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New dx: rheumatoid arthritis. On suboxone, in severe pain with this 1st flare up but no narcotics due to suboxone??!! What can I do? Any experience?. How will I deal with severe flare ups? Anyone?

I have been suffering for a week with what has turned out to be my 1st severe flare of RA. I am tough, but ad it get worse I get weaker. Should I gp to ER? I was put on suboxone due to opiate dependency that got out of hand after 9 knee surgeis and a genetic predisposition to develop an addiction from my dad.  It was a long and hard road and I do not want to trigger that terrible, debilitating disease of addiction but it seems I'm going to have changey game plan. I just dp not know what, and I'm not so sure the doc that Rxs the suboxone knows. He gave me a toradol shot, betamethasone, and some robaxin to take home. I know there are great NSAIDs out there, will they be sufficient, or am I daling with a monster whose flares requires short term opiates? Does anyone have experience?
Did u take the few opiates that will still work in high doses, or go off the suboxone? I'm so afraid of sloping back into that addiction but I can set up a detox after dealing with a flare and use aa. Anything??? I am dying! Would ER docs just be mean? Ahhhhhh.   Help???  
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Avatar universal
Hi, I am so sorry for what you are going through!

I have the rare one Palindromic Rheumatism!

Through the VA, after 10+ years of oxy and Vicodin, they started me on Suboxone. At first it worked great, until my flare ups started! After a long battle/argument, they finally put me back on oxy.  Now, they want to restart me on a higher dose of Suboxone, but they claim that there is nothing that they can give me for the flare ups!

I call BS!

I'm very reluctant on this, until they find something for the flare ups, also!
Soooooo, while I'm still searching, I'd love to know if someone else has found the solution!
Thanks Bunches!
Terry
Helpful - 0
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Hi terry.  Sadly, it's all trying these days.  No one wants to be on oxy but flare ups that lead to unbearable pain, what are you supposed to do.  I agree that the higher sub is not a good path.  Does your rheumatologist try to work on treating the RA so flare ups are few?  
547368 tn?1440541785
Please begin a new thread. You'll obtain better visibility and more responses. Unfortunately many ppl don't read these old posts.

If you need help posting a Question (Comment) please feel free to ask. You may also want to post in our Arthritis Forums. Ppl with Arthritis tend to be in the following two forums more than they are here. Here's the links:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Arthritis

And ....

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Rheumatoid-Arthritis-RA

Thank You,
~Tuck


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Avatar universal
I know this is really old but for people who are reading this now, I just want to say that suboxone is the only thing that really helps my RA pain.  I have tried morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl and subutex (same as suboxone) and while the traditional opiates take the edge off (maybe a 20% reduction in pain with 100 mg morphine and 30 mg oxycodone) I experienced complete relief from crippled to fine with 2 mg of subutex.  Narcotics are not indicated for RA at all, according to my rheumatologist and everything I see online.  They are not very effective either.  They couldn't get me up out of the wheelchair when it flared in my hip, they just barely made it where I could stand to exist.  The best thing for RA, though there are side effects like any drug, are the DMARD's and Anti-TNF injections like Enbrel and Humira if the prior meds are not sufficient.  Everyone is different and subutex may not help you more than opiates, but I say it's worth trying.  If I had a choice between getting all opiates that exist or subutex for my pain, I would choose subutex, hands down.  I also have ankylosing spondylitis and it helps my back better than anything else either.  My AS and RA are quite severe so regular NSAID's did not help much but prednisone short term for flares is the next best thing to subutex.  I'd rather have prednisone for my RA than opiates.  I hope this helps some folks.
Helpful - 0
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I concur about sterroids/prednisone.  My father had RA and prednisone was the only thing that would help with a flare up.  However, he began wanting to take that more than the doctor was prescribe.  So just remember for FLARE ups.
306455 tn?1288862071
Sorry you're going threw so much pain and I don't have a lot of answers for you but I have recently been diagnosed with RA and am on Suboxone too. Today I have my first appointment with a Rheumatologist. I have no idea what to expect.
I think I may have had RA for some years now, but it took a big jump around Sept.2009. I don't have all the problems you seem to be having and mine didn't seem to come on so suddenly like yours. Mornings are the worst time for me. It takes me about an hour and 1/2 to be able to move around much. My ankles crunch when I walk and the fatigue is crazy. I feel like I could sleep all the time.
I'm a little nervous about the meds that may be prescribed for the RA and the Suboxone. I haven't told any doctors about my Sub use (except my Sub Dr. of course)
RA does tend to have flare-ups so your pain may subside for a while. I guess everyone is different with it. I'm just starting to learn about this RA thing myself.
Good luck to you and keep in touch. I'm curious to hear how you do with the Sub and RA meds.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
How is your RA today?  It's been a long time.  Any update on how things are with this?
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