Sorry for the late reply on this. I do take an NSAID; ibuprofen. I tried a number of different others to see if they would work a little better, but plain old ibuprofen is best for me. I have Vicodin for break through pain and I take an extended release opiate daily.
Others on this board don’t recommend the opiates like I take them, buy I think we all manage our pain differently. Each situation is unique and should be treated as such. I don’t feel like I gotta have drugs at any point for any reason other than that I hurt. The combination I’m on keeps me from laying in bed all day crying, so I’ll keep on like I am until something better comes along.
I have not yet responded to remicade and it is very difficult for me to handle both emotionally and physically. My current pain management helps keep me sane
JW said:
Hi GC,
I've read couple of your posts and you seem quite knowledgeable. I'm wondering how you manage your pain without an anti-inflammatory. I've taken naproxen and am currently taking celebrex. I've always taken misoprostol (cytotec) 10 minutes before as prescribed. I take 1mg hydromorphone when things get really bad.. GrumpyCat said:
I have an NSAID cemetery in my medicine cabinet. Fills the entire top shelf. I keep forgetting to take them to work to dispose of them!
Hey everybody is different in what they can take and what they will take, but if I hurt bad enough I’m not going to lay around and suffer. I know if you take alot of meds it can make you a zombie. I took lyrica and could not take it but I have no problem taking neurotin . I take it for diabetic nerve pain. I guess what I trying to say don’t take meds just cause they give them to you are because you have a condition. But if you hurt or have problems get help if a med has side effects you can’t take try something else.
This is waaaay off topic. I love your bunny pic. I recently went to a bunny rescue group to look at a bunny to adopt but, decided not to because my PsA isn't under control yet. Do you have bunnies?
warmly,
Frances
Marietta said:
Greenlydia,
I'm a fan of narcotics. Less side effects, and they really help me. Unfortunately I build up a tolerance very quickly, so I have to cut back every other week then start up again. I also take a biologic, however. I can no longer take high doses of NSAID's, which helped quite a bit before biologics (I had an internal bleed). I am luckily that I have severe pain, swlling, the whole bit of systemic symptoms, but very little joint damage over 31 yrs of PsA. So I have the luxury of taking painkillers and not trying to stop progression of joint damage.
Yeah, I got 3 months worth of MTX in my cabinet to get rid of too. Before I started Humira my Rheumy said I needed to try and fail on MTX first so the insurance company wouldn't balk at starting me on the more expensive Humira. So he said take MTX once a week (wink wink) and when it don't work we'll put ya on something better lol.
Yes I do! The pic is of my bunnies Strawberry and Blueberry. It is their Humane Society pic. They are sisters I adopted 1.5 yrs ago when they were 11 months old. They are so relaxing and fun! They live outside in what is basically bunny Disneyland (NOT a tiny little hutch). I have 2 cats and a gerbil in the house already. My sister had house bunnies for 15 yrs. Bunnies are AWESOME pets. Quiet, clean, smart, minimal care compared to other pets, and relaxing to watch nibbling stuff.
Frances said:
Marietta,
This is waaaay off topic. I love your bunny pic. I recently went to a bunny rescue group to look at a bunny to adopt but, decided not to because my PsA isn't under control yet. Do you have bunnies?
Strawberry and Blueberry are sooooo cute ! I was drawn to a mixed dwarf bunny at the rescue group. He was so cute and cuddly. I wanted to sit and hold him all day. I offered to volunteer at the rescue group but they said they need volunteer for weekday hours. I'm so glad you are enjoying your bunnies !
Marietta said:
Yes I do! The pic is of my bunnies Strawberry and Blueberry. It is their Humane Society pic. They are sisters I adopted 1.5 yrs ago when they were 11 months old. They are so relaxing and fun! They live outside in what is basically bunny Disneyland (NOT a tiny little hutch). I have 2 cats and a gerbil in the house already. My sister had house bunnies for 15 yrs. Bunnies are AWESOME pets. Quiet, clean, smart, minimal care compared to other pets, and relaxing to watch nibbling stuff.
Frances said:
Marietta,
This is waaaay off topic. I love your bunny pic. I recently went to a bunny rescue group to look at a bunny to adopt but, decided not to because my PsA isn't under control yet. Do you have bunnies?
Anti seizure drugs can be effective for fibro pain...but there are a lot of side effects. I have epilepsy, recently diagnosed, and when I went on the seizure drugs the fibro pain mostly disappeared. However...the first seizure drug I tried, caused severe behavioral changes and thoughts of self injury, within 4 days. Neuro changed me to a newer seizure drug and there were not the self injury thoughts anymore. It actually initially gave me some pep. Now, after taking it for almost a year, and having the dosage upped, I am in a fog alot of the time. I get dizzy, and have a terrible time with word recall. Is the trade-off worth getting rid of the fibro pain? Most of the time, I think yes. My pain levels have dropped significantly, only dealing with the PsA pain now. I manage it with an NSAID and occasionally a narcotic or a muscle relaxer. Am struggling with the decision as to whether of not to try stronger drugs. I take Plaquenil, but it's not working as well now. My joints aren't being destroyed, but have system wide tendonitis. I'm guessing I'll just keep with the pain reliever route. The side effects are much less. For what it's worth, be VERY careful before starting an anti-seizure drug for anything but seizures. You have to ramp the dosage up and you can't just stop it cold turkey, plus the plethora of side effects
