My doctor put me on Meloxicam several months ago for my rheumatiod arthritis, but it doesn't seem to help. If anything it's getting worse. I'm thinking of stopping this prescription. What experiences have any of you had with anti-inflammatory drugs?
My father and grandmother had very very severe rheumatoid arthritis. It's not too much of a bother to me even at this stage in life, and I don't take anything. As I also worked in health care for a long time, what I'd say is "if you're not allergic to normal aspirin, toss out that crap and take aspirin." While side effects can occur from aspirin (especially if you use it frequently, or have other risk factors), the risks associated with this junk can be worse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meloxicam
@Ina I. Wonder @Janice Martin As with most NSAIDs, this stuff causes gastric distress, leading to bleeding of the stomach lining, and possibly also the lining of the small intestine. Definitely not good. If it is not seeming to help, why keep taking it, given knowledge of these side effects? Frank
We have not had good experiences with NSAID's at all, and we have only used it at OTC strength, taking acetaminophen or something similar. Bobby had such severe liver damage that he almost died from it a few years ago, and even though he was in terrible pain, and swollen up; the VA doctors told him that he could not take it at all ever again. It was a vicious circle for him because the medicine was making his liver hurt really bad, so then he would take more of the medicine hoping to alleviate the pain, which only made it worse. I can not take it either because of the a-fib and heart failure issues that I have had. Even though I didn't take much, I have kidney damage, which my doctor said is irreversible; so he told me not to take any of these anti-inflammatory drugs at all. I have never taken any that was prescription strength; but that is usually a lot stronger than what you can buy over the counter. What did you find out about it when you did a google search for side effects, @Ina I. Wonder ? It should tell you whether it is safe for you to take or not, and what side affects there would be for you to watch out for. My friend in Idaho was telling me that her husband is being treated for rheumatoid arthritis, and whatever they are giving him is making him very sick. She said that he is mostly bedridden now, and they are very distressed about it; but the doctor wants him to continue the treatment.
Seems as if I could have some osteoarthritis in my foot now (the one injured in the fall I had last October) and it showed up in the post-surgery MRI I had done on my left shoulder last year. I generally take one 800mg Ibuprofen (prescription from the VA) every-other day and sometimes a Tramadol HCL 50mg (from VA also) on other days. The Tramadol is the lowest mg there is, but will be off of that within the next month. There are times I use Topricin Pain Relief Cream on the foot and shoulder and it really works. None of the three, Ibuprofen, Tramadol or Topricin have given me a problem.
My oldest sister has rheumatoid arthritis and none of the prescription meds they have given her have helped and they all made her digestive problems worse too. I have some arthritis too but so far I am managing the bad days without any prescription meds.
I take 200 mg twice a day of Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) for my RA without any negative effect that I am aware of.
I had a ganglion cyst on my elbow when I lived in Hungary, I took an NSAID for a year but I don't know what it was but it was prescription strength. After a year the cyst quit hurting and I quit taking the NSAID...it didn't seem to bother me or do any harm to my stomach. I do remember the dose was twice a day.
@Ren Tanner My readings indicate that the most serious adverse event caused by Hydroxychloroquine, Macular Degeneration in the eyes, is rare in 400mg per day dosage. It's a drug over 60 years old, still quite valuable. Frank
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, and despite medications, the pain from this disease usually recurs. NSAIDs usually help, but the side effect of too much NSAIDs is usually liver damage, since these drugs are toxic to the liver. Its better if you go back to your doctor and ask for other medications. The medications given are usually based on the severity of your symptoms. You can actually ask your doctors for steroids or Disease Modifying Anti rheumatic Drugs or DMARDs as we call them. i do hope you feel better with the other alternatives.
I've been praying for your problem @Ina I. Wonder and I believe too that you should let your Doctor know that the prescription he gave you is not helping. There are many meds for your problem and sometimes it takes trying quite a few before you find one that does help. My brother was here from Oregon a few days ago and and he was sharing with me that he finally had to go to the Doctor and get some help for his painful arthritis. His Doctor prescribed something for him, and he hasn't had a bit of trouble with the prescription and he is really happy that he is not in constant pain anymore. So if the meds you are taking aren't working for you, I think you should let your Doctor know this and see what he wants to do about this.
I think that what Babs is suggesting is a great idea, @Ina I. Wonder , and maybe they can find a different medication that works better for you to stop the arthritis pain. Like Babs mentioned, some people are taking medications that do help with stopping the pain. I think that my friend Joy in Idaho said that the medication that her husband is taking had helped him before; but now it doesn't; so probably your doctor can suggest something that suits you better. In my earlier post, I was not suggesting that people should not take anti-inflammatories, because some people are fine with no side effects from them apparently. For myself, it is a totally different case, and because of my heart condition, I can not take anti-inflammatory meds, either prescription or OTC ones. In order to keep from being in pain all of the time, I have to control it by natural methods, and not medications; so that is what works best for me. Protecting my heart, kidneys and liver are top priority for me, and I do not want to be as sick as I was before.
I am always for natural ways to relieve pain but if someone has tried the natural things and they don't work, then there is no reason for a person to be in constant pain if there is a prescription that will help ease that pain. It is hard to do what you need to do or to enjoy life when someone is in pain all the time.
I was just reading about some of the effects of dehydration on our body, and as I was reading it made me think of the problems you are having with joint pain and arthritis, @Ina I. Wonder . Often times, we do not recognize our body's signal that we are becoming dehydrated, and by the time we do drink water, we are already suffering some of the consequences of dehydration. I remember you saying that you are not even feeling the hunger signal from your body a lot of the time, and it is usually stronger than the hydration signal is, at least until we have become seriously dehydrated already. Pain medication dulls all of our senses in its effort to dull the pain in our body; so having to take the Meloxicam, and other medications is possibly also prohibiting you from feeling the hunger and thirst signals from your body. Please read through the list of symptoms of dehydration and the things that can cause, like heartburn, joint pain, arthritis pain, and even heart problems. I know it sounds like an easy fix; but it can't hurt to try drinking more water and see if it helps, as well as talking with your physician about the Meloxicam. http://www.watercure.com/wondersofwater.html
Thank you @Yvonne Smith for this article. I realized I have almost all the symptoms that the article lists, and I don't think I've ever drank enough fluids. I wonder why a doctor has never pointed out the benefits of water to relieve some of these conditions that have plagued me most of my life. Surely it can't be just a matter of money. Doctors do say, "drink more water", but if they would give you the easily understood explications of why and how simple water works in each condition, more people would be in less pain. I'm glad that you have so much curiosity, you've helped me greatly over the last three years. I'm going to get myself a bigger glass.