Better sleep
Hello,
Any suggestions for supplements and or meds to help with sleep?
Thanks.
Hi
. You definitely are not alone in the community in struggling with sleep. I want to share with you this spotlight page from our editorial team on the issue which highlights some of our top articles on the topic: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/sleep-trouble. Also, do you mind if I ask if you are on prednisone? I ask because the steroids are particularly known to interrupt sleep. My wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here), has been on daily low-dose prednisone for along time and makes sure to take it first thing in the morning to minimize the impact on sleep. Hopefully others will chime in with their thoughts and experiences. Best, Richard (Team Member) Hi Richard. Thanks for your response. I've just recently been diagnosed with RA and have yet to start any type of meds other than meloxican (an anti-inflammatory) prescribed by my GP. I have my first rheumatologist appointment next week. I've been doing research trying to come up with alternative treatments to avoid the methotrexate/prednisone approach. I appreciate the link you sent me and I will be asking the forum for more recommendations as far as treatment options eg. low dose naltrexone. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated
Hi
, I just wanted to check in. Did you have your appointment with the rheumatologist yet? A new diagnosis of RA can bring with it all sorts of emotions, how are you doing and feeling? We do have a couple of articles about getting a new diagnosis that I wanted to share with you, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/support-new-diagnosis, and, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/blood-tests-diagnosis. I also wanted to share this information about treatments, https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment.
I do hope that you get some helpful information and support from the rheumatologist. Please don't hesitate to reach out to the community here anytime. Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)Hi
. It is understandable that you might not be that interested in methotrexate. Treatments have advanced quite a bit in recent years. While methotrexate has helped a lot of people over the years, if you look at the article Christine posted on treatments you will see a number of newer options (such as the biologics and JAK inhibitors) that are often used as the next step after methotrexate. There is some research, however, that indicates that aggressive, early treatment can make a big difference in outcomes (see here for example: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3145120). Of course, every case is different. Some may not be as aggressive and, thus the person not want to go the route of stronger meds that carry more potential serious side effects. One of our patient leaders referred to the choice on medications the risk to risk ratio, as in the risk of disease damage verses the risk of medications. I also want to share with you this article from our editorial team on complimentary and alternative treatments: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/alternatives-therapies. I like your idea about further Forum posts on specific questions for alternatives. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Thanks Richard. I'll try to keep an open mind regarding methotrexate and appreciate the link you sent me regarding alternative therapies. I know I've got a lot to learn.
DennisHi Dennis (
). I also should have been clearer about the newer medications in relation to methotrexate. Patients are often started on methotrexate, but considering the research on outcomes, don't hesitate to bring up with your doctor whether one of the others would be the place to start, as opposed to the methotrexate. Sometimes what is often referred to as "step therapy" is not the best way to go. This is where a patient tries an older, often less expensive therapy first and then when it doesn't work is moved to the newer, often more expensive therapy. This paper from a rheumatologist describes why he is not a fan of step therapy: https://rheumatology.org/patient-blog/step-therapy-is-a-step-in-the-wrong-direction. Of course, for some patients the lesser medication may be more than sufficient, so it is important to have these discussions with your doctor. Hope this information is helpful. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Hi Christine,
I haven't seen the rheumatologist yet and am looking forward to his definite diagnosis and possible treatment plan. I very much appreciate that there is support available from this group to help dealing with feeling completely overwhelmed and alone. And thank you for the links that will I'm sure help with trying to understand the disease better.
Dennis(
) You are very welcome, Dennis! Please don't hesitate to reach out here any time -- whether you have questions, need to vent, or could use some support. That's what this community is here for! I do hope that you appointment goes well and you get some answers and helpful information. If you're comfortable, please keep us posted with how it goes. Wishing you a gentle day. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
