Brad is so RIGHT!  All prednisone does is cover up the symptoms. It does not, I repeat DOES NOT in any way stop the progression and damage of the disease.  I cannot understand why any rheumatologist in their right mind would prescribe it for you, when you find out the side effects. My cousin has had RA for 55 years, and was prescribed it when she was 3 years old.  She is completely crippled, has had multiple surgeries, and joint replacements, and recenlty almost died of hypoxia/heart attack because of a throat nodule.  I finally suggested she at least should be on methotrexate, which she asked her rheumie about, and he said he had never thought of it!  Seriously, this disease has so many great new drugs to treat it.  Besides depression, bipolar disorder, bone necrosis, and weight gain, the list of side effects for prednisone is endless.  If you are moody, craving salt, gaining weight, or anything else, that is the drug. 

Get on methx first, then the biologics - Remicaid, Humira, Arava, Enbrel, Kineret, keep trying till it works.  Prednisone is not the answer, in fact it will just cause more harm than it ever helps.  I have been on methx for 9 years and Kineret for 4 years - I exercise, garden, and have got my life back.  So please, I urge you, find a different rheumie and get the proper treatment for this disease, and don't just cover up symptoms with one of the most powerful and dangerous drugs in existance. (Did I mention my cousin had three vertebra die because of this drug, and had to have a mental plate put in her neck to hold up her head?!) 

I really hope you can get this under control, and get back to flying. It wrecked my feet, so I had to give up dancing, but I still play flute lots, now that my fingers are under control.  I also ride a bike, do weights, so there really is hope. Push those doctors until you are better.  They are not gods, they are often not even informed about current research. You need to go on-line and research everything for yourself, esp. in medical journals, and take control of your own health.  Good luck!

I know this is a little late, but I am a military spouse who has been living with RA for 3 years now. First be thankful you have tricare, because you have access to the most advance meds with no problems getting it paid for. I was on pred for 1 month and then my dr moved me to Meth. That alone didn't work. He then put me on a combo for enbrel and meth and for the past three years i have little to no flares up. Of course everyone is different. For the enbrel it started working with a month or 2.  Good luck. 

Well first of all thank you all for the encouragement and advice. This is all scary for me as all I ever wanted to do is fly tacticly (blow crap up). Well I have now been grounded for six months although they did give me an 18 hour up chit for a training mission so I could show someone else how to do something. I had to come off all my meds for a week (man was I sore that week). Anyways yesterday was another visit to my rheumie. Lets just say it did not go as well. Bad news is I could not talk him out of keeping me on prednisone, good news is I'm now down to 2.5 mg (half a pill) of prednisone. He is keeping my meth (everytime i say im on meth it just sounds bad lol) at the same dose which is 24 mg once a week and started me on 200mg of hydroxychloroquine (has anyone ever taken this before). The joke around the squadron right now is that im a cancer and malaria patient. One of my friends said today " You could make some bank when we go to central america". Well my spirits have been up most likely because my wife gets home from deployment in 5 days but I have noticed at work I have some mood swings towards some co-workers. Does anyone have that problem too? Well everyone thanks for letting me rant on I will now cut this short and I promise to do a better job respond to your comments. Thanks again for the support.