joint pains sucks

my medications are plaquenil,meloxicam,prednisolone and omeprazole (for my stomach). i will take your advice thanks

What kind of painkiller do you take in the morning before you get up?

That depends on what I have been using for pain. For a long time, my primary painkiller was one of the NSAIDs, so I took that (always with a little bit of food, like a bite of apple or a cracker so it wasn't so hard on my stomach). These days, I take Tylenol extra strength or Flexeril (a muscle relaxant).  it depends on what works for you and you may need to experiment a little.

Thank you for your reply to my question. I take either Naproxen or Ibuprophen and I get stomach pain every time I take them. (I always take with food.)

I also take weekly injections of Enbrel. It does wonders for my hands, but I'm so afraid of the side effects of that drug!  (Have you read about the side effects of Enbrel? Scary!)

I'm going to answer both your comments in one fell swoop...

I definitely wouldn't be taking naproxen on a mostly empty stomach - that stuff burns like acid! Talk to your doctor about e.g., Celebrex - it's a different kind of anti-inflammatory that's easier on the stomach. You may also want to have a discussion about taking a stomach medication like the Losec, Pantoloc or Nexium - almost all the medications related to RA or pain can be hard in the stomach, so getting that extra protection can be important in preventing bad stomach side effects. Last year, I wrote a post about managing side effects and there are couple tips in there that may be helpful for you.

I have been on Enbrel and am now on Humira and you're right, the potential side effects do sound scary. However, when I was considering starting it, I was in a horrific flare that had taken my life away - basically, all I could do was sit around and hurt. I started Enbrel and got my life back.

I've just gotten back the results from my semiannual blood tests and after a lifetime of being extremely anemic, I am no longer anemic. According to my lab results, I'm a perfectly healthy person. And I have my life back, I have a job, I'm able to be there for my family and I laugh every day. Biologics gave me that - they are my miracle drug. So when I talk to people who are frightened of what I call "the big drugs", I ask them what their life is worth - it puts a completely different spin on it.

I've had RA since I was four, so over four decades now and for most of the time that I've had this disease, there hasn't really been any treatment for it. All my joints are affected and in various stages of deformities, including my hands and I've used an electric wheelchair since I was 16. Sometime last year I had two separate doctors on two separate occasions tell me that thanks to the advances in treatment (i.e., the Biologics), if I got RA now, I wouldn't end up in a wheelchair. That's a pretty big change in the prognosis of RA and yes, the Biologics come with potential serious side effects, but they also kick serious butt. I do know of people who have gotten those serious side effects, but most of the people I've encountered who take Biologics have completely manageable side effects. Of course, long-term, who knows what happens when you've had your immune system suppressed for years/decades, but for all that time, you'll have been able to live your life to the fullest and that's something, isn't it?

Thank You, Lene, for your encouraging response! 

I wish you the best! 

You're very welcome.  All the best to you, too.

Lene, I was also wondering:  Being that you don't take Methotrexate, Arava, or any other Biologic Drug, how are you preventing your hands from being all deformed? (Or are you one of the fortunate ones who don't have that problem?)