Thoughts on Pain Meds

When I was diagnosed I was determined to never use narcotic pain meds. I don't ever want to have to deal with the possibility of addiction. So, my doctor prescribed non-addictive Meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory, to go along with the Enbrel and Methotrexate. When the flairs are bad I use Tiger Balm on painful joints, the best over-the-counter stuff I've found. I know people who swear by acupuncture as a way to lessen pain but I haven't tried it.

Redorangedog, Pain medications have different side effects and different rates of addiction. Know thy medications before taking them. Pain medication has it's place. Pain management, when used to allow a person have a relatively active place in society rather than being a shut-in, is an appropriate use of drug therapy. When drugs are used to decrease acute and disabling chronic pain the odds of becoming addicted are slim. Using drugs to get high is not the same as taking and monitoring the use of medication from a reputable pain management doctor. Giving narcotics a bad rap will hurt the people that need them the most. Would you deny your grandmother pain medication for an incurable disease? When all else fails to relieve the disabling pain of severe RA, pain medication may be indicated. Explore the many ways to cope with your pain, if they fail to keep you out of your bed, consider the use of pain medication. There is no shame in taking pain medication when needed. Red

After 8 years I have stopped taking Loratab. It has been 1 month.
I thought I could not live without them but after bad withdraws, now I know I can.
Most pain meds are very addictive and only mask the pain. My wife tells me I complain less now.
I was tired of living in a fog and that's what most pain meds do to you. You live in a fog. I never took anything stronger than Loratab because of my job, but I can tell you,the Loratab didn't work anymore. My 2 choices were go to a stronger pain med or quit. I chose to quit and it was worse than the pain.
Now I deal with the pain a different way. I lift weights. Not trying to be a body builder, but just trying to gain strength to support my bones and it has helped in 2 ways.
1, I feel better and have some energy that I have not had in years.
2, When I look in the mirror I'm proud of how I look. For a 41 year old man with arthritis anyways.
Good Luck:)

I don't know if u have looked up the foods that can help with arthritis. There are several that do work for minor cases. Also, vitamin B3 is good. If it is very severe, there is a procedure called "nerve block", that really works. I am 42 and had a spinal fusion 4 years ago, and have osteoarthritis all over…even in chest wall. I have tried everything. Knee replacement is next step. After that, I hope to be able to get back into a few sports. Life is what u make it. Gotta try everyday to be strong and try not to take all the meds. that part sucks.

Its not easy to live with pain however as you found out its not so good taking the meds with all the nasty side effects. I've done alot of resarch for my own pain and founds somethings that work..really work and no side effects. Amazing! THink outside the box and you will find answers. Contact me for more information. jotting a note back. Take care and God bless

CONGRATS!!!! keep it going!
Doc kept increasing the pills/dosages & amts until I was finally on meds (5mg methodone 3x/day) for few years.. but stopped by myself (at the dismay of my docs) & was quite sick from withdraw but last year I only took 1/2 of one pain pill twice and this year I'm determine to make it NONE!

Now, yes some days are rough, but i use ice, heat, infarred and lidoderm patchs .. some folks say it's crazy but eventually you get used to the pain & as long as i keep my mind busy I can "ignore it" or breath thru the worst .. I know what's wrong & there's nothing I can do about it except live with it.

I like not being "stupid" and I think it's a whole lot safer! Also the GI tract works 1000x better w/o pain meds :-)

night time is hard & I admittedly dont sleep much, but that's my choice over the drugs.

continued success Frank !!!!!

Good for you and I could not agree more.. NOt having Brain fuzz/fog fomr the drugs is worth its weight in gold. I searchedand searched and finally found some solutions that have helped me tremendoously..learn to think outside the box If you want to know more aobut what I found jot me a note. Even getting better rest these days whew!! long time coming…

I never wanted to be on them ever but my ra is very aggressive and steriods r a joke even in huge amounts and I've been on every drug out there for ra and nothing helps or does for a few months but now down to waiting on the next drug to come out. I wouldn't be able to do anything without them at this point. I have severe damage from my ra. I've been taking them for years and thing is ur body gets used to them then u have to change pain Meds back n forth so they will work. Even pain management said that where they help me be active then it's fine. They would rather give them to someone trying to do things to help themselves then someone sitting around. I go swimming in a heated pool then hot tub after.

well everyone is affected by RA differently so I feel is is hard to define my disease progression with others journey through RA. Personally I had dealt with RA since 1981 until 2001 fairly well with glucosimine condroition and msm' plus chiropractic care, massages and hot soaks and sensible excersize. In 2001 I began the new journey of RA into mtx and several different biologicals. In 2008 I began spiraling from the years of the progressivness of the disease and the destruction it had done to my body, I am now remaining on 1cc injections weekly of mtx and fentynol patch.it seems for now the best solution to my situation. Back at the beginning of RA I would never of imagined me on pain meds, now it is just part of my life.

Thank you for the feedback. I really appreciate your comments. I know that narcotics are not the answer but I refuse to take steroids again. I'll have to be unable to function to ever take them again. Too bad most of the RA meds are so dangerous but, you have to do what you have to do. I've had RA for a little over 2 years and have never taken a narcotic med yet. My RA is not under control through even with all the meds I take. I was just thinking that I would rather be on pain meds when I need them than take steroids. When I finally asked for them, my rheumy said no so I just wanted to see how others felt about them. Thank you again for your responses.

Here is an article that I found that gives some alternatives to taking pain meds for RA. Sometimes pain medication can help but doesn't solve the problem completely.
http://www.arthritisconnect.com/news-articles...

Maybe.
My RA has me on Simponi, metho and folic acid. Ideally this cocktail along with a decent diet and exercise keeps inflammation at bay and thus pain largely managed. My RA wants me to limit OTC pain meds like aspirin based and if I get anything persistent to call. His approach seems to be if the strong stuff isn't being effective, it's time to try something new. A couple of times I've needed to go on steroids during trying out new meds. Not pretty and I refuse to go there unless I can't take it.

I know that some people use narcotic based pain meds because it is what they and their doctor have assessed what is needed. In the past my Dr has offered during very difficult RA flares. I declined because I'm not personally comfortable and need to be fully present to work in my field. From time to time if I am a bit achy I will use a Tylenol PM and a bit of rest usually does the trick.

Best wishes as you find what is best for you.