Things are changing.

Iansjointshurt

Diagnosed with RA in 2017, after an initial bad episode with methotrexate I was put on sulphasalazine and my condition was pretty good until 2 months ago. Suddenly all my joints - wrists, elbows, neck, hips, knees, ankles and all the tendons around them started screaming at me. CRP levels going up. Lots of pain. GP prescribed 6 weeks steroids. No change. Rheumatologist wants me to swap to leflunomide and have steroid injection. Has anyone had a similar problem? How did you get on with leflunomide? Typing this at 3am which seems to be when the joint pain gets to its peak each day. It's no fun this RA lark, huge sympathy with all you folks living with it. Any advice very welcome. Thanks.

Ellen

Good Morning @Iansjointshurt

Welcome to the Versus Arthritis Online Community. Sounds as though you are having a very bad time with your RA. Oh gosh yes we understand the 3am agony when everyone else 'seems' to be sleeping soundly!

Until one of our members comes along to talk to you about Leflunomide I attach a link to DMARDs (Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs) which might be of interest. Apologies if you already know all this.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/disease-modifying-anti-rheumatic-drugs-dmards/

As for the steroid injection it can be a real help for some people:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/steroid-injections/

Best of luck and please do let us know how things go.

Ellen.

Iansjointshurt

Hi Ellen.

Many thanks for your response.

I am also wondering if a recent injection may have triggered things for me - half way through lockdown my GP surgery contacted me to offer a vaccination against pneumonia. Seemed like a good idea. I can’t make a direct link between the vaccination and the sudden worsening of my RA but I wonder if anyone else has a similar experience?