I sware since being on prednisone I am one real b1tch.... That on top of planning a wedding and i want to tear everyone apart. Went to the rhuemy finally and put me on methotrexate, for which i am scared to death of. All the side effects, UGH!!! Is there anything to help with moods, that isnt a pill? Is there anything for RA that doesnt have serious side effects?
i know the feeling but u will soon get use to it. it is not the worst part. when u start to gain weight then u should be upset. so dont 
It's the prednisone that is causing the mood swings. I was on 15mg a day and have weaned myself down to 5mg a day and I want off of it. The weight gain was there too to the tune of 20lbs or more. I am presently on methotrexate, and remicade infusions (3rd one tomorrow). I have found 1) methotrexate really doesn't help all that much (for me at least, everyone is different); 2) have been told that I have to continue to take the methotrexate along with the remicade infusion; 3) stress is a huge contributing factor to your pain and emotional level. I know it's hard with planning a wedding and all, but listen to your body. When it is time to rest, do it! Go to bed 30 min. earlier until your rest levels are up. Your body needs to rest a lot more than someone who doesn't have RA.
I have also learned to ask for help when needed and not suffer silently. When you feel your mood start to shift for the worst, take a few deeps breaths, leave the situation for 5 minutes and regroup. I am just thankful I can get out of bed in the morning and function.
Deep Breaths and relax.
Paula
You're welcome. Anytime you want to rant and vent, just let me know. I still find myself in tears almost all the time, but I found that all I have to do it tell my husband that I don't feel good (like he didn't know) and he steps right up and helps. You need to be vocal, but not overpowering in asking for help. I am not afraid now to say I need to go to bed, good night.
Paula
My cousin has RA as I do, I know wierd right, lol. She was diagnosed and had it long before me and they put her on predisone, she was depressed, gained over 50 pounds and had sores on her face, I know real horror story right. So anytime my doctor even suggest it for a flare up I just shove them into a drawerer. I am way more scared of predisone than I am methotrexate, I have been on it for over a year now and have been bumped up from 4 to then six and now 8 pills a week, true methotrexate gives me sores (inside my mouth) and rips my stomach apart every week, but I also have lost weight. I don't know for me the side effects of predisone is way worse than methotrexate. I am sorry you have to go through all of this along with your wedding. Big ((Hugs)) and who knows once you ween off the predisone you'll lose some of your wait and can save the fitting money. And the methotrexate might not have too bad of side effects for you. Crossing fingers!!!
Hi - I don't know if it's relevant for your symptoms, but here goes:
i) do you take anything for your stomach? I'm on omprazole (generic Prilosec). I don't know if it would help with the MTX stomach pain or not...
ii) Because RA often mixes with OA at some point along the way, I find OsteoBiflex helps with my wrist pain - it contains glucosamine, chondroitin, and something called Joint Shield (some proprietary combination). Doctor recommended for OA, at least.
iii) I have taken Brewer's yeast for a long time (since my 20s), it's chock full of B vitamins, and really helps my mood/state of mind. Sometimes people take it for PMS and mood-balance too.
iv) SAM-e helps liver & moods. (i.e., it's actually good for you, unless you are bi-polar). I took it for a while (again just before the RA hit, maybe I should have kept it up but I had another condition I thought might conflict...)
Yes, as the previous posters suggested, the pred will put on weight - even if you really watch your eating. Stress will do the same thing. try to take as little pred as possible. Also, the methotrexate takes a little time before you feel any affects - it was about 6 months after I started taking it that I went into remission. It took about 6 months after I stopped taking it for 5 years that I came out of remission. So I'm trying to get back into full remission again. I do enbrel, but did remicade as well - you should try one of the biologics (humira, remicade, enbrel, orencia) along with the metho for full benefit. Also, I take 200mg of celebrex per day which also helps immensely. You will learn to deal with RA over time. You will smile again and lead a fairly normal life - I do. You will learn that you go and go and go and then suddenly you need a day to just rest and pamper yourself.
Planning a wedding is difficult, but you don't want to ruin your very important day. Deep breaths, take a walk (honestly, it really makes you feel better) and know that RA isn't a death sentence like some other diseases are. You'll be fine.
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It's the prednisone that is giving you the moodswings. The only way to get rid of them is to ween off of it. It is a steroid, so if you take it long enough this is what will happen.