I had a bunch of tests done to see if I have RA, but nothing was conclusive. I do have osteoarthitis.The doc put me on Plaquanil but it tore my guts up, and I quit. My joints still hurt though. My brother takes Celebrex and says he would be in bad shape without it. Aside from Aleve or Advil, what works best?

with the NSAIDs prolly best just to try each one for a week and see what works best, Advil worked better for me than Celebrex but know people who Celebrex or Aleve was better for....

I have a sister in law who has it bad, real bad, hands like claws bad. I hate to bring this up but she get a topical cream she uses on her hands and shoulders. It is a pot based cream. She functions, does housework, feeds livestock and gardens with it. Without it she cannot even dress herself.

and that works better yet for most that try it, but most refuse to go that route....

I Oregon and Washington you can use it without getting into trouble with the state. That is not the case in most states.

a pot based cream?

I bet that's a bitch to keep lit

It is the pot vs firearm thing that keeps me away. I would like to try it because I am really getting tired of hurting all the time. I am just not willing to loose my right to carry.

I'm on Mobic and as others have said, without it for a couple days, I hurt like hell and my quality of life is severely diminished. Wife uses some kind of topical cream on her hands that also helps.

The one thing that I'm sure will help, but I haven't been very consistent about is reducing the inflammation caused by my diet. Consider going to something like a Paloe diet and also take fish oil supplements.

Naproxen started to affect my blood pressure. I was prescribed omeperazole to soothe my gut.
I am supposed to get something without sodium in it next. Honestly, naproxen doesn't work all that great because of the lousy condition of my ankle.

I've got some pretty bad osteoarthritis in my hands, fingers, knees, neck, etc. In January, I had a knee replacement with another one in the future.

I've tired virtually everything, prescription and non-prescription and nothing seems to do much good. I do take 1 Advil and 2 Tylenol 3X per day. Seems to help a little.

tylenol/codine 3 takes the edge off. I had Viox when they were prescribing it but it didn't work for me.

This is where I'm at. I tend to avoid taking anything other than drinking more plain old tap water. Liver and kidney killers seem to work about the same as water so I opt for the latter with occasional NSAIDs on days the weather seems to cause too much discomfort. I hate how arthritis affects my balance - or rather, how it affects my reaction to balance cues.

Methotrexate works for me. Have to take folic acid with it to keep it from eating up my guts. Doc also has me om prednisone.

I have to take that stuff for my back and knees, it helps but it does upset my stomach a lot. Doc said it was my caffeinated coffee. De-caf sucks, but it did help a little. Now he wants me to cut back to 1 16 oz beer a week.

Aleve works pretty good for me. I take one every morning.

This is what I was told would help.....not by a doctor, but a friend who also deals with OA. I understand there are many food items that can greatly contribute to inflammation.

I have friend over in Grand Junction that was looking at a double hip replacement. He got on this treatment of foods that he was allergic to and now has no pain and will not need a
transplant.

http://www.immunolabs.com/patients/

Celebrex does not work any better than all the other OTC NSAIDs


Advil works for be, Alieve is better, but it acts as a stimulant for me and keeps me wake at night.

It hurts, but start to exercise more

everyones body chemestry is different, which NSAID works best for you will depend on that....some people Celebrex does work better, for others it doesnt.....Advil works best for me followed by Celebrex....Aleve does nothing at all, might as well be sugar....

I have to tell you a funny scott. Arizona now has medicinal "weed" with dispenseries all over the place. Must be an epidemic of bad backs among the 20year olds. The funny:
a guy goes into a gun store to buy a gun and fills out the 4473. Then provides two types of I.D. one being a medical Pot card. You think? Then gets ticked when no gun.

The VA gave me Naproxen and I was already on Omeperazole. First day I took it I laid down to go to bed and had stomach acid fill my sinuses and run out my nose. Finally got to sleep but I had to sleep sitting up. Never took a second dose.

This^^^ Or taken orally in a liquid. It can be had with a low THC and high CBD (Canabidol) hybridized form that does not produce a high, but releives the pain. That, combined with some DMSO as an agent to drive the CBD into the joints is just amazing for arthritis and or gout. I have the latter, really bad.

I have been on Celabrex for years. I justhad my knee replaced and couldnt go over a couple of days without it before i could hardly walk. If i dont take it my hands hurt bad. Ive had no issues with it knock on wood.

"Celebrex does not work any better than all the other OTC NSAIDs"

I have read this before. I also believe some meds work better for some more than others.

The OTC stuff like Aleve has so much sodium added, does prescription naproxen have it too?

I have several med's for arthritis. The strongest is Oxycodone (sp?). Trouble is I can't do anything if I take the strong stuff. I have taken it at night when in a lot of pain. The best over the counter med for me is Tylenol. Be careful though with Tylenol. Do too much and you die. Aspirin and Ibuprofen has no effect that I've noticed.

Tests for RA are usually fairly precise. You either have it or you dont. So if you haven't seen a rheumatologist see one soon because most GP's are clueless when it comes to diagnosing autoimmune diseases. Having to wait 12 months to see a specialist is nonsense. Kick up a stink or get a referal from a another specialist (if your seeing one) A referal from a specialist always holds more weight than one from a GP.

I have been to a rheumatologist. Of the 6 or 7 blood tests that target RA, I tested "slightly" positive on one of them. That is why the doc said it isn't conclusive. I had xrays done on both hands and wrists, osteoathritis was there, but again nothing that indicated RA. I have RA in my family, that is why I had the tests done.

I've had RA for 22 years and it can take a little time to fully develope. Mine got progressively worse over several months, and once it gots worse corticosteriods and DMARDs were my only option. NSAID's are virtually useless in moderate to severe RA. I hope for your sake it doesn't develope further because the side effects of long term use of disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs can be a real pain in the butt.

I understand. My Mother had RA for a couple decades before she passed, and one of my older brothers has it now, been fighting it for several years now. It aint pretty. That's why I went for the tests.

Wayne, my wife has had RA for about five years. She could barely get out of bed in the AM, had lost a good bit of weight, was EXTREMELY tired all the time and her joints were really hurting.

She went to our family doctor who is a family friend. He couldn't pinpoint any cause and I think he gave her something for the pain.

I went on the 'net and in researching osteoarthritis, I came upon a battery of questions to help determine if one has RA (a completely different animal from osteoarthritis). I started going down the battery of questions and she "hit" on practically every one.

I called the Doc and told him what I had found. He had her come back in and he ran the tests but they came back negative. At that point he referred her to a rheumatologist.

When we went to see the rheumatologist, he started asking questions and they were almost word for word the questions I had found on the 'net. He confirmed that she had RA, some osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia. He started her on methotrexate at a low dose, then later he upped the dose and she got better but the RA was still active. After a few months on methotrexate he prescribed weekly Enbril shots. As I understand it, Doctors are required to try methotrexate first before prescribing one of the "biologics". I believe she's also taking Mobic for the fibromyalgia.

UNBELIEVABLE turnaround within a week of me giving her the first injection! Now she is almost back to normal. She still gets a little fatigued at times but she can do practically everything she wants to do. She never really never learned how to swim well as a kid so she decided she wanted to take the swimming course at a local junior college. She liked it so much that she is now swimming laps several times a week.

Pain meds may help with the pain but it won't stop your immune system from attacking your joints. According to her rheumatologist, my wife's RA has gone into remission based on semi-annual X-rays. He said her blood "sed rate" is very good at this point.

If you check out the RA questionaire on various RA websites and you get several "hits", you need to get that referral to a rheumatologist as soon as possible to arrest the joint damage.

Good Luck!

Actually there is one thing that does help - Bourbon. It doesn't kill the pain, but it helps me ignore it!

What I have found that has helped with my arthritis:

Quit drinking coffee.

In the morning I take 1 acetaminophen and 2 naproxin sodium. On very bad days I'll also need to take those (or 2 ibuprofen) again at night.

Pot is also an amazing pain killer.

There's a big difference between osteoarthritis, which most of us have to deal with to some extent as we age and rheumatoid arthritis, an immune disease wherein the body's immune system attacks the joints and causes deformities of the hands, etc. NSAIDS and other meds can help control the pain but if you really have RA they won't stop joint damage or the deformities of the hand.etc. that most people associate with RA.

Search "rheumatoid arthritis symptoms" on the 'net.

I am dealing with the same thing now. Have taken Mobic or naproxen for years and it is not doing a thing for pain. Doc Just put me through a series of prednisone and most of the pain was gone. Going to a ra for a constltation the middle of January and my gp wants me on the methotrexate. Scary with the decrease of autoimmune system and having to get tested for tb and other things pretty regularly. Can't wait to see if it helps!

My wife's rheumatologist prescribed a prednisone pack for her when she was first diagnosed to knock down the "flare". He has since prescribed a prednisone pack for her to take if the disease decides to go active again and she has another "flare".

You also have to be really careful about being around sick folks and which immunizations you take (can't have any with live viruses,etc.) because the drugs you take reduce your own body's immune system's effectiveness even to something as simple as a common cold.

People around you should do all they can to stay healthy, i.e. getting their flu shots, washing hands when coming home from work, etc.

One thing that needs mentioning, DMARD's like Methotrexate, Sulphasalazine or Humira as well as Prednisone all supress your immune system. You need to be careful especially if having surgery. I've had two operation while on DMARD's and ended up with infections on both occassions. My hernia operation infection was easy fixed with oral anti-biotics but my hip replacement infection (golden staph) turned out to be a real nightmare. I needed a surgical washout as well as IV anti-biotic via a PICC line for 6 weeks followed by 12 months of oral anti-biotics.
All is good now thankfully, but I doudt the infections would have occured if I wasn't on disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.

Naprosyn is one of the best on joints, one of the hardest on the stomach. It's probably the least cardio toxic NSAID.

Celebrex is a Cox II NSAID, that class is more cardio toxic than
non Cox II NSAIDS, but easiest on the stomach. But, Celebrex has the best cardiac profile in class. Some, like Bextra and Vioxx, were taken off the market due to cardiac side effects. But, they were very effective on joint pain.

Trying different NSAIDS is a good idea. Changing up from time to time can help.

DF

over the counter meds did nothing for me 200mg of celebrex is all that has helped me. My doc even had me on another RX for it but did very little so iwent back on celebrex.

Celebrex is good stuff. It can raise blood pressure in some patients so you have to consider that. It works well for me and was better than pain killers.

opiates really do nothing for the inflammation but the NSAIDs do which is why they actually help for non RA arthritis....its also why marijuana works, on top of the pain killing properties it seems to have some pretty heavy anti-inflammatory properties and does seem to work in this case with topical application of really high quality stuff which means you get to skip the whole high thing.....not sure if its been proven yet or not if enough gets absorbed through the skin to pop positive on a piss test...

even with my knees which now should be completely out of the cartilage on the end of the femurs got relief with a combination of cannibus cream and DMSO to help draw the active stuff into the joints...

studies in other western countries have shown positive affects of pot on auto immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis aswell with far fewer side effects as the steriod/immunosuppression route.....

Aspercream plus DMSO helps me some, too.

go have your knee replaced. I just did mine were bone on bone for a couple of yours i had them shot up 4 times until i could take off to get one replaced. Without celebrex i couldnt walk after a week it would start locking up and hurting terrible.

This past May I was diagnosed with RA. So far a combination of methotrexate, meloxicam and folic acid have back on my feet. I'm now starting to feel more pain again so expect an adjustment or change of meds at the next appt

no one will do it, im 33 and still walk without a cane......if i do it now ive got a nearly 70% chance per leg of being an above knee amputee inside 10 years....according to the guys that work on college and pro level athletes anyway....

Might try eating some almonds.
Plain or roasted both might help.

They taste good too!

Had Quite Abit Of Joint Pain Over The Years. And Tried A lot Of Different Meds. Been Using Voltaren Last Few Month Seem To Help Quit A bit...Might Give It A Try..

why wont they do it and why would you need an amputation? Never heard that before. I waited until i couldnt stand the pain with injections before having it. Never used a cane until now after replacement. Check with a highly reccomended surgion not a therapist for ball players.

magic age for knee replacement is 55, at 55 you have an 85% chance of it lasting the rest of your life....been told by some of the best that work on young guys and replace the knees of young guys, that at my age ill be harder on the prosthesis than someone older and will destroy it inside 10 years....success rate of the second one after i destroy the first is around 35% making it around a 65% chance per leg of being an above knee amputee after i destroy the first one and thats per peg as both have the same issue....

until i no longer have good days and can not walk normally given imin my early 30's no surgeon will touch me....Mayo just looked at my file and said dont bother coming out, there is nothing they can do...somewhere in one of the boxes of chit i packed up from the divorce is a file with the opinions of 8 different orthopedic surgeons, half of which work on young athletes(who else has knee problems before they have grey hair?) all say the same, tough it out as best i can as i am to big of a risk until i get to the point i cant walk normally....

I was on Vioxx till it was pulled. Worked very well but who needs the cardio worries!
Next came Celebrex, worked wonders but I developed an unusual allergy to it, my knees felt great but I was depressed in a big way. Doc took me off the Celebrex and my good humour came back pretty quickly.

Have been taking a daily cocktail of Tia-profenic, Tylenol 3 and Codiene Contin for the last 10 years. Take it at bedtime and I am good for 24 hrs. Miss a day or two and I can hardly walk. Occ. visits to physio help as well.

For many years I was taking Motrin or Naproxen or Voltaren etc, rotted my stomach. Now I take Panteloc and watch my diet best I can. Scope every couple of years to make sure all is well. Fortunately Veterans Affairs Canada takes care of my knee and stomach needs.

Same here, 55 is the magic age for knee replacements. I am a couple years away from that now. At this point I think, as long as the meds are working I'll forgo the surgery. Wish I had had it years ago but wasn't an option, could have had a better job, and more active lifestyle.
Now I just suck it up and soldier on. I'll become a burden to society sooner or later LOL.

I loved the Vioxx, it killed me when they took it off the market, literally! Nothing has been able to help me since. I can't take muscle relaxers or pain pills during the day at work so tough it out and relax at night with the meds. And some bourbon. A buddy is taking humira and he swears by it. Every once in a while he takes some prednisone to cure a flare. Can't wait until the 22nd for my visit to the ruemetologist, month off.

I don't know what works best, and what works for one person may not work for another...my knees started giving me problems about ten years ago...a few years ago, my hips too. I've tried most of the OTC remedies & have found that what I eat also plays a big part in how stiff my joints get. I avoid large helpings of pasta & can't eat it for consecutive days, or I get to hurting. I'm pretty sure it's the gluten. I've also noticed that when the first fall cold front moves in, it damn near cripples me...if I take Krill oil & CoQ-10, it takes quite a bit of the edge off the pain...
That being said, the thing that has made the biggest impact on the arthritis issue, has been moving to the desert here in Az. (Last week) from the damp valley winter weather in Sacramento. Every day, the pain issue & stiffness dissipates a little more...Last night, before bed, I took a 800 mg. Ibuprofen that was leftover from a previous injury & this morning I'm enjoying the most pain free day I've had in years. Virtually no stiffness at all.

Yep, I think Vioxx and Bextra were some of the most effective NSAIDS on joint pain. Too bad their cardiac side effects got them canned.

An earlier poster mentioned an intolerance to Celebrex. That molecule has some similarity to sulfa antiobiotics and those with sulfa allergies sure don't want to take Celebrex. You can do a word search for Stevens Johnson Synd. Not that common, but can be really bad.

DF

DORVASAL. Everyone, write the name down, check it out on the internet. go to Pedro Negros, Mexico and buy it. You cannot buy it in the United States. My mother got to the point she could not do anything back in about 1969. Her doctor gave her the name of the clinic/hospital there, told her to contact them. She did and never had a problem with arthritus again until she died in 1997. I can down with it also back in about 1994, immediately started taking her medicine, and until today am tickled with the results. This is very importand. It is a major decision to pack up and go to Mexico. It really has to be to the point you are ready to do ANYTHING. Wallace Martin Warner Robins, Georgia email address: [email protected] Additional information: I just got this website you can contact the docotr to get help. This is the place. http://arthritis-pain-b-gone.com/