Hello

Skinnygirl
Skinnygirl Member Posts: 3
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:05 in Living with arthritis

I'm Linda & ive had RA for about 20years. Until recently it has been controlled by Methotrexate only. After a chat with my GP & rheumatology nurse they think I should add another drug in to the mix.If anybody is on hydroxychloraquine or sulphasadene togeter with methotrexate would love to hear how they have got on. its hard to decide as they both dont sound great. its good to have somewhere to share our experiences & talk to people who feel the same.

Comments

  • Chris_R
    Chris_R Moderator Posts: 791
    edited 7. Aug 2020, 18:53

    .

    https://www.bing.com/search?q=sulfasalazine&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-gb&httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&refig=8498ae007f6f43f3d8a1b1019b83422f&sp=2&qs=SC&pq=sulphazadine&sk=PRES1SC1&sc=8-12&cvid=8498ae007f6f43f3d8a1b1019b83422f&cc=GB&setlang=en-GB

    Hi Skinnygirl

    Welcome to the forum.you say you have had RA for 20years a long time,and your Rhumatologist would like to add Hydroxachloroquine or sulphasadene.

    I have given you 2 links that may help you.,Enjoy the forums the most popular being Living with Arthritis,chit chat and Vals café.

    All the best please let us know how you get on Christine

    Need more help? - call our Helpline on 0800 5200 520 Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • brianjvj
    brianjvj Member Posts: 2

    Hello.

    56 year old man from Scotland. I have a long history of knee dislocations and recently been diagnosed with stage 4 OA in left knee and stage 3 in right knee. In quite a bit of pain. I had a knee brace fitted to my right knee about 6 weeks ago and it has made a slight difference, which I hope will improve more. At the moment I am taking naproxen and cocodamol, also omeprazole to protect my stomach. I am hoping to get pick up some tips on pain management and some general good advice, hopefully I might make some new friends too.

  • chrisb
    chrisb Moderator Posts: 669

    Hi @brianjvj and welcome to the Versus Arthritis forum.

    So you have OA in both knees and are currently taking naproxen, cocodamol and omeprazole.

    Our website includes an extensive section on pain management which may be of use to you https://www.versusarthritis.org/search?query=pain+management

    You can also call our free Helpline on 0800 5200 520, or email helpline@versusarthritis.org (Mon - Fri 9:00am – 8:00pm) if you ever feel they could be of help.

    I'm sure that other forum members who have had similar symptoms will be able to share their experiences and offer you some tips and advice.

    Best Wishes

    ChrisB (Moderator)

    Need more help - call our Helpline on 0800 5200 520 Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Hi Brian, I’ am (or was) a very active 61 yr old. At this stage I’d recommend to keep going with the pills, rest and whatever physio exercises you can manage (some good joint-specific ones on this site) and let it settle. But it may take quite a while.

    I was recently diagnosed with OA in both hips and put straight on the list for replacement of one of them. It has obviously been there for years, but I was unaware of it, but it all kicked off after I tripped and landed on my backside. A week or so later the pain started ramping up, and after diagnosis was put on the same drug regime as you, but the pain continued getting worse. Pretty much everything I did hurt like crazy, even sitting still on the sofa suddenly a bolt of pain would hit me. My physio said “exercise” for me was a five minute walk, sit down for a rest, then walk home again. I thought she was mad, and just pushed myself to the limit of what my body would let me do (which shrank daily), mostly as it felt too hard to suddenly reduce my horizons by such a huge margin when I was still capable of keeping going, albeit in pain,

    However, after a few months, it did finally start settling down. I’ve had to give up pretty much all exercise, even walking into the village isn’t great. Suddenly managing the pain became more important than great photos for my Facebook feed. Lockdown helped, in that I couldn’t go out and make things worse for my hip anyway. So my physio was right after all.

    As a result, the pain is nowhere near as bad, partly because I’ve learnt to avoid almost everything that triggers the worst pain (still got to put my socks on somehow though!). I’ve been able to reduce my meds a bit, I’ve worked out how to sit/get comfy in bed etc to take the pressure off my hip, I’ve lost a stone (and still trying) also to take weight off my hip. Basically I have gradually reshaped my life and body around this condition, but the reduction in pain and reducing the meds (and their side effects) has been worth it.

    So if you can be kind to your knees for a prolonged period so that this aggravated flare up can settle, (and you may be surprised by how long this will take) you can get your head around what you need to do to manage it as a long term condition until surgery becomes an option.

    If it helps at all, my sister, who is an aerobics teacher, had both knees replaced before she was 60, but kept on teaching classes throughout, just on handfuls if pain killers, and after a post op recovery period and painful physio, got back to teaching again. She still suffers from other difficult arthritic conditions, but has always been determined to get as much as she can from life.

  • brianjvj
    brianjvj Member Posts: 2

    Thank you so much Lilymary for your very good advice. I will take your good advice. I do have a home exercise pack from the local physiotherapy department. I do find the exercises a 'catch-22' situation. I do the exercises and soon after my knees swell and the pain increases. My physio did change some of the exercises, the wall squats were particularly painful, but, given your advice, I think I will just have to bite the bullet and exercise through the pain.

    Thank you again for taking the time to reply.

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Hi Brian, my physio advised if it was hurting, don't do it. It sets off inflammation in the joint and will make the residual pain worse (ie it will keep hurting long after you’ve stopped). The exercise is intended to keep your joints moving, and to strengthen the muscles around the joint so that they support the injured joint better. If it’s causing inflammation, that’s pretty much the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.

    Try to find exercises that aren’t painful, and build it up very slowly. If you're building up stamina and muscle strength for sport, for example, then yes, push through the pain, but if you’re trying to support an injured and inflamed joint, a different approach is needed.

    Shortly after my diagnosis, I downloaded all the hip exercises on this site, did them ALL in one go, and was in agony for days! My own stupid fault 😁. So now I only do the ones that don’t hurt, and do them in small stages. It seems a bit feeble when I’m used to steaming up mountains, but my body needs nursing right now, so this is what Will help. If I’m in pain, I rest, use hot wheat bags on the joint and take another pill.

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697

    I quite agree with Lilymary. Physios have always told me to 'push INTO the pain' NOT try to push THROUGH it. It's normal to feel some pain after exercising. If the pain lasts then something is not quite right. Try building very slowly and gradually. A few repetitions several times a day are much easier to tolerate than one or two longer sessions. And, if you feel any particular exercise is making things worse, cut that one out for a while and see if things improve. You can always try re-introducing it slowly and carefully later on when - hopefully - things have improved. Good luck!

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright