Ive been on MTX for 6 weeks now, taking 8 pills each week and the dr said if we dont see major results by Jan 9 we would start Humira, I am so very much trying to stay positive but lately i have become even more swollen and sore, I unfortunatly have a large amount of stress in my life currently that i cant control and im not sure if that has anything at all to do with me getting worse.....just kinda hoping someone on here could maybe help me with tips or ideas that might help with all the pain im in
I am not on prednisone, but I will make sure to ask my Dr. about it next visit, The only pain meds I am on is ibprofen 800mg which I dont really think help me much more than otc aleve. I have tried tylenol and they arent really helpful and my Dr. said they dont have any antiflammatory qualities so they wouldnt be a huge help.
I am really looking forward to humira if that is whats needeed in January, I am really ready to get back to a somewhat normal life again not sure if that is ever truly possible
Back in August, I saw a rheum and they decided immediatly that I have PsA. They put me on 15 mg of MTX and told me that in one month they would put me on a biologic. They said that the biologics work better but that insurance companies require some time on MTX first to show that it doesn't work. I guess MTX can take up to three months to work, but the insurance companies can be convinced after one month. Your rheum can get you on a biologic now if they want to and they will probably want to if you complain to them enough.
Just FYI, the MTX worked for me, but we still went with Enbrel because of the lower risk to my liver.
Hang in there. It might take a while to find the right combination of drugs to get things under control. When the pain and swelling is really bad, it's hard to focus on living. I'm not sure what stress you have in your life but try to step back and take a moment to evaluate why you feel you can't do anything about it. You might find you can, just by eliminating certain things/people/activities/job from your life. I know that sounded simplistic but that is one of the things I've wrestled with lately. Hope things get better.