer that lasts about 12 hours, when pain does break on in anyway, I have a "breakthru" pain reliever in 15 mg dose that contains nothing but pain killer. So the deal is this: if you are a long term chronic pain patient, seek out a Pain Specialist who knows what to prescribe and is not afraid to give you what you need for pain CONTROL. I say "CONTROL" because in Severe Chronic Pain, you can not be totally free from all pain. If you take your pain meds for Pain Relief and not to get high on, you will never get "mentally addicted" to it, but there is a physical addiction that you can overcome in about 3 days. Do not be scared of pain meds, just be scared to abuse them. I have been on them for about 6 years, I do experience any kind of high, just some pain relief and I get drowsey. I take 240 Mg of Oxycontin and about 30 to 75 mg of breakthru pain med a day. I look forward to the day I do not have to take any kind of pain relief, or any drugs for that matter. I was wondering why Enbrel/Humeria do not relieve my pain, it is because the disease has caused the damage already, and all the Enbrel/Humeria does is halt further damage, it will not relieve the pain in moderate to severe cases of inflammatory arthritis.
God Bless All who live with pain! I have had arthritis since 1981 and have been taking pain meds for about 20yrs. I took codeine with tylenol for many years for pain. I had to stop that because my Rheum... wanted me off the tylenol because of the liver problems it causes and I had liver problems off and on while taking MTX. Now I take vicodin 4 a day and add 2 muscle relaxants at bedtime. I have taken my pain meds on a regular basis and found out that worked best. If I still hurt, I used heat, cold, massage. I recently started on Humira and hope to be able to reduce the amount of pain meds I take in a day. Without pain meds I would have had to stop working many years before I did. I have been on SS disability since 1996. I do not get high, all I get is enough pain relief to be able to function to the best of my abilities considering my joint damage. Bren - I take 2 muscle relaxants & vicodin at bedtime. Shannon - try a wrist splint from your local pharmacy. It may give you some pain relief by providing support. Get the one with the best wrist support you can affort. The ones with the metal or rigid plastic inserts are the best. Barb
Barb
I have been disabled for 13 years now and not once have I ever worried about being a drug addict. I just do what the doctors tell me to and take what they prescribe for me and I never worry about addition. I live in CHRONIC PAIN also. It pretty much controls my life and I take what I can to be able to live out the rest of my life in a happy and pain free (If I can) way. I also am a Diabetic as of just a couple of years ago. But not once have I ever thought that I was addicted to insulin. It is something that I have to live with on a daily basis. I have to take 4 injections a day. Addition is not a word in my vocabulary. My number 1 word is "LIFE" I also believe that God is in control of me and he will take care of me, so why worry. And when I do get bad I just ask for His help and I seem to be able to make it to the next day. Some days are very hard but I am still here and I am still going to be okay. I really rely on my Christian beliefs to get me through. God Bless all of you and may He give you strength to make each day count.
I figure pain is a fact of life, but I don't have to let it run my life. If there is a way to manage it, I will do it. So yes I will take meds, and if needed stronger meds. And I will do this until I die. I am fortunate to have drs who are supportive in pain management.
I take Darvocet, but I only take one or two a day, only when I just
can't deal with the pain anymore. I also take Feldene as my
antinflamitory. And my Mtx. everyweek.
What every you decide, make sure it's what feels right for you.
Mina
Here is a fact sheet that someone sent to me, complete with references on this.
___________
Chronic Pain Fact Sheet
by Marcia E. Bedard, PhD
In past months, a growing amount of media attention has been given to
the unspeakable suffering of millions of Americans with incurable
conditions causing severe chronic pain. In addition to articles in the
popular press and segments on network television, the Internet is an
increasingly rich source of information on this topic. Yet the
agonizing pain of millions of chronic pain patients remains untreated.
This is largely because the nation's War on Drugs has created a climate
of fear among patients and health professionals alike fear of using
strong opioid medications which are often the only way to relieve
severe pain when all other treatments have failed.
This fact sheet is intended to debunk some of the myths that fuel this
unreasonable fear, and is being sent to legislators, patients, and
health professionals throughout the nation. It will also enable
members of the press to have quick access to credible facts about
chronic pain. Although this fact sheet shows the devastating effects
on physical and mental health when severe pain goes untreated, as well
as the profound impact on the economy, there is no way to measure the
"bankruptcies of the heart" that invariably accompany this condition.
Yet the steady erosion of the quality of life for millions of pain
patients and their families as they struggle with divorce, poverty,
homelessness, despair, and often suicide is the real tragedy here.
FACT SHEET ON
CHRONIC NONMALIGNANT PAIN (CNP)
CNP, pain that lasts six months or more and does not respond well to
conventional medical treatment, affects more people than any other type
of pain. Thirty-four million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and
most are significantly disabled by it, sometimes permanently. (1, 2, 15)
The economic impact of CNP is staggering. Back pain, migraines, and
arthritis alone account for medical costs of billion annually, and
pain is the cause of 25% of all sick days taken yearly. The annual
total cost of pain from all causes is estimated to be more than 0
billion. (2, 4, 15)
Despite the magnitude of suffering, CNP remains grossly undertreated
in most patients. The reasons for this are: the low priority of pain
relief in our health care system; lack of knowledge among both health
professionals and consumers about pain management; exaggerated fears of
opioid side effects and addiction; and health professionals' fear of
medical board and DEA scrutiny, even when controlled substances are
used appropriately for pain relief. (2, 13, 14, 15)
****NOTE**** Contrary to common fears, numerous studies have shown
addiction is extremely rare in pain patients taking opioid drugs, even
in patients with histories of drug abuse and/or addiction. CNP
patients will develop a physical dependence on opioid drugs, but this
is not the same thing as addiction, which is an aberrant psychological
state. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14)
Unrelieved pain has many negative health consequences including, but
not limited to: increased stress, metabolic rate, blood clotting and
water retention; delayed healing; hormonal imbalances; impaired immune
system and gastrointestinal functioning; decreased mobility; problems
with appetite and sleep, and needless suffering. CNP also causes many
psychological problems, such as feelings of low self-esteem,
powerlessness, hopelessness, and depression. (12, 15, 16, 18, 19)
Undertreatment of CNP often results in suicide. In a recent survey,
50% of CNP patients had inadequate pain relief and had considered
suicide to escape the unrelenting agony of their pain. Unrelieved pain
also leads to requests for physician-assisted suicide, another
indicator of pain's harsh impact on the quality of life of many
patients and their families. (7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16)
Discrimination against CNP patients is pervasive in the American
health care system. Women, racial/ethnic minorities, children, the
elderly, worker's compensation patients, and previously disabled
patients (e.g., those with cerebral palsy, or who are deaf, blind,
amputees, survivors of childhood polio, etc.) are at great risk for
undertreatment of their pain, even though patients belonging to one or
more of these groups are the vast majority of all CNP patients. (2, 13,
17)
CNP patients with severe, unrelenting pain from permanent structural
damage to the neurologic or musculo-skeletal systems are often
subjected to expensive and unnecessary surgeries and other painful
invasive procedures. Arachnoiditis and reflex sympathetic dystrophy
are the most common causes of severe CNP. Other common causes include:
post-trauma, adhesions, systemic lupus, headaches, degenerative
arthritis, fibromyalgia, and neuropathies. (8, 15, 18, 19)
Source documents:
1.American Chronic Pain Association. "Coping with Chronic Pain."
1995.2.Brownlee, Shannon, and Joannie M. Schrof. "The Quality of
Mercy." U.S. News and World Report, March 17, 1997: 55-57, 60-62, 65,
67.3.Pasero, Christine L., R.N., B.S.N., and Margo McCaffery, R.N.,
M.S., F.A.A.N. "Pain Control." American Journal of Nursing. Vol. 97,
No. 6., June, 1997: 20-21.4.American Academy of Pain Medicine and
American Pain Society. "The Use of Opioids for the Treatment of Chronic
Pain." Clinical Journal of Pain, Vol. 13, March, 1997: 6-8.5.Medina
J.L., M.D., and S. Diamond, M.D. "Drug Dependency in Patients with
Chronic Headache." Headache, 1977, Vol. 17: 12-14.6.Porter J., M.D. and
H. Jick, M.D. "Addiction Rare in Patients Treated with Narcotics." New
England Journal of Medicine 1980, Vol. 302: 123.7.Hitchcock, Laura S.,
Ph.D., et al. "The Experience of Chronic Nonmalignant Pain." Journal of
Pain and Symptom Management, Vol. 9, No. 5, July 1994:
312-318.8.Tennant, Forest, M.D., Dr. P.H., and
Harvey Rose, M.D. "Guidelines for Opioid Treatment of Stage III
Intractable Pain." California Task Force on Opined Treatment of Stage
III Intractable Pain. January 1, 1997. Research Center for Dependency
Disorders and Chronic Pain Community Health Projects Medical Group,
West Covina, CA9.Zenz, Michael M.D., et al. "Long-Term Oral Opioid
Therapy in Patients With Chronic Nonmalignant Pain," Journal of Pain
and Symptom Management, Vol. 7, No. 2, February 1992:
69-77.10.Friedman, David P., Ph.D. "Perspectives on the Medical Use of
Drugs of Abuse." Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Vol. 5, No. 1
(Suppl.) February 1990: S2-S5.11.Portenoy, Russell K., M.D. "Chronic
Opioid Therapy in Nonmalignant Pain." Journal of Pain and Symptom
Management, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Suppl) February 1990: S46-S62.12.Dellasega
and Keiser. "Pharmacologic Approaches to Chronic Pain in the Adult."
Nurse Practitioner. Vol. 22, No. 5, May 1997: 20-25.13.Medical Board of
California. "Prescribing for Pain Management."
May 6, 1996.14.California Board of Pharmacy. "Health Notes: Pain
Management." 1996.15.Canine, Craig. "Pain, Profit, and Sweet Relief."
Worth. March, 1997: 79-82, 151-157.16.Liebeskind, J.C. "Pain Can Kill."
Pain, Vol. 44, No. 1, January 1991: 3-4.17.Morse, T.B. "America's War
on the Disabled." Albuquerque, NM: 60's Press.18.National Institute of
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. "Scientific Workshop
Summary: The Neuroscience and Endocrinology of Fibromyalgia." July
1996. Bethesda, MD.19.Davis, Nadyne, et al. (eds.). "Third Annual
Fibromyalgia Research Conference." February 1994. Inland Northwest
Fibromyalgia Association. Spokane, WA 99206
Thank you so much Wayney my friend. This article makes me feel better. I don't want to give up the pain meds. I don't know how to cope right now without them
I started seeing the pain management Dr. just 6 weeks ago, and the day after he first met me he gave me a spinal nerve block in my SI joint, nerve, whatever. All I know is if the pain is managed it allows the Humira to have a better chance to work. I've been on Humira 4 months and I am still not impressed. I have had both SI joints injected and yesterday got the L4 nerve injected.
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