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Starting another drug trial

Talked with my dr. today. She said that my dramatic response to prednisone shows a lot of inflammation is going on. Although, the only actual erosions I have are in my feet. Hips and big toes mostly show OA type damage. So she said I could go on a low dose of pred. -5 mg a day- to help with the joint pain.

And she also wants me to start the Lyrica. I assume this is to rule out Fibromyalgia, since this is a nerve pain med used to treat fibro?

I declined the low dose pred. at the moment, much as I would love to feel some relief. One, because I want to see my response to the Lyrica without anything else. Two......honestly when I tapered down the pred. in the first place, by the time I got to 10 mg, all my joint pain was back. Not sure what good 5 mg. will do me. Three, I have osteopenia....not thrilled about a steroid longer term.

So the journey of trying to figure this out continues. If the Lyrica does not help, not sure where we are. I have some bone erosion in my feet, but also OA other places. And I obviously have a lot of inflammation going on. But all bloodwork is normal. So the puzzle continues to be a puzzle.

Anyone else been in this boat?

  1. Hi mamadee. While Lyrica is predominately used for fibromyalgia, it is also used for pain, particularly neuropathies. You mention you feet being your biggest issue, does any of your pain seem nerve related? Have you received an RA diagnosis and discussed treatment options? This article from our editorial team gives an overview of various RA treatments: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/treatment/. Also, you mention your blood work being normal. This article from one of our contributors looks at the fact that blood tests don't always tell the whole story: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/seronegative-ra-blood-tests-dont-tell-entire-story/. Hopefully other will have experiences they can share. Hoping you get some answers soon. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

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