Am I going mad

Geoff71

YOYO wrote:

Geoff71 wrote:

Hello everyone
before I go any further please excuse my spelling
I havnt been on here for a while and to be honest Im really struggling. Lots of changes to medication and still no further forward. For the past couple of months I have been taking Persidone, amitripline and alloprinoll. Imflamation lelvels have dropped and the pain in affected joints have reduced but if I go for a short walk etc it returns. Anyway I wonder how many of you take any of the above medication and if you suffer from any side effects. I dont know if its the meds or somthing more sinister but i get an uncomfertable feeling in the head (not pain but its not nice) and behind the eyes its not all the time but on a daily baisis. Also my arms and legs do feel heavy?, shoulders and neck ache a lot of the time and the list could go on. I feel very stressed/ anxious and about the the whole situation and life is getting unbearable I feel a complete burden. I s there anyone else having the same problems?
Geoff

Hi Geoff, we have all been there, dont give up! I used to take Amitriptyline 25 to 50mg dose to help me sleep with pain of RA? is this the same med as you? I found after 18 months of taking this drug that it contributed greatly to my very low and depressed state? I didn't want to do anything except go back to bed and sleep my life away! the dreadful tiredness and low feeling along with a fuzzy head came on me the next day, after a good nights sleep and nothing could stop me going back to bed and sleeping for England! I'm not saying this is the reason you feel so low but maybe investigate the possibility. I was scaredf stiff of stopping them but nothing dreadful ahppened and I feel 100% better mentally, I only get the terrible tiredness when in a flare and the fatigue sets in then. Hang in there and use this site, it has helped me tremendously and i have only been a member for a week or so! Best wishes YO xxx

I can so relate to this- I got up this morning to go to work and i was back in bed by 9.30. I am constantly tired and mentally it makes me think I have some more sinister going on. Most of the time I can keep level headed but the past few days have been bad. I managed to get into work later. I do need to refocus so Im off to the GP next week. thanks for your kind words

Mat48

Hi again Geoff. I have been on both Prednisolone and Amitriptyline since my last post on this thread and have had mood swings and times of depression and tiredness so you aren't alone by any means. The course of Pred is nearly over and I'm spinning it out to come off very slowly because I'm dreading return to pain alley. It has worked very well for the pain and my GP says this proves inflammation was the cause.

While I am waiting to see the rheumy i've been researching the things that are going on with me as much as i can as a non medical/ non scientist person. My feeling is that if the rheumy, who i will see in less than 2 weeks time, doesn't give me a definitive diagnosis this time then I will be more sceptical about the medicine I'm being offered.

I haven't got 2 different specialists feeding me different lines as you have - which sounds far too confusing?! But I did see a gynaecologist the other day and he explained how oestrogen is also a steroid and that is why the surges in hormones I've been getting with menopause sometimes seem to tie in with diminishing of joint pains, working the same way as the Prednesolone does for inflammatory arthritis.

As soon as oestrogen returns to low levels in me the joint problems returns with a vengeance. I have started to tie the two things that are going on with me together and make a bit more sense of the drugs I've been put on. My GP is always very helpful when it comes to informing me about the drugs he's suggesting for me, although sometimes I find it hard to understand or concentrate on what he's telling me. I hope yours is as good at explaining things to you.

If I do get given Methotrexate by rheumy I will first ask what exactly is wrong with me before I agree to take it. I will want to know what they are attempting to treat before I take it because it is fairly toxic and if they don't know what they are treating exactly then why should I feel confident enough to take a risk? I don't like the "suck it and see" approach to medicine - it is far too hit and miss and if they want to experiment then get willing volunteers rather than pretend to be the voice of authority playing God with my life! Sorry if this is very long but I feel very strongly that these people should respect our health enough to liase with each other to help us make the right decisions.

Geoff71

Mat48 wrote:

Hi again Geoff. I have been on both Prednisolone and Amitriptyline since my last post on this thread and have had mood swings and times of depression and tiredness so you aren't alone by any means. The course of Pred is nearly over and I'm spinning it out to come off very slowly because I'm dreading return to pain alley. It has worked very well for the pain and my GP says this proves inflammation was the cause.

While I am waiting to see the rheumy i've been researching the things that are going on with me as much as i can as a non medical/ non scientist person. My feeling is that if the rheumy, who i will see in less than 2 weeks time, doesn't give me a definitive diagnosis this time then I will be more sceptical about the medicine I'm being offered.

I haven't got 2 different specialists feeding me different lines as you have - which sounds far too confusing?! But I did see a gynaecologist the other day and he explained how oestrogen is also a steroid and that is why the surges in hormones I've been getting with menopause sometimes seem to tie in with diminishing of joint pains, working the same way as the Prednesolone does for inflammatory arthritis.

As soon as oestrogen returns to low levels in me the joint problems returns with a vengeance. I have started to tie the two things that are going on with me together and make a bit more sense of the drugs I've been put on. My GP is always very helpful when it comes to informing me about the drugs he's suggesting for me, although sometimes I find it hard to understand or concentrate on what he's telling me. I hope yours is as good at explaining things to you.

If I do get given Methotrexate by rheumy I will first ask what exactly is wrong with me before I agree to take it. I will want to know what they are attempting to treat before I take it because it is fairly toxic and if they don't know what they are treating exactly then why should I feel confident enough to take a risk? I don't like the "suck it and see" approach to medicine - it is far too hit and miss and if they want to experiment then get willing volunteers rather than pretend to be the voice of authority playing God with my life! Sorry if this is very long but I feel very strongly that these people should respect our health enough to liase with each other to help us make the right decisions.

Hi - its horrible isnt it. I must be a control freek, i really dont like the rhumy "playing God" . i will be catching up with the GP next week for their advise. I do wonder why i was put on the amitrip is it because I was so down at my last appoinment or is it because they think it will act as a pain killer. I do feel its time to make some big changes and get my head round "life" I keep feeling that life will get back to normal and its slowly sinking in that this is it, I know what you mean about the mood swings and just feeling tired all the time. I have 3 young children and i do feel im letting them down. My daughter said she would like to go on a day trip to London and it kills me that I cant be part of that! I suppose like you all i want are the answers! Please keep in contact and let me know how your next apointment goes. you can inbox me if you like

elnafinn

Amitriptyline is a versatile drug, helping with several symptoms. In low doses, it can be used for bedwetting in children, migraines, IBSD, as a muscle relaxant to make you get a good night's sleep. In higher dosages it is used for depression or anxiety. It does cause tiredness and a dry mouth for many users. You should ask your gp why you have been put on this med. We do like to know why we are popping these pills on a daily basis. I am wondering what dosage you are on atm.

Elna x

Mat48

Yes my GP put me on Amitiptyline (10mgs) when I complained about the constant feeling of neuralgia in my wrists and fingers like toothache. He explained all of the above re bed wetting, used formerly as and old fashioned anti-depressant on much higher doses but now used primarily in palliative care or for people with chronic pain. I can now take 20mgs if in flare - have been using it while on the Prednisolone to counteract the insomnia. I noticed it was making me sluggish mentally yesterday so last night went down to 10mg with an ibuprofen to make up for lower dose of Pred. I slept so much better - no insomnia and have woken with hands and fingers and the rest of me relatively unstiff so all great to date!

I think my GP is starting to trust me with these medicines - enough to juggle them according to my need. I don't think Amitriptylibe suits everyone and you can just stop taking itmy GP said. It's non addictive and dropping it should not be an issue I'm fairly sure - although it depends what dosage you are on of course - if high you may want to drop more slowly?

I will let you know how I get on but I'm having a break from pain just now and it feels more wonderful than anything so I'm very lucky. I'm sure after a busy week in London coming up (work,family and a funeral)- that I get home to North Scotland again that will be when next flare hits if at all because that's how it seems to work for me anyway. I'm spinning out the Prednisolone 5mgs a day until the funeral on Friday - then home, flare maybe and off to rheumy so he will hopefully see me at my very worst :P