my list of meds- P

[Guest guest]

,

I¹ve gone back in the archives and read all of your posts since you joined

us. On July 11th you stated that NONE of your medicines work for you. On

July 22nd you said you were taking trazadone for 3 or 4 months but you saw

no improvement.

The most alarming post is on September 12th when they upped your

methotrexate. You were being scheduled for a colonoscopy for GI bleeding.

If you look at this site, it has the protocol for methotrexate therapy and

it states that in cases of GI bleed, MTX should be discontinued.

http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/cme/endurmat/lipsky/alg_apdx/app_q.htm#anchor

1850067

In your case it was increased and then before you even got the results of

your biopsy, they added arava. You state NONE of your meds work for you

yet they continue them and add more. You¹re on a drug combination that I¹ve

never heard of, and have spent 2 days searching the medical journals looking

for any studies done on such combinations. None exist. When medications

don¹t work, they are normally discontinued and something else is tried. If

one is found that helps somewhat and you are tolerating it well, another

dmard may be added. If you are NOT tolerating it well, it is usually

discontinued. With your IBS it may be difficult to distinguish if the mtx

or the IBS is causing your GI distress. I was on oral mtx and it gave me

severe diarrhea and cramps. It continued for 3 months and then I was taken

off of it. GI distress is the most common side effect of mtx. Some people

switch to injections and the GI distress disappears. I had NO GI problems

on the injections of MTX.

Since you already have IBS, I am surprised that you would be given oral mtx

at all. You're having GI bleeding and they increase it and add a new

drug???? All I can say is YIKES!!!!! This doesn¹t even take into

consideration that you¹re also taking enbrel and plaquenil as well as your

GI meds. BTW on the same link if you look up plaquenil, it also says to

discontinue it in cases of severe GI upset.

I am not a doctor. I can¹t advise you what to take and what not to take.

What I will say is that I¹ve been with online support groups encompassing a

large number of people with RA and have never come across anyone that was

taking the number of dmards you are taking. I am very alarmed especially

in light of your GI bleeding and other symptoms. Do you have a family

physician that you can talk to? How does your pharmacist know you should

stay on all the meds? Did he call your doctor? I¹m surprised that your

pharmacist isn¹t alarmed at the combinations you are on. Is your pharmacist

aware of your GI bleeding?

Are you supposed to get the results of your biopsies today?

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