Too good to be true? "Half new patients with RA become pain free within 36 weeks"
June 14, 2008 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Ok folks, another study on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and DMARDs (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs); what are we going to make of it?
According to a press release issued by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), “At least 50% of recent onset rheumatoid arthritis patients achieve remission (a state free of signs and symptoms) within 36 weeks when following a systematic approach of step-up DMARD treatment in combination with tight control.”
This finding, presented at the annual congress, was based on this guideline:
We’ll have to see what this translates to in real-life situations and how this does relieve chronic pain.
When you read news like this – does it make you hopeful or are you more cynical, as I appear to be these days?
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I’ve been on Methotrexate for 10 years now and the highest I’ve been on is 20mg/week. I’m not pain free, but I can do most day to day activities. The metho was recently decreased to 12.5 mg/week, so we’ll see how that works around.
Sometimes I’m hopeful, sometimes cynical. I’m leary about pumping too many drugs into my body, but if they help …
I’ve not ever been prescribed sulfasalazine or adalimumab, and having RA now for 10 years I’m not sure my rheumatologist would do so now.
But it might be hopeful news for those being recently diagnosed.
Hi Karen, nice to hear from you again.
I’m curious as to why your methotrexate dose was lowered – would you be willing to share that?
My Methotrexate dosage was lowered mainly because of the side effects that it causes. When I’m on higher dosages of methotrexate I often get a lot of painful mouth sores. Methotrexate can also cause liver problems so I must get my blood tested every six weeks. I’ve had a few liver concerns, but lowering the dosage has brought things back to normal. Because it’s a powerful drug (often used to treat some cancers; it’s a chemotherapy agent), my rheumatologist tries to lower my dosage whenever possible.
My methotrexate has been increased and decreased for a few years now. If I’m doing well on it, then often the doc recommends a lower dosage to help decrease the incidents of mouth sores. But if I end up going into an RA flare, the dosage gets inceased immediately to a large amount to combat the flare, then I’m slowly weaned down again.
Interesteringly enough, I take folic acid to help control the mouth sores, however there’s a Catch-22 with this. The Methotrexate causes mouth sores which folic acid can help prevent or control; however the folic acid can reduce the efficacy of the Methotrexate! To combat this, take folic acid every day EXCEPT for the day of and the day after I take the Methotrexate. I take metho only once per week, all the prescribed pills (currently 5) at once which gives the body a huge boost of the med (sort of like chemo). This gives my body time to slowly ‘come down’ from the drug which is when I take the folic acid.
This seems to work, however I do still get the odd mouth sore, but not as many.
I really wish I didn’t have to take these powerful drugs (I’m also taking Plaquenil which causes floaters and blind spots). But I was much worse off before the meds kicked in than I am now, so I guess for me it’s a necessary evil.
Unfortunately all of these drugs had significant side effects for me and I had to quit them and now take a biologic. This plan wouldn’t work for me but I do hope this plan will work for others!
Any news you are aware of that contracting Shingles, or getting the Shingles Vaccine relieves symptoms of RA? I have seen 3 medical journa articles, one from India, one from Turkey, and the last? – describing RA remission when the patient developed Shingles.
I do not want to get Shingles, and My doctors refuse to entertain the thought of the vaccine for me, because of my Enbrel injections. I have offerred to suspend that immune supressing shot for 6 months, but they just do not know, and are not willing to entertain the possibility of adverse effects. My temptation is to suspend the shots, go to a new doctor and get the shot. Risk, yes. AND taking ENBREL is risky. Any creative advice out there? Please, I do not need not just the same old “discuss with your physician” garbage. I’ve been there. They have nothing to lose by playing safe. I do.
Thanks.
Wib Smith