RA & Fibro Meds

yes and no.  medications work differently for different people, so what works really well for me - I have both RA and fibromyalgia - may not work well for you. However, I can give you some general tips.

First, inform yourself about your conditions - on this site, we have the section on the basics of RA, as well as the area for the newly diagnosed that contains posts regarding the various aspects of life with RA. Also check out Lisa Emrich's post on fibromyalgia and RA, as well as the fibromyalgia area on our Chronic Pain site.

The first step to reducing your pain levels is to treat your RA - if your RA is active and inflamed, the RA pain will make the fibro pain worse.  this means getting your RA under control by treating it with one of the DMARDs (disease modifying antirheumatic drugs like methotrextae, Plaquenil, Arava or the Biologicas).  Even though your RA is well suppressed, you may still have pain from the damage to joints, as well as fibromyalgia pain.  this means that regular painkillers that work for your RA (Tylenol, opiates, etc.) may not work as well for your end up taking a bit of both - talk to your doctor about medications for Pfeiffer Mauger like Lyrica and Neurontin.  these medications were originally user treat seizures or nerve pain and it turns out that since fibromyalgia is a neurological condition, they can work very well for that, as well.  Muscle relaxants like Cyclobenzaprine can also work well. In addition, incorporating meditation and relaxation in your daily routine can be a crucial aspect of keeping things down to a dull roar and I can also highly recommend staying warm - if I get cold or get a draft, all my muscles tense up.

Good luck!