Well, it's finally happened! I got in to see a Rheumatologist... who took one look at me and decided that things needed changing!
And....
I'm now taking:
Prednisone 10 mg daily (I know, I know, it's not good for you... but it makes me FEEL so much better.....)
Arava 10mg daily (Finally! Something that might actually do some real good!!)
Mtx 20 mg weekly (with a folate chaser!)
Meloxicam 15 mg daily (Farewell to the Celebrex... which I don't think was helping anyway...)
Metformin 1gm twice daily (waiting to see what happens with my BGLs now I'm on the Prednisone...*sigh*)
Atorvostatin 20mg daily (in case all the other stuff plays havoc with my liver!)
Omeprazole 20mg twice daily (let's hope it controls the Mobic!)
Cymbalta 120mg daily (after all, who wouldn't be depressed and anxious taking this lot?? Although it's really to help control the peripheral neuropathy in my feet...)
Panadol Osteo 1gm, three times daily (although I'm not convinced that it makes any difference... and the new reports I'm seeing don't seem to think so either!)
Temazepam 20mg at night (since the prednisone keeps me awake ALL NIGHT!)
Now I just have to wait and see if they all ...or any... start actually doing some good!
That’s great that you got in to see a rheumatologist. But I didn’t think that you could take MTX and Arava, as they are both liver toxic. Please review all of this with your pharmacist and/or your gp.
Hi Stoney, you are right, MTX and Arava are both liver toxic.
It is, however, still done in both Australia and Canada (and maybe the UK?).
My Rhuemy prescribed it, but in the end I didn’t actually take it - I knew I could get to the biologics through a more liver-friendly route (MTX plus plaquenil), so I focused on that.
Theoretically though, they say it can be done, with lots of monitoring.
To be honest though, its the pred that gives me pause.
Nano girl, how long have you been on 10mg a day, and do you have the rhuemy’s blessing to sneak a bit extra?
I’m in Canada and I was on Arava (10mg) and MTX (20 mg /week) concurrently for a while. Having been warned, I did not drink any alcohol, and my blood work was fine until I went on a cruise which had wine bar with automated dispensers for fine wines. I was very careful. Each evening I would pick a perfect wine match for my dinner, and have a 70mL pour. That’s a few drops more than a 1/4 cup, half a small glass. I was in wine lovers’ heaven. When I got home, I had blood work, and my doctor was on the line the next day, “WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING STOP IT RIGHT NOW. Your liver isn’t happy.” Well, I’d already stopped, but I knew then what a tightrope I was on. Nanogirl, be very careful on that combo!
BTW, the Arava helped very minimally. I got no significant relief until I switched to Enbrel. I had tried all of the DMARDs.
Meloxicam helped me a ton. I'm on piroxicam now, and it helps a lot as well. Be careful with benzodiazapines like temazepam. They can kill you if you drink or take pain pills with them or if you are on a high dose and don't taper off, and they deplete your natural supply of sleepy and chill-out neurotransmitters. Melatonin at 6mg knocks me out, and I'm a lifelong insomniac with some decent pain levels. I took temazepam for six weeks a few years ago, and I seriously don't remember those weeks. I also, after ten hours of sleep, backed my car into a tree in my yard after taking temazepam. It's heavy stuff!
Needless to say, I've never tried prednisone and can't tell you what that kind of insomnia is like. It sounds intense! Maybe there is a proper use for temazepam. :) Are you on the temazepam and prednisone long term?