Re: Curious - Those who choose no prescription drug treatment

[Guest guest]

Please find a new Dr. You do not need to suffer like that. There are so many

good drugs you just have to find the right combination. You intolerence is

certainly a problem but with a little help with lifestyle, maybe some herbal

remedies along with prescriptions you may feel better. I Pleasse get some help.

You dont have to suffer like that.

Carol

[ ] Curious - Those who choose no prescription drug treatment

I am curious if any of you here have chosen to use no prescription drugs to

treat RA (and/or fibromyalgia). I have not been able to tolerate the side

effects of anything. It doesn't help that I have always been seronegative and

therefore always wanted to believe that I don't have this damn diagnosis. Even

if I didn't have the intolerable side effects (can't even tolerate one

Ibuprofen), those commercials for RA meds scare the heck out of me. Over the

past 12 months, I have developed obvious deformity in many toes and fingers and

feel every day like my shoulders, hips, and feet are broken. I realize that the

goal is to stop the progression of the disease that results in bone erosion, but

what if you just can't? Believe it or not, the last thing my rheumatologist

offered me at my last visit was to ask me if I wanted a prescription for

Darvocet!? I told him, " are you kidding me " ? So, its back to occasional Tylenol

use and trying to make daily accommoda tions...

Deb

[Guest guest]

The side effects of the meds are much less worrisome than the joint

deformities that RA can cause. Have you tried any of the biologic meds

like Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, or Orencia? Joint deformities are

irreversible. Maybe you need a different rheumatologist who will work

to get some relief for you. You need to be on a DMARD, and not just

pain pills.

Sue

On Dec 18, 2010, at 1:29 PM, psychauthor wrote:

> I am curious if any of you here have chosen to use no prescription

> drugs to treat RA (and/or fibromyalgia). I have not been able to

> tolerate the side effects of anything. It doesn't help that I have

> always been seronegative and therefore always wanted to believe that

> I don't have this damn diagnosis. Even if I didn't have the

> intolerable side effects (can't even tolerate one Ibuprofen), those

> commercials for RA meds scare the heck out of me. Over the past 12

> months, I have developed obvious deformity in many toes and fingers

> and feel every day like my shoulders, hips, and feet are broken. I

> realize that the goal is to stop the progression of the disease that

> results in bone erosion, but what if you just can't? Believe it or

> not, the last thing my rheumatologist offered me at my last visit

> was to ask me if I wanted a prescription for Darvocet!? I told him,

> " are you kidding me " ? So, its back to occasional Tylenol use and

> trying to make daily accommodations...

[Guest guest]

Hi Deb,

    I understand your reluctance to believe your RA dx. I have been seronegative

for 11 years but I have all of the other symptoms so there isn't any question

about my dx. I have also been on Remicade without any side effects for 10.5

years. Weighing the risks vs. benefits of these drugs is a personal decision and

one that you must make carefully and decide what you can live with. Remicade had

just been approved when I started it but I felt the risk was worth it, and I

have been happy with my choice.

Good luck.

Take care,

in Virginia

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am curious if any of

you here have chosen to use no prescription drugs to treat RA (and/or

fibromyalgia)

. I have not been able to tolerate the side effects of anything. It

doesn't help that I have always been seronegative and therefore always

wanted to believe that I don't have this damn diagnosis. Even if I

didn't have the intolerable side effects (can't even tolerate one

Ibuprofen), those commercials for RA meds scare the heck out of me.

Over the past 12 months, I have developed obvious deformity in many toes

and fingers and feel every day like my shoulders, hips, and feet are

broken. I realize that the goal is to stop the progression of the

disease that results in bone erosion, but what if you just can't?

Believe it or not, the last thing my rheumatologist offered me at my

last visit was to ask me if I wanted a prescription for Darvocet!? I told him,

" are you kidding me " ? So, its back to occasional Tylenol use and trying to make

daily accommodations. ..

Deb

[Guest guest]

Deb:

I feel your frustration. I too hate all these drugs. Recently they added

Coumadin to my regimen and it makes me sick, queasy and when I take the Opana,

it makes me retch, vomit. Vomiting is god-awful, yuck.

Anyways, I am convinced that there are alternative remedies to help alleviate

the inflammation, i.e. Tumeric in warm milk, cinammon, pineapple, cherry juice,

all of them reduce imflammation, but everyone is different and cant tolerate

everything. If you are determined not to take meds, you gotta do the research.

I would also investigate Oriental or Ayurvedic Medicine, they have remidies for

RA too....

I keep reading about gluten allergies producing alot of trouble as well,

including autoimmune diseases.

I wish you well, and to become pain free. I think we all would be pain-free if

we didnt have the damn swelling inside us.

OKD

[Guest guest]

>

> I am curious if any of you here have chosen to use no prescription drugs to

treat RA (and/or fibromyalgia). I have not been able to tolerate the side

effects of anything.

The only thing I'm taking is plaquenil, and it scared me to think that it could

make me go blind. But knowing that if I am agressive in treating the disease

early it may reduce the chances of severe damage down the road, I'm taking the

meds. I'm also worried because I know that plaquenil used to be an

anti-malarial, and I had a terrible reaction to a related anti-malarial drug

called lariam several years ago. I keep wondering if I'm going to suddenly

become irreversibly psychotic.

J