Quote Originally Posted by lovemyhens
Sandia,
I was on Plaquanil for 2 months, started with 1 pill once a day then graduated to 2 pills twice a day....felt like i was dying a slow death. Althought it help my RA symptoms, i suffered from stomach upset, constant vertigo, headache, weakness on one side of my body, tingling, skin burning sensation, numbness. I thought it was maybe my RA flaring, or even worse...i thought it could be MS....so my doc had me stop plaquenil, and within a week most symptoms subsided and in 2 weeks I felt like my old self, but then the joint pain came back.
So now she wants to start me on sulfasalazine 500mg 3 x daily. i have read the side affects...uhg. if this doesn't work then its methotextrate.

I have only had a rhuematologist since january, and my diagnoisis since about march. Although in my DR's notes she has stated i vaporize on occasion, i am reluctant to ask for a recomondation so soon. I may way for a couple of months and see how this new med works, and if makes me as sick as the plaquenil, but helps with the joint pain, then i will ask for a recomendation.
i want a recomendation TODAY, but i don't want to break the trust of my doc. so i am going to hold off for just a few more weeks.

But in the meantime, i will enjoy reading the forums.

Sandia,
what kind of symptoms do you endure, what is a flare feel like to you? and what meds do they have you on? I don't know anyone with RA to compare my symptoms with, and i feel all alone. I don't have much, if any, joint swelling, except on my left big toe, but i sure experience stiffness in the morning.

anyway...i would PM you, but don't know how...lol

Lovemyhens,

WOW! Very similar situation on my end. I started out on Sulfasalazine FIRST but that made my insides horrid and had to stop. The Rheumy doc then put me on Plaquenil which I have been on for a couple of months now. It has reduced some of the swelling and pain I have been experiencing but still makes me have "emergency" bathroom stops. Unfortunately it is not working as well as she had hoped and I see her again at the end of the month. The next step we discussed is going to the methotrexate injections.

My wife was diagnosed with RA 2 years ago. She has had very good success with the methotrexate injections. She began with Plaquinel but found that the methotrexate was much more effective. So much so that she has not had a flare up in over a year now!

As far as my symptoms go, I have had numerous joint surgeries and a total knee replacement. The surgeries (except for the knee replacement) have all essentially failed which has the surgeon puzzled. When I saw him last, I informed him of the diagnosis from the Rheumy and that made all the sense in the world to him. I have elected to not undergo ANY surgical procedures until we can get the autoimmune issues worked out...he agrees 100%. The knee replacement is actually starting to do much better. While I still have a lot of pain at times it is nowhere near what I experienced prior to the surgery. The swelling has gone down considerably.

As far as flareups, I am not sure that I have them. I am in constant pain and limited motion in my shoulders, back, and knees. My hands are also numb with pain in my wrists and finger joints. The Plaquinel has made this much better but I still have to take a ton of narcotics to essentially function. Not a good thing.

I have found that the cannabis, more specifically in the medible form, is very effective. I made muffins a couple weeks ago and once I had them in my system, I found that I did not have to take ANY narcotics! Unfortunately since I am on sooooo many and for such a long time, I went through pretty severe withdrawals. So I am now in a situation where I am titrating my narcotics down slowly instead of cold turkey. It seems to be working pretty well! Just going to take some time to hopefully come off of them for GOOD

I have a friend in in another state that has severe RA and has been using cannabis for a year now. She has been able to come OFF of the immuno suppresives totally now! I asked what she thinks is working. Flat out she said that the cannabis helps her tremendously. She too likes the medible route and feels that she gets more of the cannabinoids by ingesting via the food method rather than smoking or vaping.

I have only tried smoking it about 4 or 5 times. I don't smoke so taking the meds that way is uncomfortable for me. Vaping is effective now that I have gotten used to just how much to take....but, the effects last only about 45 minutes for me whereas the medibles last for several hours!

If you haven't had a chance to do so I suggest that you take a look at "Granny's List"....she has put together a compilation of hundreds of resources in one spot on how cannabis can help.

Take care and good luck with your med issues. If you have any other questions zap them my way!

Cheers!

Sandia