Steroid Injection - pros and cons

mickey2009

Hi

I was diagnosed with RA about 2 months ago and have been on Sulphasalzine for the last 6 weeks, I'm now up to 4 pills a day. Still can't believe I'm going to have to take these for the rest of my life.

I am still trying to get my head around everything that is going on as the diagnosis came as a shock to me. The rheumy nurse and doctors are great but I'm now trying to remember everything they told me. :oops:

I have fortnightly blood tests, not sure what the results show, maybe one day I will understand what each test is and what the levels should be. I'm guessing that if things were abnormal, the doctor would let me know.

One thing I am struggling with is fatigue - I thought this was a side effect of Sulphasalzine but apparently it isn't, its my body coping with RA.

The helpline team are going to send me details on combating fatigue but my nurse has also mentioned having a steroid injection which may help.

Has anyone had this injection and has it helped?

Thanks

Mickey

colinone

Hello Mickey
I never bothered finding out about blood results and what it all meens, I was sent for if anything was wrong or have the blood tests done more offten to keep an eye on things.

The Steroid Injection o by the way i have RA and Pa.
The injection is called a depot medrone injection you can Google it. it is to relieve the pain and reduce the swelling and inflamation in your body. They normally give this injection when you are finding things a bit difficult to cope with or in a flair up. It lasts for weeks and with some people a couple of months. Its great because it give you a break from the pain. Because it does all this it gives new medication a better chance to kick in and do its work.
Take Care
Colin

slummymummy

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I had a steroid injection just after I was diagnosed. It did really help with the pain, and I had more energy, so I would recommend trying it. The only problem for me was that I couldn't sleep properly for weeks after it. I was a wide awake, and it made me feel a bit anxious. Good luck, hope you find some meds that suit you. This site is fabulous!!!

Slummy

elnafinn

Hi Mickey

Steroid injections help to alleviate pain but I am not too sure that they help fatigue. Perhaps after the injection when you are in less pain you do not feel as tired.

I have found the injections very helpful. Unfortunately their benefits do not last that long, for me anyway, and you cannot have too many in the same site per year.

Hope things look up for you soon,

Best wishes,
Elna

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mickey2009 wrote:

Hi

I was diagnosed with RA about 2 months ago and have been on Sulphasalzine for the last 6 weeks, I'm now up to 4 pills a day. Still can't believe I'm going to have to take these for the rest of my life.

I am still trying to get my head around everything that is going on as the diagnosis came as a shock to me. The rheumy nurse and doctors are great but I'm now trying to remember everything they told me. :oops:

I have fortnightly blood tests, not sure what the results show, maybe one day I will understand what each test is and what the levels should be. I'm guessing that if things were abnormal, the doctor would let me know.

One thing I am struggling with is fatigue - I thought this was a side effect of Sulphasalzine but apparently it isn't, its my body coping with RA.

The helpline team are going to send me details on combating fatigue but my nurse has also mentioned having a steroid injection which may help.

Has anyone had this injection and has it helped?

Thanks

Mickey

Hi Mickey
I was dianosed about 6wks ago and like you am finding in hard to get my head around it all, just not knowing how fast it will progress and how i will cope with it all so worring. so it seems were in the same boat. i am taking Plaqunil, but i did have steroid injection when first diagnosed (was so shocked they could have given me anything i would have taken it) i found it realy helped with the aches and pains and didnt even have too much morning stiffness. it took about a week to work was brilliant for about 2wks then slowly started getting achy but even now 6wks later still not as achy as was before injection and not as tired. of corse everyone is different and this is just how i felt. just all the emotional stuff is hard enough without the pain and fatigue.
anyway good luck with meds hope they work for you.
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mickey2009

Thank you for your messages, they have really helped - its good to talk to people that actually understand.

ree008

hi, i'm due to have another intra-articular injection into my hip bone as i have osteoarthristis, i'm not looking forward to this.
I also suffer with fatigue, does anyone know if this caused through having osteoathritis or is it just with R.A that you get fatigue?,

elnafinn

Hi Ree

I think that pain in general brings on tiredness and lethargy.

Elna x

mickey2009

I have received several information sheets from the helpline team, very interesting reading on fatigue and things in general. There's even a section on 'correct position' when working at a desk, I'll be out with my tape measure later.

mash65

hi,im no expert,i have oa,but i find the fatique is a combination of a bad nights sleep(due to pain)the tablets & the body working overtime trying to cope with all this.
i can get up feeling as if ive not slept at all.
the combination of tablets(if u read the lables they make u drozzy)
then the body is constantly trying to repair it self.
as i say im no expert. debsx

madwestie

mickey, i have a depo medrone injection about every 3 months they work well for me from about the 4 day for about 4 weeks then tail off. I have them when i am going to do something "special" (you know the sort of things that other people take for granted) like going on holiday or going out to a craft exhibition anything where i need an extra boost of energy.

I am on methotrexate injections now and am not doing too bad but the steriod injections just give me that extra boost to feel almost normal(whatever that is these days).

i hope you get on ok. don't worry about the blood tests i have one every month to check various levels and if anything is not quite right the hospital ring me the day after the blood test just to check up on me.

mike77

hi mickey 2009, like the name.

I had my first steriod injection into my hip bone last month, was dignosed in march 2007 with oa in both hips now its tralved a bit , but this injection is out of this world , that day I was tired and in a lot of pain in right hip but after injection boy oh boy did that pain move out then , They say i might get a few months pain free , the only time its sore now if I stand too long . go for it mickey thats the best advice I can give

Mike R & Hazel & Mike JR

ree008

Well i had my steriod injection on tuesday and i must say that this time it has worked, i feel normal with no pain in my left hip or back, i'd forgotten what life was like being in no pain.

emmarose33

Hi,
Yes, I have had them. . . at least 4 intermuscular (into the buttock) steroid injections since being diagnosed 6 months ago. I didn't really see any downside to them. . . but I also didn't see an up side. I'm afraid they had no effect on me! I don't really know why they kept giving them to me.
Steroid injections directly into the joints, however, worked a treat for my knees.

suncatcher

welcome to the site first of all you will find it friendly and informative.
theres a lot to take in at first i know the injections ive only had two and they were so good and really helped me. I hope they do you some good best wishes joanne