Arthritis medicine

[flyenby]

I realize that this is not a medical forum, just wonder experience you guys have had.
Thanks

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by flyenby

I realize that this is not a medical forum, just wonder experience you guys have had.
Thanks

I am not sure what type of arthritis you are dealing with.

I'm 59. Blew cartilage out in knee between where bones meet at 28. Arthroscopic clean out but not repaired at 32. Also ACL torn and not repaired from same injury. Mechanical issue. Bone on bone.

Could not play golf, tennis or anything with side to side load on knees without it becoming sore/swollen through 30's. Became un-sore quickly (e.g., two days).

In forty's started getting into real sustained discomfort (many days with a fat knee and limping) when same physical exertion was experienced. Took glucosamine chondroitin. Worked like a charm. I could get into a catcher's crouch without pain. I could feel pressure like it did not want to do that but did not hurt.

Closer to 60, there is more "You can't do that" than there is having to deal with discomfort. I dropped the Glu/Chon as I became smarter at what not to do.

Now, ibuprofen and a knee wrap when needed.

If I screw up bad in some "off camber" twist, I know because I can feel grinding, I get a cortisone shot. Have had two in my life. Four to five months where I am relatively free from the symptoms. Sucks bad for about three days and another week to stop limping if I don't get a shot.

[Tobra]

It depends

[pavulon]

what have you tried, for how long and how has it worked?

[Craig T]

Celebrex, Celebrex, Celebrex! I call it vitamin C. It has held off my knee surgery for three years now. I'll shoot anybody who tries to take it away from me.

[tops911]

Celebrex, been on it for something like 8 years now, (I'm 54 now). Celebrex was a life saver for me on my 3rd deployment. Wearing body armor was hard on my back, the Army lifestyle is kind of hard on the body. my back, shoulders and knees are my issues. I'm going to get my shoulder replaced this summer. I tries smoother drug, mobex, and it was not even close to Celebrex.

[Craig T]

Like I said....Celebrex, Celebrex, Celebrex. I raced semi-pro motorcross in my youth and seperate my shoulder several times. My ACs are full of arthritis. My left knee is a mess. I have some arthritis is my left hip too. Sometimes I go off Celebrex and within two days I realize how much day-to-day pain I am actually in. I stockpile it now.

[John Rogers]

Go see an arthritis specialist!

[wdfifteen]

Craig,
Can you take Celebrex continuously? What are the side effects? I have wear and tear arthritis in my feet and it's getting worse. It's been a while since I talked to my doctor about it. I'm wondering if it might be time to amp up the pain pills. I'm taking OTC NSAIDS now.

[Aurel]

I take Glucosamine-Chondroitin-MSM joint supplement when I have back pain. It lubricates all my articulations, and after a few days the pain goes away. And I have pretty bad discs, so the stuff really works. You need to grease all those joints every once in a while! I would give it a try, no prescription needed.

[E Sully]

I was given a prescription for Voltaren Gel.

[Tobra]

Voltaren gel is pretty good stuff.

Patrick, you may find that orthotics to limit motion in your feet will be helpful to you.

If you are going to take NSAIDs, take them with food and drink plenty of water.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Patrick, you may find that orthotics to limit motion in your feet will be helpful to you.

Agree. May not be the ultimate solution but I bet it would throttle back discomfort. Pal wears them. He actually walks differently with them on. Says he swears by them.

I wear the New Balance shoes that are about $170 and the $35 Red Wing inserts. Not the ones you mold, the higher-end standard ones. Helps my knee more than my feet. However, no feet problems lately.

Did have a one year box wine passage where my feet hurt like hell. Must be something in the cheap stuff that causes issues. Probably not remotely related. Given my six stints in AA, I know I am not an alcoholic, I wait till 4:00 to start.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Craig,
Can you take Celebrex continuously? What are the side effects? I have wear and tear arthritis in my feet and it's getting worse. It's been a while since I talked to my doctor about it. I'm wondering if it might be time to amp up the pain pills. I'm taking OTC NSAIDS now.

I've been taking it everyday for several.months with no side affects at all. I always take it with food in the morning as it can be hard on your stomach. Long term use can get hard on your kidneys, but my bilirubin and other kidneys values are still normal. At some point I will need a new hip and knee, but for now I'm doing fine on the Celebrex.

[Tobra]

bili is a liver one.

You want to put off getting total joint generally. They are only going to last so long, and the redo may be tougher to bounce back from and technically more difficult. If you wear out before the joint, so to speak, it is a moot point.

You don't necessarily need the high dollar custom orthotics, the off the shelf ones can be pretty good. If you get relief with $40 inserts, no need to spend ten times that, just sayin'

[Cajundaddy]

Knocking on 60s door and did things on motorcycles in my youth that surely should have killed me. I have significant arthritis in hands, knees, and some joints. So far I have been able to avoid prescription medical treatment. I take daily glucosamine, adjusted diet and regular exercise. This has greatly relieved symptoms over the last 10 years. Ibuprofen to treat flare ups from overuse.

Hiked Mt Islip and Mt. San Jacinto peak last summer which was 11 mi RT at 11000' elevation. I could not have done this 10 years ago.

[Bill Douglas]

I found what my alergies are, then 99.9% avoided those things. Then, by taking Lyprinol for the last 20 years has allowed me to have diary products without it causing arthritis. Sure the diary products make me a bit neurotic but that's part of the fun of life.

[968rz]

Aleeve (naproxin) or meloxicam.
I use the meloxicam now as my OA has gotten worse.

[Seahawk]

I will be 60 this November and due to a life spent on various fields of sports endeavor, with a number of minor and one serious injury, began to really suffer from hip arthritis in my early 50's.

I was able to hold off joint replacement until last year when the pain simply became too much to bear. By my own admission, I am a complete wuss when it comes to hospitals, the thought of surgery, etc. No one wanted to delay hip replacement more than I did.

On the down escalator to joint replacement I did the following:

OTC pain meds, Glucosamine-Chondroitin-MSM joint supplements, prescription meds, injections, etc.

All worked to varying degrees and kept me mobile. The inability to sleep without discomfort was the tipping point to hip replacement.

After my hip replacement I am pain free in the hip and back to my AARP shuffle in the morning. Still have minor joint pain in other joints but nothing to fret about.

Good luck! There just came a point with me that my quality of life was suffering unnecessarily.

[bob deluke]

I don't have major arthritis problems, just normal aches and pains. Pulled muscles, my hands ache when it's cold out. I use Bayer back and body, take a couple before bedtime, feel great next morning. Hitting the big 70 in August, so I consider myself pretty lucky. Good genes I guess.