Do you have very painful neuropathy in your feet & pain in lumbar back and R.A? Over 67yrs with R.A.
I have diabetes and the neuropathy is primarily from diabetes, however the lumbar pain is teh result of RA and AS
Hi
. Just to follow up on what Rick said, Wren wrote here about neuropathy being more common with conditions such as diabetes, but also occurring with RA, just not usually as severe: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/fraying-nerves. Lumbar pain with RA can be tricky because RA directly impacting this area is not very common (although can happen), but damage to other areas, such as cervical spine, connective tissues, or bone loss can cause pain in this area. Comorbid conditions, such as Rick experiences with AS, can also be a cause of lower back pain. For these various reasons it is important to get the diagnostics to find the right cause for your case. Hope this information is helpful. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Hi Joanie. One of my main issues is small fiber neuropathy in my feet. It can get painful. Something that has been super helpful is taking 600 mg of Alpha Lipoic acid with biotin. It has reduced the burning and tingling quite a bit and it is much more bearable. I feel you and for you. This can be quite miserable. I do not have diabetes but I have mixed connective tissue disease as a co morbidity. Not sure if this increases problems this way. Sending hugs and good thoughts.
JenHi
. For some reason neuropathy isn't discussed often in connection with mixed connective tissue disease, but many research articles, such as here (https://journals.viamedica.pl/rheumatology_forum/article/view/99410), note that it is a relatively common. Glad you found something to give you some relief. Has your rheumatologist had any thoughts? Wishing you the best. Richard (Team Member)
Hi Richard, I told my rheumatologist that I take Alpha Lipoic acid as was suggested by my neurologist and she said that sounds good. But we had a lot to discuss so it was more of a nod and its okay to take with meds for Rheumatoid arthritis. Maybe I will ask her more about it next time I see her. Thanks for the links. Its been a rough first week on the Methodrexate so far. I've struggled with fatigue, headaches and just not feeling well at all plus some depression. Not sure if its the meds or because I'm depressed over feeling more fatigue. I am taking the folic acid leucovorin 5mg 3x per week. Its prescribed. I wonder if I can just take this one more often. Its not too expensive actually with insurance. Idk if feeling this way is manageable for me. I am already feeling trepidation about the next med day. :/
Trying to hang in.
Thanks again for thoughts,
JenJust wanted to add to the word of my esteemed colleague Richard that I know the feeling of first being on methotrexate. Long, long, ago, when free America Online disks choked the landfills and computer monitors were as big as a house, I was put on MTX. It had immediate and fairly serious side effects, some just like you described - fatigue, headaches, etc. Eventually they found the right dosage and my body got used to it and things did get better in my case. Everything with RA always seems like it takes time, waiting waiting waiting - we do a lot of that. It can cause anxiety as well, awaiting the next shoe to drop, but just know you are not alone. So many of us go through this that we get it. If there's anything we can do to help, as always, let us know. Richard is an incredible fount of knowledge and I am an incredible fount of soothing nonsense so it works well together. Ha ha, just kidding, I have had RA for over 40 years now so it's well-earned nonsense. 😊 Keep on keepin' on, DPM Hi
. Just want to check back in and see how you are doing. As Dan said, some people do find the methotrexate side effects subside some with time. I can say this happened to an extent with my wife, Kelly Mack. Although Kelly still would take it on Friday evenings so that the "methotrexate fog" wouldn't impede on her work week. Hope you are noticing some improvement. Best, Richard (Team Member)
