RA Seronegative

My husband has a form of RA called Seronegative......He is on needles now weekly for Methotrexate, how aggressive is this and what can we expect, he has had it for 4 years now but i can see him deterorating very rapidly in the lat year, are there any other options he can be doing to get some relief from this....

[carolanivey]

Hi there,

There are a wide variety of meds out there now, many of the newer ones are often used in combination with methotrexate. Mtx is a good drug that's been around for, literally, decades. I take it in combination with Enbrel.

It is tough to predict how aggressive RA will be - no two patients experience it the same way. That's why it can be a long process to find the combination of meds that works for each individual patient.

If you don't think your husband's rheumatologist is being aggressive enough, find another one who will be. It sounds like he needs a change/update of medication, addition of another medication, and perhaps additional treatment for pain. Is he on an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory)?

Also, ask for a referral to a pain management specialist or clinic. These wonderful therapists and doctors will try all kinds of pain relief treatments that his rheumie may be reluctant or not have time to try, or may just not know about.

Good luck!

[susieq321]

Thanks for the answer...