I was recently diagnosed with erosive osteoarthritis and bursitis.
What fun.
Then, we learned no more nsaids for me because of developing kidney issues.
What to do, what to do. I’m left with Tylenol, which is like popping candies for all the good it does me. There isn’t much alse out there to treat osteo like there is for rheumatoid.
Then, my doc had a brainstorm. She put me on Cymbalta, and to my amazement, it is definitely helping. We all have seen the commercials for its use in the treatment of depression, but in my case the drug is also known to act on the neurotransmitters in the brain, targeting the pain receptors.
Bingo.
A few days later I can actually walk across the room without discomfort. It’s not a perfect solution - I have trouble with my thumbs as well, but I’m ten thousand percent better than I was a week ago.
Wow, yay!! So with the Cymbalta, I guess the pain still happens but your brain just doesn’t process it or something?
I too found that Tylenol did fuck-all for my knee pain. For whatever reason, my left knee (arthritic changes) and right shoulder (rotator cuff) both went bad at right about the same time my gallbladder did. While the ibuprofen wasn’t great, it was better than Tylenol. And of course I had to stop the ibuprofen 10 days before the gallbladder surgery. Nothing but Tylenol. Those 10 days kinda sucked.
Oooh - that’s no fun. I guess other NSAIDS are OK though?
The combo pills are certainly convenient but they’re the drug companies’ way of cashing in on out-of-patent medications, and charging “ain’t got no competition” prices for them. Other companies cannot market that same combination until the combination’s patent expires. If you happen to have insurance where there’s a hard cap on the per-scrip cost, e.g. 20.00 for a month’s supply, the combo might be cheaper. In my case, I have a percentage that I have to pay; there is a cap but it’s quite high and the combo is much more expensive.
My cousin, an RN, treated it with Biofreeze a few days ago, then slathered it with some muddy looking stuff she had gotten from her acupuncturist, then had me soak it in warm water with Epsom salts. It felt better for a bit, but then a big storm blew in and it started throbbing. Or maybe it didn’t work at all.
that’s my understanding of the drug. whatever the reason, it does seem to be doing me a lot of good. i still take the occasional tylenol (way less than before), but mostly just the cymbalta at the moment. i have a doc appt on friday and she is going to reevaluate at that time.
My previous physician recommended glucosamine and chondroitin (a year or two ago). It has helped noticeably, reducing the discomfort by at least 50%.
My current physician said a cortisone shot is not recommended for a small joint like the base of thumb, and prescribed diclofenac sodium gel to be applied topically. It’s a NSAID; the topical application as opposed to ingestion is to prevent/minimize some side effects. I haven’t used it long enough to evaluate its effectiveness for me.
It does for me. I went through an episode of severe hand and foot joint pain a little over a year ago and finally limped in to a mani/pedi shop that did them. First, the parafin retains the heat much better than a simple hot compress. Second, it’s easier to wrap everything up in layers to keep even more heat. Third, the paraffin moisturizes your skin like you wouldn’t believe.
I went to the mani/pedi shop because I don’t own a paraffin bath, theirs are better than the ones you can buy at WalMart, and because I couldn’t figure out a way around doing all four appendages at the same time. It cost around $20, I luxuriated for nearly an hour, and walked out like a human being.
I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1987. I thought I was going to die, it hurt so badly.
I was one of the human guinea pigs in the blind tests of Humira. I responded wonderfully to it, and as far as I am concerned, it’s a miracle drug. Methotrexate every Monday and a 40mg injection every other Sunday, and I am in remission.
I use something new and does not require a prescription.
It is “Anatabloc” from from the makers of CIGrx.
I would say that it reduces about 80 to 90 percent of my joint pain!
Just Google it… lots of info and tons of people using it!
I had been using indometacin to treat my gout until my doctor provided me with a study that showed that it was no more effective than naproxen sodium, which is far cheaper. The Wikipedia article has a link to a BMJ meta-analysis that says that it is less risky than other NSAIDs.
The only thing more painful than gout? All the nonsense remedies that well-meaning idiots offer upon hearing the word “gout”.
I have it in my major joints, right hand, and lumbar spine. My hips and back give me the most trouble.
Glucosamine + MSM has allowed me to be able to put on my socks, but I had to allow 6 weeks before I noticed any effect. Aleve for the middling bad days, and Tramadol when my back really acts up, which isn’t very often.
I’ve got it in my neck which lately means that when I run, or take long walks I can expect neck pain that invariably triggers a migraine. I’ve abandoned Glucosamine, since I read that it’s ineffective and I’ve already tried boatloads of various analgesics, which don’t help much, anyway.
Okay, I went to the acupuncturist today that was recommended by a neighbor. The problem area feels signficantly better even hours later. Going back in a few days. He also does herbs but has not mentioned them yet.
I must be numb to mine. The only time I’ll take Tylenol or Aleve is on cold, rainy/snowy days where the cold makes me creak (FTR, I have severe osteoarthritis in my back, neck, hands, and feet. Gotta love a food service career!)
I’ve been taking different supplements off and on for years, though. I’ve gone the glucosomine/chronditron/MSM route countless times. Maybe it has helped. Cal/mag is also one of my mainstays. I was taking hyluronic acid at the height of my neck/back pain a few years back, along with COQ-10 and other stuff I can’t recall at the moment.
During all these times, my pain was never bad enough to either make me miss work nor impede me in any way. I might have had a sudden crick if I moved the wrong way, but that was it.
Going that route is expensive, though. I’ve cut back to just the cal/mag along with my usual vitamins/minerals, and I’m moving fine.
For creaky neck, I have a tube of lentils that I nuke for 30 seconds or so and use it as sort of a heating pad. I made it out of a package of lentils and a spare athletic sock I stole from mrAru.
And naproxin would be great, if it wasn’t as effective as blue M&Ms to me …
Try drinking pineapple juice /eating pineapple.
I broke my heel a number of years back and have sometimes serious issue with that ankle. Particularly in rainy weather. I was in Portland, and having a hell of a time with my ankle. The local paper’s health article mentioned pineapple juice as helping with arthritis.
So I bought some and started drinking.
Yes it helped. A lot.
