Other supplements to take along with medication

Bones, joints and muscles
1

hello,

  my second post!! another million to come . 

 Does anybody take a regular supplement along with other medication for their RA?  From my previous post i was a big gym so i have used every supplement in the store from bcaa to protein and so on. After learning my more about diet and what you really need after your first 6 months in the gym i quickly stopped using them as 99% are crap and most of it ends up in the toilet!! the only supplement i do take is magnesium and i really notice when i dont take it as i have suffer  with muscle cramps or at least i use too.

any thoughts are appreciated thanks.

2

I take Omega 3 .gish oil daily and folic acid.

3

Studies have showm curcumen (turmeric) helps.   There are a number of curcumens, meriva and longa being the most common, meriva is the one you want.   Meriva is the brand name for a form of curcumin that is combined with phosphatidylcholine to improve absorption.     Bromelain contained pineapple core and stem is also reputed to fight inflamation.    Yet another is MSM.   Unfortunately I beleive the body gets used to curcumen after a while and it stops working, that's my experience with it anyway.   Bromelain and MSM never worked for me at all; but, worth a try, everyone is different.

4

Oops, fish oil.

5

Magnesium and Vitamin D are both helpful and lots of adults don't get enough from food or sunlight. Sunlight will of course help your body make Vitamin D but most of us don't get that much sun time.

6

I was told to take Vit D, 2000iu a week and cod liver oil 1000mgs daily. Hope this helps. 

7

Hi Ben

As requested by my physicians...Calcium 500 mg for bone health, Magnesium 400 mg as a muscle analgesic, and B12 injectable 100,000 units IM every three weeks.

So, 998,000 to go....

hugs

judith

8

Hi, you know I have always found the ads and discussions about vit. d being so interesting.  Before I got RA I played golf 5 days a week for 4 hours a day. I live in the US in the southern part and had been doing this for 7  years, year round and I got RA.  And when I got the RA it came on with a bang and numbers off the charts like I had had it for 50 years.  I have had RA for 3 years now, been on arava, Plaquenil, Remicade and still on 20 mg. Methotrexate and now Oriencia and not playing golf very much, only when the pain is not there, interesting.  

 

9

i was thinking  about b12 you read a lot about it and i have spoke to people who have had it as theirs was a tad low and they said the differance was amazing from the injectables. i have gp appointment next week i will see what he thinks. thanks

10

A couple of other things that have changed for me as to my sunlight exposure now. Methotrexate can causes some sun sensitivity but I am one of the people who became more sun sensitive with my RA. I hope you get to enjoy playing golf more often with time. It's a shame that RA gets to dictate our lives.

11

Hi Jo,

Which joints are preventing you from playing golf?

kind regards

judith

12

Hi Rita

No, No, No....RA does not get to dictate our lives!

We live our lives despite having RA.

I will never allow thia damnable disease to win

TEAM, together, everyone achieves more....we can beat this disease!

hugs

judith

13

Hi Judith, well lets see, I think the biggest problem would be the shoulders. If the wrist are acting I have wrist guards to wear, hands can be a problem it u can get grips a size larger and sometime that works. All in all its wrists and shoulders, every now and then the elbows want to get in the mix but there are things to help with that.  I have a cabinet full of different braces.  Sometimes I look really funny with all of my braces on but let face it, what else is there to do, sit?

14

Hi Jo,

RA loves to be warm, all of the time. RA hates climbing in bed between cold sheets. RA hates damp and cold. RA loves to do the dishes in hot, soapy water. RA hates all drafts! RA loves to soak in a hot, bubble bath. RA loves compression splints RA hates to carry anything arm extended, hand down. RA wants to carry items with elbow flexed, weight shifted towards the chest.

RA is about learning new rules so that you are able to succeed.

After 54 years of JRA, I am pretty good at defeating this illness. I sleep on a firm mattress topped with an electric.mattress pad because that way my RA stays warmed up even when my metabolism drops. This reduces morning stiffness. Year round I use it. You can adjust the setting from 1-10. Next is a 3 inch memory foam topper with a bamboo mattress pad on top. I also use polar fleece sheets because they are very soft, because they are not woven, but rather knit which breathes, and because my RA hates slidding into bed between cold sheets. How we sleep determines to a great degree how we wake up. RA relaxes when heated.

I always wash dishes by hand because hot, soapy water is soothing and theraputic to RA. Keep your hands and wrists under the water...gently open and ose your hand ten times...flex and extend your wrist ten times...we are looking for quality, not how fast you can do them.

A heating pad should be required ownership for everyone that has RA. Perhaps two...Watch the television with a heating pad turned on low across your shoulders.

RA likes added, local heat.

RA also likes to be iced down at times. So I suggest the gel ice packs you can purchase from a pharmacy. They are flat, therefore less irritating than pointy ice cubes. They do not leak,. Thermally, they hold their temperature longer. Some can be both frozen and heated in the microwave.

Ask your pharmacist for hand compression gloves. First elevate above your heart, then ice for 15 minutes. Hold you hand up in the air above your heart and put the compression glove on. In 30 minutes you will see a hugh difference in your inflammation.

Shoulders are temperamental...typically the rotator cuff is inflamed. It help to strengthen your back muscles...sit in a straight back chair...sit tall...keeping your shoulders level, pull just your shoulders back...slow, deep pull, hold for 5 seconds, relax...do 10 repetitions...warm muscles work more smoothly, warm up with the heating pad first.

And medication plays a major role because RA is a disease that needs to be medically addressed. Your rheumatologist will discuss your use of NSAIDs, steroid bursts, DMARDs & Biologics.

I urge everyone to learn how to manage their RA without the use of narcotics. This way when you really need a narcotic, the narcotic will be effective. I use acetaminophen 1000 mg each night to quiet my RA so thst I can sleep.

Two cautions: never take an NSAID and aspirin concurrently because they each reinforce each other in the gastrointestinal tract.

And never take acetaminophen dosed closer than 6 hours...this protects the liver.

kind regards

Ben...are you catching all if this?