I was referred to my rheumatologist in december after a mri on my neck (Have neck pain & pressure in the back of my head when I lay down). Anyway he proded and poked, asked me questions and said he thought I had psoratic arthritis. Sent me for a MRI on hips, scan on hands, x-rays, blood etc. Anyway he confirmed a couple of months ago that I have PA. He referred me to his nurse and I saw her on wednesday. She gave me the option of taking methotrexate or sulfasalazine. She told me about the dangers of pregnancy with methotrexate so I chose to have the sulfasalazine. First day on it I felt sick but now on my 4th day the sickness has stopped. Thing is I feel like I have more joint pain. I wasnt to bad before now, just took pain killers as and when had pain but know I feel pretty much sore and achey all the time. In more joints to.
Is it just me? Or has anyone else had the same?
Also I have really bad nail sensitivity and have for some time now. Is that related to the PA?
Check with your doctor to see if you can take pain killers as well. You might need to be on this medication for a while before you see results, ask your doctor. Ridges, pitted and flakey and lifting nails can be related to PSA and are a fairly common symptom.
Thank you for your reply, it is greatly appreciated:)
I am ok to take painkillers and do as and when I need them but I was just wondering if it is just a coincidence that the pain has increased and effecting more joins these past few days compared to before when it was just on and off after doing certain things. Probably just me.lol.
And i do have lines on my nails, is that ridges? The ends chip and flake really easily too but thankfully no lifting. I absolutely hate doing the dishes though as my nails become really sensitive and painful. Im sorry for all the questions, its just im pretty new to psoriatic arthritis and dont really have anyone I can speak to about it.
Deb- You may want to talk to your doctor about painkillers. While they can make things more manageable in the short term, in the long term they can be an issue. They also do nothing about the cause of the pain. Anti-inflammatories at least address the inflammation issue, without some of the painkiller issues, and are a good way to wait for the DMARDs to kick in. There have been a lot of discussions re. painkillers here. You may want to look through the archives.
Thanks for the reply stoney. Sorry, i think i may not have made myself clear in my last post. The pain killers i take are perscribed by my doctor to take when ever i have pain. The nurse and rhumytologyst both know all my medication prior to perscribing me the sulpha.
I was just wondering if sulpha can effect joint pain when you first start to take it as my pain is worse since i started it.
Sorry if i dont make much sence, im dyslexic and sometimes dont get my pont across very well.lo
l
I had pain in my fingers and toes for a few months and doc put me on prednisone. He said it would help with the inflammation, but my pain increased and felt like it spread to more joints. He took me off the prednisone and now I’m on methotrexate almost 3 months. I still have all the pain and inflammation, so methotrexate was increased.
I went to the dermatologist last week. I have some pain in the areas under my fingernails. He showed me ‘spots’ and said they are pits and associated with nail psoriasis.
I’ve been on meds for over 4 months with no relief yet. This has been a slow and painful process. I read other posts here that are encouraging and that helps keep me going. Very nice and knowledgeable people here.
I figured. No, my point was that a lot of rheumatologists don't use pain meds at all. They make the pain go away. Meanwhile, the inflammation is still uncontrolled and damaging your joints. Pain killers can also create a pain syndrome. It won't interfere with the DMARDs. It may not be that the sulpha is making your joint pain worse. It may simply be getting worse, and the medication hasn't had time to work yet.
You got your point across very well. No worries.
Debbee said:
Thanks for the reply stoney. Sorry, i think i may not have made myself clear in my last post. The pain killers i take are perscribed by my doctor to take when ever i have pain. The nurse and rhumytologyst both know all my medication prior to perscribing me the sulpha.
I was just wondering if sulpha can effect joint pain when you first start to take it as my pain is worse since i started it.
Sorry if i dont make much sence, im dyslexic and sometimes dont get my pont across very well.lo l
I am on my fourth day of sulfa. So far so good. Are they easing you onto these meds? I am hacing a week on one pill, then upping it every week til i am on four a day. When i take it in the morning i also take codeine for the pain. I was told the sulfa is not a painkiller and wont help with my pain. Today is the first day i felt almost normal Also prescribed an anti inflammatory at night time which is supposed to release slowly and help with morning stiffness.
Thanks for your replies :) Wasnt sure if I was making much sense.lol
I am under the impression that my rheumatologists is one of the better ones in the northwest (well in the nhs). I have a few customers under the same man and they can only sing his praise. I have been told the sulfa is not a pain killer and to continue with my ibruprofen until the sulfa start to work on my joints and reduce the pain. I am also prescribed co-codamol and pregabalin. The pregabilin is for nerve pain that I get due to the arthritis in my kneck.
Glad the sulfa is working well for you BlueFairy :) Its probably just a coincidance that my joints are worse. Either way I will mention it to the nurse at my next appointment. I am also being weaned on to it over 6 weeks. I have one in the morning this week, then week two I have one in the morning and one in the afternoon on, then 2 am 1 pm and so on.
Do you mind me asking what the anti inflammatory you have at night is? Mornings are the worse arnt they.
I have tried naproxen but it kills my stomach as I also have a hiatus hernia so had to stop that.
I've been on the Sulfa meds for close to a year now. I haven't had any issues. Compared to Mtx, the sufa meds are a blessing. At first I did have a bit of stomach issues but my body seemed to get used to it. It definitely takes a few months for the sulfa meds to start really working, so give it time. Try not to put too much strain on your joints in the meantime.
I think everyone's body reacts differently to meds. I can't take Mtx, I had about 12 side effects and couldn't function at all.
Thanks Dini, To be honest the pain has eased loads so may have just been my body getting use to them or just coincidence. One thing I have noticed is I am irritable (i am now taking 2 a day.) So i had a google and apparently sulfa is renown for mood changes. Anyone on here heard this?
Also prescribed an anti inflammatory at night time which is supposed to release slowly and help with morning stiffness.