Saturday, May 25, 2013

Arthritis Can Keep People With Diabetes From Exercise

By Craig Stoltz, Health Guide Monday, May 12, 2008
A nasty interplay observed between arthritis, diabetes and inactivity appears to multiply serious health risks, according to a new report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   The CDC study essentially found this: About half of diabetics have osteoarthritis, and ...
Anonymous
CLS
5/13/08 1:57am

I noted that the findings were based on telephone interviews.  Has it occurred to anyone that this arthritis connection to diabetes could be the side-effects from the medications most diabetics are taking?  I have had problems with shoulder pain for a number of years.  Then my doctors started adding different blood pressure medications and also cholesterol lowering drugs.  The pain intensified.  At one point putting me flat on my back.  In checking med side effects I noted that a number of my meds listed muscle and joint pain as possible side effects.  I broached the possibility to my family doctor that meds were causing my pain.  He did some checking himself and suggested that although the individual dosages of the meds I was taking probably wouldn't cause these side effects, there could be a CUMULATIVE effect from the different meds I was on.  He assisted me in eliminating or lowering dossages on several meds.  It took 2 1/2 years, but I am now free from the shoulder pain, and am able to engage in several exercise classes (aerobics, yoga, free weights etc.) each week.  I am stronger than I have been in years and am slowly toning and losing weight.  A side note:  two so called "specialists", endo and cardio,  refused to believe me at the time.  Time and further research have shown that the meds in question did cause joint and muscle pain.

 

I would think this is worth looking in to, since most diabetics are put on cholesterol lowering drugs as a matter of course and many of them are on blood-pressure lowering drugs.  Several of the diabetes drugs also list joint and muscle pain.  How about it? 

Anonymous
CLS
5/13/08 2:00am

I noted that the findings were based on telephone interviews.  Has it occurred to anyone that this arthritis connection to diabetes could be the side-effects from the medications most diabetics are taking?  I have had problems with shoulder pain for a number of years.  Then my doctors started adding different blood pressure medications and also cholesterol lowering drugs.  The pain intensified.  At one point putting me flat on my back.  In checking med side effects I noted that a number of my meds listed muscle and joint pain as possible side effects.  I broached the possibility to my family doctor that meds were causing my pain.  He did some checking himself and suggested that although the individual dosages of the meds I was taking probably wouldn't cause these side effects, there could be a CUMULATIVE effect from the different meds I was on.  He assisted me in eliminating or lowering dossages on several meds.  It took 2 1/2 years, but I am now free from the shoulder pain, and am able to engage in several exercise classes (aerobics, yoga, free weights etc.) each week.  I am stronger than I have been in years and am slowly toning and losing weight.  A side note:  two so called "specialists", endo and cardio,  refused to believe me at the time.  Time and further research have shown that the meds in question did cause joint and muscle pain.

 

I would think this is worth looking in to, since most diabetics are put on cholesterol lowering drugs as a matter of course and many of them are on blood-pressure lowering drugs.  Several of the diabetes drugs also list joint and muscle pain.  How about it? 

Craig Stoltz, Health Guide
5/13/08 7:14am

What an excellent comment and thought. The study, as you point out based on phone interviews, did not take meds into account.

 

Good for you in persisting in finding out that drug interactions, not the individual drugs themselves, may have triggered your problems.

 

For you and others: It's a good idea to run your entire drug regimen through a medication checker, which can flag some of these pernicious interactions.

 

Again, thanks for the comment. By caring for yourself so assertively, you're clearly in good hands.

 

Craig

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By Craig Stoltz, Health Guide— Last Modified: 10/20/11, First Published: 05/12/08