Hi everyone,
I am wondering if anyone else has had strange side effects on Otezla?
The reason I am asking is I have been on it now going into my fourth month now and I am experiencing mental issues. For example, I called my doctor for a refill of pain meds and somehow there was a miscommunication of info between me, the nurse and the doctor,to where I was told no.
I absolutely lost it with me screaming and crying and swearing to the point of almost being banned from coming in to the office. Then the suicidal thoughts came to very dangerous levels.
This is far from normal for me,I have never reached these levels and I have been the one that always stays calm no matter what the situation is.
Has anyone had anything close to this?
Oh and the problem was the nurse put in to the doctor that I was requesting five times more of the meds than I usually take. I can see the problem.
Thanks ,Dave
I’ve been thinking about your post ever since you wrote it. It must be so galling to ‘lose it’ when you’re used to being in control.
I don’t have any experience of Otezla and have no idea whether it could be the cause. I doubt it somehow, but I don’t know.
I don’t want to venture into the realm of amateur psychology, but all I can think is that there could be a million reasons for your mental confusion and outburst. PsA itself strikes me as one … pain, exhaustion, mounting frustration …
Have you seen the crisis / support resources under ‘Help’ at the top of the page?
How are you doing now? Did you end up getting your pain meds? I guess even the calm ones lose it sometimes, don’t feel bad about what happened if you can possibly avoid it.
Hi Dave, I know nothing about Otzela or potential side effects, but yes, I have lost it, and I’d say of the times I have, many were flat-out pain induced (after all, torture is essentially intermittent, chronic pain, and the anticipation thereof - familiar anyone?).
There have been some that were medication induced (steroids - just a cranky over-reaction flip out most of us have had, and SSRIs - apparently the black box warning is for people like me), so I would strongly encourage you to see your GP or Rheumy (depending on your Rheumy’s accessibility), to rule out medication being associated with it.
Make sure you list any extra supplements you are taking (or drug magnifiers like grapefruit) - I had a horrible reaction to tramadol and it transpired that it may have been an interaction with st Johns wort that caused it.
Not something to worry about, but something to follow up and rule out. And if you are open to it, and can get a referral to a counselor or psychologist, I know very few people with chronic pain who have regretted it.
I feel much better now, My rheumy called me and that it is one of the possible side effects of Otezla.
It was my fault now that I think about it,My rheumy told me in the beginning that if my mood or thoughts changed,even a little,to call him.
I held off because I didn’t want to bother him and the positive side was Otezla was working. Needless to say,I will not do that again.
Got my meds sorted out with the doctor,turns out that I called for a refill of Tramadol and the nurse put in that I wanted 500 pills, So instead of someone calling me, They just red flagged everything and was thinking I was abusing it.
I have an appointment this week with my new doctor(my old one retired), which I think is part of the problem,never met her and she has no idea what is going on with me.
It is hard to lose control when you are the one that people come too when things get crazy.
I also have an appointment with a therapist too.
I want to thank you guys so much for the responses,This has helped me a lot,more than you know.
Dave
when I first started on Otezla I was warned to look for signs of depression along with the gastric upset (who could have missed that? toot toot!). Not coping with life’s stressors surely counts. And while I might actually want to lose it on some of the staff at my rheumy’s from time to time it is really hard to feel like you’ve lost your grip.
Therapy was INCREDIBLY helpful for me, too. My therapist specializes in dealing with chronic illness and helping those with terminal illness. I learned so much, most importantly, self-compassion. That one took a while!
Glad to hear things are getting sorted for you. Chalk this one up to side effects and focus on feeling better!
Hi Dave, so glad to hear it is being sorted out and you have a plan. I can imagine that will be a great sense of relief! Hopefully you can get great results from another PsA medication, without the specially nasty SEs
