Newly diagnosed - can anyone help??

[babyboomer]

Hi - I have been newly diagnosed with RA - and am still in denial......
My RA factor was - are you ready? - 1995.......and I only have minor aches & pains, my biggest problem for pain right now is plantar fasciitis in both heels.
Anyway........saw my rheumatologist for the first time and she did some more tests, x-rays, etc. and wants me on Methotrexate right away.
I am TERRIFIED of the side effects of this drug, especially the hair loss, nausea, etc. But, after reading about the other drugs the list of side effects keeps growing. Isn't there a drug without so many side effects??? And does the folic acid really stop the hair loss? I have to work full time & I don't have a lot of extra hair to begin with, so I can't lose anymore.
After reading about the side effects of all the drugs I have concluded this:
I'll be a bloated, fat, bald woman with lymphoma cancer, cataracts, glaucoma, heart disease, kidney disease, bleeding gums, liver disease, and diabetes, but....my joints will be okay!
Please - any feedback on this drug & any others will be welcome. I know you are probably sick of this question from newbies, but there it is....I can't make heads or tails of the difference between humeria, enbrel, remicade, etc. either. Are they better, or just more expensive.
Thanks in advance.:( babyboomer

[Heather]

My grandfather had the worst case of RA I have ever heard of, and he was on methotrexate for a long time. It worked ok, but then he went on enbrel. That drug got rid of his RA, psoriasis and every other bit of inflammation in his body. Unfortunately, after ten years on it, he no longer has an immune system. The last two years he has been in & out of the hospital for the most trivial infections that almost kill him.

[Mockingbird]

That is so odd you mentioned bleeding gums, I never thought there was a connection. I did notice when I took Naproxin my gums bleed and I refused to take them. I was afraid that not only would I lose all my teeth but that other connective tissue maybe bleeding. I was told it was rare but it happens. Anyway the way I stopped my gums rom bleeding was to swish with hydrogen peroxide, it just bubbles, don't swallow just spit out. It stops the infection from setting in.

[babyboomer]

Since my last post I had more tests and my "sed rate" was also elevated which indicated inflamation also - so I guess it's for sure that I have RA. I refused to take the methotrexate and instead chose sulfasalazine. I take 6 pills a day, 500 mg. each and so far no side effects other than some slight dizziness on some days. I take 3 pills in the morning with breakfast and 3 pills with dinner in the evening. No upset stomach, no rash - so far so good. I think the sulfasalazine has helped with some of the joint aches and I'm sticking with it for now. I'm amazed that my numbers are so high and yet I have very little pain and almost no other symptoms - if I hadn't had the RA factor test I wouldn't even know I have it. Why is it that some people have so much pain and others have almost none, and it doesn't seem to matter how high your RA factor number is?? Medical mystery.

[crestiksa]

Hi,

I am Mark, 30 years old guy. I been suffering from fever with mild pains and my family doctor prescribed FEBROL medicine. My main problem is that i could not find here that febrol medicine. Can anyone help me?, where can find this medicine and what are the brands they have? Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards - Mark.

[naturelover]

I really feel sorry for the kind pain you are undergoing and wondering with medicine and pain. But, away from RA, I would like to state that the food habits from young age make a whole lot of differences in this kind of disease. Because you are stating that you are taking from one medicine to another medicine and nothing is sort of kind giving relief, but aggravating your temperament towards RA. To say with, my sister is having pain in her shoulder, mainly and in the knee joints also for the past 4 years and she is undergoing treatment. You will not accept that she undergone tests and doctors were prescribing all medicines. Apart from the medicines, what I watched her from getting reduced the pain is her diet. I think diet plays a pivotal role in controlling RA, of course medication is important.

[Terrie]

Since my last post I had more tests and my "sed rate" was also elevated which indicated inflamation also - so I guess it's for sure that I have RA. I refused to take the methotrexate and instead chose sulfasalazine. I take 6 pills a day, 500 mg. each and so far no side effects other than some slight dizziness on some days. I take 3 pills in the morning with breakfast and 3 pills with dinner in the evening. No upset stomach, no rash - so far so good. I think the sulfasalazine has helped with some of the joint aches and I'm sticking with it for now. I'm amazed that my numbers are so high and yet I have very little pain and almost no other symptoms - if I hadn't had the RA factor test I wouldn't even know I have it. Why is it that some people have so much pain and others have almost none, and it doesn't seem to matter how high your RA factor number is?? Medical mystery.

When I was dxd. I didn't have a clue about RA. I thought I'd just have the occasional slightly sore joint and take Aspirin or something similar and feel better. There was no internet and I had no one to talk to about RA, who actually had it. I'm Glad that we all have People to talk to on the net who experience what we do plus necessary info.

I've never taken Sulfasalazine. Perhaps I was on a drug in the same family. My Sister was on it for a few years but had to switch over to MTX(Methotrexate) and Humira. She feels somewhat better now

I guess that the Sulfa is working for you at this time. Good to hear. Most Rheumy's(Rheumatologists) prefer aggressive treatment for their Patients right from the beginning of the disease. This helps to get them in Best control so to delay the damage to the joints.

I am on Methotrexate again plus other drugs. I am not bald(although my hair has thinned), not fat, no cancer or organ damage(touch wood)so far.

The side effects listed for the majority of drugs will not happen to most People.

The 3 types of RA are: mild RA, moderate RA and severe RA.

People with mild RA do not usually require the drugs with the worst side effects. I know a few with the mild type of RA. They only seem to use drugs such as Advil, Aleve, etc. to relieve their pain. Amazes me. I wish that I had mild RA.

At first I thought that you had the mild type. But if your numbers are that high and your Rheumy wants you on MTX then probably not. MTX supposedly works well with a good number of other drugs.

You may find as the years pass that the pain will worsen and you will need drugs with more side effects.

[naturelover]

Initially, my sister was prescribed with Methotrexate (Disease modifying antirheumatic drugs) DMARD. But this started aggravated her pain more than reducing it. She was then Leflunomide. She told me this too had not given any relief and now she is taking NSAIDS along with Plaquenil. She is getting the pain occasionally.