Since starting Humira my swollen joints are right down, I have lots of energy & generally feel well. All that amounts to major success. But although I'm still a low pain zone, I'm starting to get a bit peeved with constantly feeling all(?) the joints in my feet and hands plus some that apparently reside in my backside & a few other places. Okay, I suppose it's pain, bad enough to have me wide awake since 4 am anyway. Even that's not all bad - I can get through the day without much sleep and usually sleep so happily the next night that it's almost worth it.
I'm currently just about clinging on to 7.5 mg of Mtx due to ALT swinging around. I've been told not to take Naproxen either for the same reason but I never did bother with it much. Previously I was on 20 - 25 mg of Mtx for years and pain was minimal, not as extensive as it's been for the last few weeks anyway. I've taken on board that pain is far from the whole story and doesn't mean that the biologic's not working. But what do other people think about Mtx - do you find it suppresses pain?
I've also got a bee in my bonnet about Vitamin D seeing as I feel especially bonny when I get lots of sunshine. Then there's the damp, cold weather to consider .... but still think that Mtx (or possibly any DMARD) at a high dose is probably what I'm missing most.
Hmmmm, well you know I've never taken MTX, so IDK. But, I do know that my feet always have some amount of pain, and lower back and neck, too. OTC pain pills don't help much. If you're experiencing more pain now that you've decreased your MTX dose, it seems logical that's the cause. Maybe your body will adjust and you'll be fine, but I'm sort of like you, my overall pain was never really excruciating except for those three places I just mentioned, and that is where some amount of pain has always lingered. Do you take CoQ10? That might help a little.
I had a lot more pain in my peripheral joints when my methotrexate dose was decreased, and this past couple of weeks when I had to miss meds because of an infection. It doesn't seem to have a lot of impact on my hip, knees or mid-back.
I really don’t know about methotrexate. But I was convinced it did nothing for me, until I went off it a month before my surgery last year. Then I decided that I wanted it back. I was on 20 mg when I told the rheumy that I was still having some aches and pains, and he said that I should “optimize” my MTX. In other words, go to the maximum dose, 25 mg. Done. But I don’t feel fewer aches and pains. But then again, it is the dark, damp and stormy month of November. So who knows? I certainly don’t, so I will just do as I am told and take it alongside my Enbrel as long as my liver doesn’t kick up a fuss.
As for Vitamin D, both my rheumatologist and my GP tell me to take a hefty dose. (2000 IU) So I do as I am told. I do think, though, that real sunshine gives a certain “je ne sais quoi”. Somehow, I always feel better when I’m basking in the sun (with sunscreen on, of course) than I do in mid-winter. Yes, I think I need to find me some sun! A beach! Umbrellas! Fancy frozen drinks! Palm trees!
And over all, I feel pretty good these days. Good enough reason to continue with the Enbrel and the vile vial.
Just some information about vitamin D and sunshine. A few months ago I needed to get a bone scan as I had to go onto hormone treatment for prostate cancer. The result showed my vitamin D level was at the minimum. Now I am always outdoors in the sun, summer and winter for several hours of the day without sunscreen only a hat. I only use sunscreens if I am going to have excess sun like in a boat for half a day or more. I was surprised by the result but my doctor explained that as your skin gets older, I'm 69, it's ability to make vitamin D from sunshine greatly diminishes. So now I have to take vitamin D and calcium supplements.
I'm always in the low range for Vit D, too. They give me the horse pills to take in the winter to boost things. A week on prescription-level amounts usually a couple of times in the winter. Do you think Vit D levels might influence how much pain you feel?
I no longer take massive precautions with the sun on a daily basis. In the summer, if I'm going to be outside and active--hiking, gardening, etc.--I wear a hat and thin long-sleeved shirts and shorts. My legs never seem to burn (unlike my neck--hence the hat) and my Vit D levels are much better in the summer. I typically only put on sunscreen if I'm at the pool or lake or on vacation somewhere hot.
My problem is getting enough sun exposure in the winter. It's so bloody cold. My face is typically the only thing you can see of me when I'm outside from December through April. No wonder my levels are so low! Now, about that vacation I need to take in January to somewhere warm and sunny. Where shall we go???
That’s interesting. In our province, Vitamin D testing is not paid for under our provincial health insurance without a lot of paperwork and justification from the GP. I guess they just figure that taking the supplement is easy and cheap, and they’d rather I pay for my vitamin D. The alternative would be for the government to pay for my test, I’d be found deficient, and I pay for my vitamin D. Saves them paying for a test.
I do think, though, that real sunshine gives a certain “je ne sais quoi”. Somehow, I always feel better when I’m basking in the sun (with sunscreen on, of course) than I do in mid-winter. Yes, I think I need to find me some sun! A beach! Umbrellas! Fancy frozen drinks! Palm trees!