Arthritis

[rosebud5]

Over the last six months I have seem to come with arthritis in my shoulders, hands and somewhat in my legs. I went to the Dr and he said I have non-specific arthritis (as opposed to RA) and put me on hydroxychloraquin and Meloxicam for the pain. Does anybody else use these drugs?. They help a little, but make me tired. My right leg tingles a bit when I walk since I started using these drugs.

For those of you with arthritis, what drugs do you take and do they work. I have another appointment with my Dr in two weeks and want to ask for something else.

 

[VacationForever]

We both have some level of arthritis in different parts of our body and we simply take an ibuprofen when it is bad.

 

[rapmarks]

I have loads of arthritis. I just got injections along my spine due to pain I have had since January. I had my knee replaced after fifteen years of pain. If I have to I take over the counter meds and use ice.

 

[1st Class]

That's a pretty vague diagnosis. Have you reported the tingling to your Dr? Other things such as gluten sensitivity can cause joint pain too. It wouldn't hurt to speak with a dietician you trust and get a second opinion.

 

[WVBaker]

We both have some level of arthritis in different parts of our body and we simply take an ibuprofen when it is bad.

Yes, you quickly learn that's there is only one cure for arthritis. It was invented by a Frenchman. It is called the guillotine.

 

[b2bailey]

That's a pretty vague diagnosis. Have you reported the tingling to your Dr? Other things such as gluten sensitivity can cause joint pain too. It wouldn't hurt to speak with a dietician you trust and get a second opinion.

I know there are people who have a hard time believing that a dietary adjustment could make a difference, but here is my true story. I've been plagued with a variety of arthritis/joint pain for the past couple years. I take over the counter pain relief, but I am hesitant to take it daily, so I often just take it easy and handle the pain. Sometimes, in the night, hip pain would wake me. And then I started an attempt to follow the keto eating plan. I've yet to accomplish the complete plan, but there have been weeks where I haven't eaten any bread, rice, pasta or potatoes. I didn't realize that the pain in my body had greatly decreased. I hadn't taken any pain relief meds for weeks. And then I happened to be in a situation where I was hungry (not at my home) and resorted to eating a "cup of noodles". The next morning I woke up to realize I had throbbing pain in my wrists, ankles, hips, and shoulders. All this while still in bed. Somehow I knew it was from what I had eaten the day before. I took pain meds for a couple of days -- after vowing to never eat dried 'ramen' products again.

 

[DaveNV]

I have minor aches and pains in my hands daily, and shoulders periodically, but I've never been diagnosed with more than classic osteoarthritis. I think they did a test for RA and it was negative. My knees were completely (and I mean COMPLETELY) trashed by my military service, and after forty-some years of chronic pain I've had both knees replaced. The best benefit of that is the arthritis pain is gone. That 24/7 ache was eliminated. That was pretty amazing to experience.

To answer your question, if I have pain and feel the need for a painkiller, I take Ibuprofen.

Dave

 

[Passepartout]

OP should see a Rheumatologist for a more complete diagnosis. I have some osteo in my hands, base of my thumbs, knees, hips. It was first found where my ribs attach to my sternum. Shortness of breath took me to the arthritis doc, and he said it was because it was just painful to breathe deeply. As soon a Celebrex was approved, I used it for several years. Since retirement I haven't had to subject myself to situations that aggravate it- cold- driving- constant vibration, lack of sleep. I no longer take anti-inflammatory meds except the occasional nsaid if there is a flare-up.

Jim

 

[Panina]

Over the last six months I have seem to come with arthritis in my shoulders, hands and somewhat in my legs. I went to the Dr and he said I have non-specific arthritis (as opposed to RA) and put me on hydroxychloraquin and Meloxicam for the pain. Does anybody else use these drugs?. They help a little, but make me tired. My right leg tingles a bit when I walk since I started using these drugs.

For those of you with arthritis, what drugs do you take and do they work. I have another appointment with my Dr in two weeks and want to ask for something else.

I would highly suggest getting another opinion. On set in six month of all the areas, shoulder, hands and legs seems different then just arthritis, an injury, pinched nerve, spinal, etc.

I remember the first time I pumpkin carved I did it incorrectly and had two years of pain in my hands and shoulders that went to my legs and I couldn’t walk steps because I wasn’t walking correctly due to the shoulder pain . Until I went to a Physiatrist doctor I kept being misdiagnosed incorrectly. Once diagnosed correctly, I was treated and then within a few months was fine.

As far as Meloxicam my other half takes it occasionally when his ankle flairs up. It works for him. there are different doses, maybe you need more.

My mom has bad chronic arthritis, for years and when it is very bad she takes a Tramodol. It works miracles. Many doctors do not like prescribing it because they consider it a man made opium and think it is addictive. Mom never got addicted to it and only takes it when needed. At first she refused to take it. As her doctor said to her quality of life is important in your 80’s, when you need it take it.

 

[rboesl]

I've had arthritis in my fingers for years. Basically caused by a lifetime of typing as an IT professional. Made worse by bowling. Then about 10 years ago it appeared in my back seemingly all at once. I was shoveling snow and ended up flat on my back for 5 days. After x-rays I was told it could have happened simply walking down the street. The arthritis is pinching my sciatica nerve with certain motions. Was originally put on anti-inflammatory meds for a short time. Now if I have any pain its Tylenol because I can't take ibuprofen ( or anything from that family) or aspirin.

I do agree with Panina that you should seek a 2nd opinion. Unless your pain is severe, which would indicate a pinched nerve, sudden onset is an indicator of some other cause rather than arthritis. Similar to b2bailey which sounds to me like an allergic reaction to what was eaten. So changing diet worked wonders there.

 

[JudyH]

I would want to know from a rheumatologist that you should be taking the Hydroxychloroquine. I have RA and I know it’s used for this and lupus, which my sister has. Way before my RA got diagnose, I needed hip replacement for osteo arthritis. The symptoms are quite different. Sometimes I also take Meloxicam. It’s a good anti-inflammatory and takes a while to build up in the system.

 

[clifffaith]

I get an epidural every quarter for my back. I usually get several good weeks, then I take meloxicam if I need one. If meloxicam doesn't take care of it I take a Tramadol. It's been almost two months since my last epidural, so by now I just add meloxicam to my daily morning pills. There are days I take a Tramadol by noon, other days none at all. Just depends on how good or bad a day I'm having. Eventually I'll need back surgery, but holding off as long as possible.

 

[VacationForever]

I know there are people who have a hard time believing that a dietary adjustment could make a difference, but here is my true story. I've been plagued with a variety of arthritis/joint pain for the past couple years. I take over the counter pain relief, but I am hesitant to take it daily, so I often just take it easy and handle the pain. Sometimes, in the night, hip pain would wake me. And then I started an attempt to follow the keto eating plan. I've yet to accomplish the complete plan, but there have been weeks where I haven't eaten any bread, rice, pasta or potatoes. I didn't realize that the pain in my body had greatly decreased. I hadn't taken any pain relief meds for weeks. And then I happened to be in a situation where I was hungry (not at my home) and resorted to eating a "cup of noodles". The next morning I woke up to realize I had throbbing pain in my wrists, ankles, hips, and shoulders. All this while still in bed. Somehow I knew it was from what I had eaten the day before. I took pain meds for a couple of days -- after vowing to never eat dried 'ramen' products again.

Probably the MSG in ramen. MSG gives me migraine for 4 to 5 days.

 

[rapmarks]

Probably the MSG in ramen. MSG gives me migraine for 4 to 5 days.

I was thinking the same thing

 

[Glynda]

I have arthritis in my fingers and at the base of my thumbs. I used to do a lot of needlework. Spending a lot of time on the computer makes it worse. I have arthritis, bulging disks and stenosis in my lower back and suffered with it for probably 8 years becoming dependent upon RX pain meds. When we moved here and I sought out a pain specialist, he told me he was getting me off the meds that day. He said that he'd found that most of his patients have no more pain off of them than on. Getting off was no problem and after Rhizotomy, I went three years without pain or meds. Then I got sciatica and the pain ran all the way down my leg. I did three things at one time and don't know which of them, perhaps the combination, that stopped the pain and sciatica. I hired a housekeeper so I could give up vacuuming & mopping, stopped gardening and bought an adjustable Tempurpedic memory foam mattress. I sleep with my legs raised as high as they will go with a half round pillow under my knees and, knock wood, I have not had pain since in my back or with sciatica since.

 

[bogey21]

Arthritis is nothing to toy with. My Grandfather was bedridden for the last 6 years of his life with arthritis. This was back in 1945 before joint replacements but obviously it can get bad if not treated...

George

 

[klpca]

I have RA and some osteoarthritis. A second opinion is always good. I agree that diet can make a difference in pain levels. I aspire to the Mediterranean diet (but I am not 100%, but fairly close). It is considered anti inflammatory. But that's really for my RA. Also stress is a reliable trigger for my RA pain.

I take leuflunomide and add ibuprofen when needed and occasionally I have to take prednisone. When I have breakthrough pain or pain from osteoarthritis (I can tell which is is based upon location) I also get quite a bit of pain relief from the basic Salonpas (not the ones with lidocaine). I was very resistant at first but when you are in enough pain you will try anything, and they work quite well for me. And because I take leflunomide/prednisone I have to be careful about my liver and kidney functions, but I can use as many salonpas patches as I need without worrying about organ damage.

One more I just thought of, my husband started taking cbd oil for a different pain issue. It didn't work for that but he says that it really helped his knees. I haven't tried it because what I am taking works for me.

 

[VacationForever]

I have arthritis, bulging disks and stenosis in my lower back.

Besides a slew of arthritis elsewhere, especially my left knee from injuries, I also have arthritis in my lower back - bulging disks, stenosis and minor scoliosis for the past 15 years. Sometimes I get sciatical pain on my left - my bad side, running from my butt and hip down. Fortunately I have not needed much medications for it. I simply rest and limit activities for a day of two. Sometimes I take an ibuprofen and sometimes I take a muscle relaxant. My previous PCP in California used to tell me that losing a few pounds will improve all of my joint and back pains. I am not overweight but I am always hoping that I will drop 10 lbs.

 

[easyrider]

These are some cbd products we use for joint pain. The cbd recover seems to really work well on shoulder pain for my wife. Invigorate seems to work pretty good too. Both of these products work on my hands when they lock up.

The QI of calm was for my wifes pain while trying to sleep. It seems regular old Nyquil puts her out pretty well.

Bill

 

[easyrider]

Ingredient list. There is no thc in these products.

 

[VacationForever]

I have read enough to conclude that if it does not have THC it works as well as a placebo.

 

[Chrisky]

Over the last six months I have seem to come with arthritis in my shoulders, hands and somewhat in my legs. I went to the Dr and he said I have non-specific arthritis (as opposed to RA) and put me on hydroxychloraquin and Meloxicam for the pain. Does anybody else use these drugs?. They help a little, but make me tired. My right leg tingles a bit when I walk since I started using these drugs.

For those of you with arthritis, what drugs do you take and do they work. I have another appointment with my Dr in two weeks and want to ask for something else.

I have had arthritis since 1978, started up after my son was born. Hormonal change probably precipitated it, but I also had a startup of psoriasis.
Did the Dr. have any bloodwork done to determine what type of arthritis you have?
What are the contraindications for these drugs? Have you mentioned these symptoms to the Dr? What did he say? I see you have an upcoming appointment, that would be the time to ask all of your question.

When I had started a new medication for my arthritis, called Ridaura, it took almost 8 months for the medication to finally work properly.
Getting a second opinion is a good idea, but why wouldn’t you want to have your current Dr. try to resolve this for you, unless he is refusing to consider any other medication.
Having a very extensive flareup will definitely make you tired, and even some medication will do that.
Has your Dr. suggested a mild form of physiotherapy, which can be very helpful in reducing some of your pain.

As you can see from all the answers here, everyone has used different medications. That is one of the problems with being diagnosed with arthritis. There are many forms of this disease and hundreds of different medications.
It is up to you and your Dr. to find the right combination that works for you. Good luck.

 

[easyrider]

I have read enough to conclude that if it does not have THC it works as well as a placebo.

I have full spectrum thc oil that is basically just thc oil and coconut oil. It works for me but so does the cbd. If a person wanted full spectrum they could buy Rick Simpson Oil ( RSO ) in a syringe and heat up some coconut oil in a small pan then mix in the RSO. The strenght would be the ratio of coconit oil to RSO.

Some cbd oils are junk. Some are good. The cbd oil I showed above do work and have a track record of many people claiming it works. Cbd oils are used to treat eptilectic sieziures. So my opinion is that good cbd oils are not placebos. I will link some info below.

Bill

Attenuation of early phase inflammation by cannabidiol prevents pain and nerve damage in rat osteoarthritis - PubMed

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial joint disease, which includes joint degeneration, intermittent inflammation, and peripheral neuropathy. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a noneuphoria producing constituent of cannabis that has the potential to relieve pain. The aim of this study was to determine...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/does-cbd-help-with-arthritis-pain-2020041019418

Cannabis Use in Patients with Fibromyalgia: Effect on Symptoms Relief and Health-Related Quality of Life - PMC

The aim of this study was to describe the patterns of cannabis use and the associated benefits reported by patients with fibromyalgia (FM) who were consumers of this drug. In addition, the quality of life of FM patients who consumed cannabis was ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[rosebud5]

I have an appointment with my Dr (Internal Medicine) in 9 days. I want to know why I am on an auto-immune drug (hydroxyclorquine) if I have non-specific arthritis. What did my blood test show? I want to ask him if I should seen a rheumatologist and see if I can change my drug therapy. The meloxicam works after about 5 hours, but since you use it once a day (15mg version), it really doesn't give you all day coverage. If this is the best he can suggest, maybe I'll ask for the 7.5mg version twice a day. The combination of hydroxy and meloxicam knocks me out. My leg started tingling about 3 weeks ago. I have lost 20 lbs (good) due to loss of appetite and my eye sight for small text seems a little different. I also get too many gas pains now. I think I have RA because the symptoms with hands, shoulders and legs are symmetrical. Legs aren't too bad, just tight. Shoulders bother me the worst. Hands are the worst in the morning, but as I use them during the day, they improve.

 

[Icc5]

I was diagnosed with moderate to severe arthritis in my lower back after they decided to X-ray me for something else. I had mentioned my back problem to the Dr. on and off for the last 5 years. I saw a chiropractor about twice a year when my back would cause me to have terrible sleep. She did some back adjustments,gave me some exercises and I would be ok for awhile. The last two times seeing her it wasn't much help. When I was seeing a urologist he suggested the back ex rays to make sure it wasn't some form of cancer. Right before the urologist my regular Dr. had me sent for working with a theropist which through exercise seemed to help but only for awhile.
Now, I try to continue with the exercises and every so often take acetaminophen when the pain is really bad.
Lately it's been real bad with the home confinement and then I sit around too much. I also try riding a stationary bike about 3 hours a week.