An RA Beginner’s Guide: How to Manage Medication Side Effects

Constipation can be managed by increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, but remember to drink a lot of water, as well -- fiber needs water to work. Pick up good, grainy bread, snack on dry bran flakes or prunes (surprisingly, quite yummy), granola, trail mix or other high fiber snacks, including raw fruit and vegetables. Plums and cherries are particularly good at getting things moving.

Instead of mayonnaise on your sandwich, hummus, a chickpea-based dip that comes in many delicious flavors, can help add fiber to your diet (it's also much healthier than mayonnaise). Stay away from constipating foods and drinks such as white rice, blueberries, salted snacks, sugar, beef and coffee. Over time, you'll discover for yourself what you can and cannot eat.

If you suffer from diarrhea, on the other hand, eat a lot of white rice, beef, etc. If your diarrhea is severe, speak to your doctor about trying another medication to prevent dehydration, loss of nutrients and weakness.

To maintain bladder health and cut your risk of bladder infections, drink real cranberry juice (not blends or cocktails). You can find bottles of concentrated juice to mix with water in health food stores and many supermarkets.

Dry Skin, Mouth and Eyes and More
Dryness everywhere can also be caused by RA meds -- sometimes, it feels like your body is as dry as the Sahara. Find a good moisturizer (Aveeno is very good) and drink lots of water, which will both your skin and dryness of the mouth. Dryness in your eyes will be solved by using artificial tears several times a day.

If you are a woman and have vaginal dryness, you can use a lubricant, such as K-Y Jelly, when you have sex.

Fatigue and "Fuzzy Brains"
It's quite common to be tired after taking disease-modifying drugs like methotrexate, Enbrel and Humira. Try to arrange your schedule so there's less activity in the days when you know you'll be tired, take a nap when you can and delegate household tasks to other members of the family.

As well, your brain can get fuzzy -- I haven't seen many people talk about it, but when they do, they feel horribly embarrassed. I used to have a memory like a steeltrap, now it's more like a steel sieve -- you learn to find a sense of humor about it. Toni Hurst wrote a very helpful article on how to manage memory issues on HealthCentral's menopause site.

Avoiding Germs
Many people are nervous about the idea of a suppressed immune system, but it's quite possible to live fairly normally. It's a good idea to avoid people in the contagious stages of disease whenever possible -- your family and friends will understand when you explain the consequences being sick have for you. Frequent hand washing is a good idea and you may want to carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

Overwhelmed Yet?
Seeing it all in print like that can be enough to make you want to stick your head in the sand. Don't worry. just as with your RA, the goal is to manage the symptoms well enough that you can focus on what's important. After a bit of trial and error, managing your medication side effects will become second nature.