has anyone had significant vision changes since taking Humira or methotrexate or both
I have always had eye/vision issues! Eye issues led to my diagnosis 17 years ago. Humira helps persistent uvietis but whenever I have a flare I get pain in my eye. My vision exams can very-I wear glssses-& it can vary slightly in just a few weeks! I love to read but rely on audio books more.
I have had a decline in my vision over the last 2-3 years. I was on Humira weekly for about a year. Now that I am no longer using Humira my vision seems to have gotten much worse.
I don't take Humira or Metho..I do take Enbrel, but only for 4 months now.
I started having lightning flashes in both my eyes (vitreous detachment) and a scratched retina a few years ago. I never mentioned it to my rheumy--I'm not sure if it's PsA-related, but I'm the only person in my family that has these eye problems and the only one with PsA. Now I'm beginning to wonder if they are PsA-related!
Just a question, do u take any kind of antidepressants because some will work with the pain part of your brain. Having said that, I experience those horrible lightning flashes at times so severe that it almost feels like I’m being hit from the inside of my head.
PsA can, indeed, have an effect on eyes, and I’d suggest a check up with your ophthalmologist every year. Here’s some eye info which might be useful –
http://discussion.livingwithpsoriaticarthritis.org/forum/topics/and-don-t-overlook-your-eyes
As for the anti-depressants, there have been many discussions about that here. If you go to the very top right, there is a small search bar there. Key in the word, and have a look. Or, joanne, go to Discussions and start your own antidepressant thread by going to the right discussion area and clicking on the +Add icon.
Actually, now that you ask that, Joanne, I was on Nortriptyline, but a really small dose (10 to 20 mg/day) for neuropathy in my feet around the time the flashes started, but I never knew if that's what caused them. Nortriptyline is used in much larger doses (100 mg I think) as an antidepressant. I felt like the small dose I took did calm my brain--I didn't worry so much while I was on it--I can't imagine what 100 mg would have done to me.
I think we all need to be mindful of what any of the meds could do to us. A lot of them have such horrible common SEs that sometimes you wonder if it's worth the risk taking them. i.e., prednisone!
joanne said:
Just a question, do u take any kind of antidepressants because some will work with the pain part of your brain. Having said that, I experience those horrible lightning flashes at times so severe that it almost feels like I'm being hit from the inside of my head.
I also have had eye trouble, blurry, photosensitive, pain and twitching behind the eye
I read somewhere that some of these biologic meds can injure the optic nerve, I was very concerned about that.
But, I also have seen a Dr. at an eye specialty hospital every year since this started..
I also had muscle/ tendon twitches of the same variety in my eye and at my elbows when this was going on and was entering into a controlled- less inflamed state, which nay mean your getting better control and it's from the un-swelling.
After some time, mine got better. I was first afraid it was uveitis and that is why I got in to have it checked. Dr. did slit test said she saw no inflammation but thought it might be the muscles of the eye. I thought that made sense because of the pain I have all over where the muscle becomes tendon at the insertion to joints. I still have the eye pain come and go based on my inflammation and flaring.
She said if I had I had sudden trouble they had an emergency room.
When I asked what an emergency would be, she said any loss of vision or bright lights would indicate an emergency based on the type of trouble I was having.
I still have some trouble and she said thanks to Cortisone have new early cataracts. Funny that she would have treated with cortisone if I wasn't already on it.
I would definitely go in and have it looked at to make sure you are not looking at a detachment or optic nerve or uveitis, and who knows what else.
It made me feel better to feel I wasn't going to lose my sight and when the cataracts get worse I am going to get them fixed.