Doctors and drugs

claircoult

Please excuse this mini rant. I'm not having a good day and need to vent to people who can understand.

My reactive arthritis flared up after a UTI. My rheumy said to go see her if I flared but she was on annual leave so one of her colleagues suggested taking tramadol and meloxicam for the pain.

I took the drugs for the next 2 weeks but I had terrible problems with fatigue, I kept falling asleep all the time, 2-3 hour long naps in the afternoon and 8-9 hours at night. By the weekend I started feeling light headed and kept collapsing. I also fell asleep at the computer. I went to bed and had a 3 hour nap but my husband had trouble waking me.

On Sunday I was no better so my DH took me to the out of hours doc. I was white as a sheet and so weak I could barely stand. He was worried about anemia so had me admitted to the ward for tests.

I had bloods done which came back normal but they wanted to keep me in over night for observation and to see the consultant in the morning. Unfortunately this turned out to be a complete waste of time. I had to ask for my drugs, which were 3 hours late and the food was inedible.

I had to wait until gone 10am for my morning drugs, which are supposed to be taken with food. The nurse appologised and brought me some biscuits saying someone had been poorly and they were running behind. I didn't recognise some of the pill so I took the ones I knew and asked the nurse what they were. I thought one was my meloxicam but I had already take 2 the night before and I only have them once a day so I didn't want to overdose. One nurse couldn't help and no-one got back to me. The drugs were taken away when they brough the lunches round. Had to eat a sandwich for lunch as the chicken casserole was disgusting.

The doctor did his rounds just as lunch was being served so he said he'd come back and see me in the afternoon. He came back at 2.30, glanced at my notes, said I wasn't anaemic, my white count was normal so I didn't have an infection, my CRP was normal so there was absolutely no inflammation and he asked why I was taking tramadol. He failed to notice my left ankle and right knee were swollen, did a quick examination, told me
he didn't know what reactive arthritis was, didn't know what meloxicam was, didn't know why I was getting light headed but there was nothing clinically wrong so he discharged me and said he would refer me to neurology. As he left the nurse came around with the drugs again, but as she was late with the last lot it was too soon to take the next lot so I didn't know what to do.

I came home just as ill as I went into hospital still with no answers. I asked for all my drugs back and found one of my pills was missing. I wondered if it was the combination of drugs that was making me ill, I mentioned it to the doctors but no-one wanted to comment. It was probably a dumb idea but I decided to stop the tramadol and meloxicam. My pain wasn't too bad but now I'm feeling worse than ever with chills, sweats, nervousness and pain. I've felt like this before when I've come off the tramadol but I don't know what else to do. Right now I don't want to take any more drugs ever. I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, can't sleep now, I feel like I've got the flu and a tummy bug at the same time, just feeling really sorry for myself.

Clair

woodbon

Hello, I can see that you must have lost faith in the medical profession, and I know what you mean. Hospitals do seem to have trouble getting meds right when its time to go home. I used to work with elderly people and they used to come home with 'new' drugs and no information for either us or the GP.

Does your GP have locumn standing in for them? If their is someone you can go to at your practice, I'd go and see them asap as stopping drugs without advice can make you feel awful and you still need to find out why you are feeling so poorly. Anyway for what it's worth, thats the route I'd try and take. Good luck and I hope its soon all sorted out for you, love Sue

dreamdaisy

General doctors don't understand about our meds, the reasons we take them, what inflammation may mean to us and for us. Tramadol is a powerful pain duller and can make one feel very drowsy if it doesn't suit you, and the sweats could be a side-effect of that. I don't know why he asked why you were taking it - I thought that taking a strong pain killer was an obvious indication that pain was an issue.

I reckon that Reactive Arthritis represents an unknown quantity to many doctors, rheumatologists included. Not much is known about it or how to treat it, it is a very difficult area. I think you had to travel far and wide to get your diagnosis, yes? Am I thinking of the right Claire? I do think you have had a very tough and un-necessary stay in hospital and that has gotten you no further forward in any way shape or form. I hope you can get to see your usual Consultant soon and that he/she can answer your entirely reasonable questions about whether the two drugs should be taken together.

I loathe going into hospital simply because you do lose all control over your medication, the timings all go to pot, you are at the mercy of a nurse who may or may not get to you at the right time and treated like a blithering idiot about dosages etc. I had six days in hospital once, wasn't fed for any of them and all because the Consultant kept forgetting to tell people I could eat after the operation. I know I didn't miss much tho.

I hope you soon start to feel better now you are at home and that you can sort out a better form of pain relief. DD

frogmorton

Oh Clair!!!!

That is an awful story!! I am shocked :shock: You havent had good care at all (you weren't here in staffs were you??) :shock:

I think you HAVE to try to see the decent doc at your surgery and even if it means a day or so wait.... doctors don't understand us at all.

Have you even had antibiotics for the UTI?? if not you need them asap. Are you taking paracetamol (they may stave off those chills if you have a fever??)and have you checked your temperature incase it's up?

TRamadol does wipe me right out too, but it is a good painkiller. NEVER heard of meloxixam???????????? Well l am shocked.

What are you going to do now?

Please say you wont carry on like this...l would want to see someone who has some knowledge.

Love and hugs

Toni xx

claircoult

Thanks for the replies. Yes it was me who traipsed half way around the country to get diagnosis and treatment.

The trouble here is no-one has the foggiest what is going on and it gets me down because no-one seems to care.

I had the UTI 6 weeks ago and had 2 courses of antibiotics to try and clear it up. A week of cefalexin and a week of ciprofloxacin (which I have since found out you're not supposed to use on people with joint problems). This infection triggered a reactive arthritis flare.

I'm slowly trying to figure things out on my own as the GPs don't understand my condition or the drugs very well. I stopped taking the tramadol, lansoprazole and meloxicam because I thought they were causing the dizziness. I've been suffering what is probably tramadol withdrawal, it happened the last time I stopped taking it but the GP's didn't think it was and weren't that bothered to be honest. I've been feeling quite unwell and have been taking codeine for the pain.

Today I decided to start of the melodicam again so I took a lansoprazole before breakfast and an hour later I'm dizzy and light headed again. So I think I've figured that on out! Not bad considering all the doctors I saw in hospital couldn't.

I just feel like I'm getting nowhere. At least I have a rheumy appointment on 26th April so hopefully I might be able to work something out with the consultant. At least she was trying to figure out what infections are causing my flares, which is more than anyone has done in 20 years so I should be grateful for that.

Thanks for listening.

Clair

dreamdaisy

GPs like the theory of meds and do sometimes ignore the realities. We all react differently to the same drugs and tramadol withdrawal symptoms are not unheard of. It's strong stuff and if it doesn't suit then yes, there could be problems, especially when mixed in with other meds.

I would have thought that reactive arthritis is complicated simply because of its nature, isn't that just common sense? It must be related to the auto-immune versions as it is triggered by infections - your immune system fires up to fight the invaders and thus sets off the arthritis. Does your arthritis die down once the infection is sorted? Has that ever happened or are you just left with on-going joint pain etc? DD

bubbadog

I know what you mean when it comes to doctors and meds! Especially if it isn't your regular GP! I was on an all sortment of drugs and kept being sick, so my OH told me to try removeing the paracetamol I was taking and hey presto! I told my regular GP and she looked over my meds and agreed it was proberbly the para's causeing reactions with my other meds! Well it caused my OH's head to swell as he had found the problem and not my GP!!
That's why I would rather wait for my regular GP than speak or see another GP as they don't know the full story behind your illness and what meds your taking and what you have tried in the past and also what you are allergic to. All it could take is seeing your non-regular GP and them to add another med to your normal meds your taking and I hate to think whats the worst could happen!

skezier

Hi Clair,

Sorry you have had such a bad time of it there. Hospitals ..... not a lot to be said there really is there? You don't get the needed treatment and you get inedible food but them they feed you for 9p a day...... or there abouts.

Tramadol can do give the some of this... what dose are you on? I know back a long before i took regular tablets they made me sleepy as hell. They don;t now but I think you get used to all the drugs we have to take,

A flare can make you feel exactly how your feeling and I just wonder when are you seen by a rumo again cus really I think your reactive needs more investigation and more help.

Can your gp help? maybe change your meds and possibly use the Bru-tens patches instead of tramadol and see if that helps?

I hope you soon feel better and even more hope someone will help you. Cris x

Airwave!

I see it's also called Reiters Syndrome, the doctors may have known it as that?

Keep smiling.

I'm gonna stop typing out my grin.!