INDOMETHACIN 75MG

[Red Fish]

I have been off of treatment for 9 weeks. Last blood test no virus was detected. My hands hurt so bad with joint pain. Do you think it would harm my liver to take INDOMETHACIN 75 MG ?

[Invictus]

Hi Cuteus -

Hope you catch this waaaaay down here!  Just wanted to thank you for the good advice - I see the doctor Monday and I really think I need to push for the Procrit.  I have a friend who used it during her bout with breast cancer, and she assured me today it was almost like a miracle.  She, too, thinks the muscle pains and headaches are anemia related for the precise reasons you mentioned.  So - thanks again for taking the time to share your wisdom!

Maggie

[cuteus]

yes, anemia will cause muscle aches, it will feel as if you are completely out of shape and can hardly flex or stretch without aching. Your blood has less red cells to carry oxygen to the organs and limbs, and will use its resources on the major vital organs before the muscles, except maybe the heart.  Procrit would be indicated and will restore your ability to use your legs without major effort

[silvermoon]

I FEEL for you....I have a lot of experience with the muscle pain/cramps..they hurt like hell.. deep muscle cramps.. legs, hands, fingers, feet toes..draw up, curl up..   a 'charley horse ' is nothing compared to them...  They sometimes hit me for several hours , moving from one spot to another.., sometimes I am 'lucky' and they only last 30 minutes..  you can't walk them off.. nothing helps..the pain is DEEP..I have screamed and been reduced to tears many times..and it takes a LOT of pain to do that to me... usually low potassium and or low calcium  cause it.. try taking 1000-20000mg calcium, and either a glass of OJ or a banana..   low dose potassium tabs work great.. but you have to be careful with potassium/ sodium...a big imbalance can mess up your heart..calcium is vital for nerve and muscle activity at the cellular level also.. all electrolytes are.. have the doc check your potassium levels.. or  better yet do an electrolyte lab..  thing is.. these can vary quickly or  day to day.. could also be a glucose problme..  a lactic acid reaction, like when an athlete gets a charley horse after strenuous exercise.. because all the glucose reserves are gone..  but basically it is all an electrolyte imbalance  thing.  diet, meds, disease can affect all of it..
hope some of this helps..  good luck...

[Invictus]

Thanks so much for your responses - and Silvermoon you nailed the descriptions of these pains to a "T".  I'm no wimp either, but these things are horrid and reduce me to a dishrag!  The muscle pains are the only side so far that have made me consider quitting (but just for a minute - I'm committed to stay the course).  Cheriums, I eat a lot of bananas, canteloupe and fruit (some of the few foods that still taste good to me), but I'll add in the sweet potatoes and spinach, too, and that's a great idea. My last blood tests showed my calcium levels to be good, but then what's good for a 'normal' person and good for someone on TX could be vastly different, I'd imagine.  Sounds like y'all are of the opinion that it's also an electrolyte thing (and I guess that could contribute to the headaches as well) so I wonder if adding in a drink like Pedialyte (designed to restore electrolyte balances in juveniles with an imbalance caused by diarhhea)or a sports drink would help.  Couldn't hurt, I don't suppose.  I'm starting to feel a bit like a chemistry experiment - LOL !!!  Anyway - thanks all of you for the responses and advice!  Having people to turn to who've been through this is a great resource, and knowing you are here is a HUGE comfort!

Maggie

[Red Fish]

Thanks to all of you . I am going to increase banana intake . Aleve helps a little . It doesn't feel like cramps . It feels like it is in the joints of my fingers . Like I have tape, that is really tight, around every joint. Hurts really bad in AM. Swelling is pretty bad.
My spouse takes INDOMETHACIN 75MG for gout. Sugested I might try one and see if it helps. I would try almost anything to wet a hook today or any day !

Thanks again....Red Fish

[MajNeni]

If your pain is like a CRAMP, try anything with quinine in it.  The easiest/cheapest form is quinine (tonic) water.  I got it in little bottles; only drank what I wanted, saved the opened bottle in the fridge.  Never mind if the fizz goes out of it, you don't need the gas now...

[MajNeni]

Red Fish,
I also had lots of hand pain; still do at 7 months post.  My Rheumatologist had me take OTC version of Naprosysn, i.e. Alleve; suggested 2x220 mg/day for maintenance, more as needed.  I was taking more, 3 or even 4 recently, and went back to the doc for more help.  I was to start Vioxx on Thursday... Got another med instead, but all of these are non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAID's).  

A doc who is my friend says all the NSAID's are more or less similar in action.  Their success is related to having enough; even somewhat over 1000 mg/day of - say - Alleve can be used, even after successful HCV treatment.  Side effects and success profiles should be the same for the different brands, depending mostly on dosage; and the OTC's were just as good as the Rx types.  

Big thing to watch for, with all NSAID's, is GI bleeding.  This reaction is individual, most people don't get it.  If you are prone to getting the GI bleeding, even if you got this drug IV, that side effect could happen... so it doesn't matter how you take it, i.e. you don't necessarily have to take it with food or at a certain time of day.

He also explained that basically there are 2 groups of NSAID's, one of which uses COXX 2 inhibitors.  Vioxx is one of these; Celebrex is another, and there is a 3rd... and that all of these are probably going to be pulled from the market.  In case anyone on Vioxx has not heard, it's been pulled off the market worldwide (Thursday) because it has been found to double the chance of strokes or heart attack AFTER 18 MONTHS OF USE.  If you have taken it for shorter time, don't freak out!

I'm on day 2 of my new med, meloxicam 7.5 mg ("Mobic" from  Boehringer-Ingelheim), and so far it seems more potent than the Alleve.  Is this the placebo effect?  It's an NSAID with something added to prevent the GI problem.  My hand and other joints feel a little better this morning than in past weeks.  We'll see.
Maj Neni

[honey1616]

Hey there! Hope all is well with you.  I would like to see what you think about taking calcium while on tx?  I'm on week 37 and my labwork from last week was showing my calcium was just a tad bit under normal range. Not bad mind you,,,but would hate for it to drop too much?  Thanks so much...Are you on tx now?

[Invictus]

Hi All -

Sorry to butt in here with a med question of my own, but I need your input (again).

Has anyone used Imitrex for headaches, and with what result?  Or what have you found to be effective for these migraine-class headaches that OTC's don't help?  I take Lortab for them now, but it makes me so drowsy I can't function.  So I wondered what any of you had found to work well.  Also, what about for muscle pain?      I take Epsom salt baths and do yoga when they are worst, and daily drink enough water to founder a horse, but about three days after my shot (usually around Monday and Tuesday)the muscle pains get pretty intense, especially in my legs.  Is muscle pain related to  anemia?  My hemoglobin was at 9.9 last month but so far no dose reduction or Procrit (I use the Redipens and riba).  BTW, I was type 1, 2.5 million viral load, undetectable after 12 weeks, did shot 20/48 last night, and other than low hemoglobin and a drop in WBC counts my blood work looked good last month.

Thanks for the assist and as usual and always I wish you each great success and easy sides.

Thanks -
Maggie

[cheriums]

Indomethacin is better for "gouty arthritis" than other NSAIDs, so your doctor, Redfish, may have a reason for Rx'ing this one in particular. Different NSAIDs work better for different people, for no known reasons - it's trial and error (and trial and error again, maybe).  Re: liver disease, ibuprofen has the worst track record. Naproxen has the highest incidence of causing GI trouble.
Sometimes muscle cramps are caused by low potassium.  Try drinking less water (you may be dinking so much you're washing out electrolytes), Maggie, and eating more potassium rich foods.  Bananas, dried apricots, sweet potatoes, fresh spinach, cantaloupe, avocado. Some people get relief by taking calcium + magnesium supplements.  Cramps can be caused by too little of these minerals, too.  The calcium and magnesium would be good for your bones, at the same time.  Look for a tablet with half as much magnesium as calcium in it (e.g. 500 mg calcium and 250 mg magnesium).  Take one before going to bed, and one in the morning.  If that's not helping, add a third with lunch.

[cheriums]

p.s.  I think they took the quinine out of tonic water.  It causes birth defects and can cause hemolytic anemia, among other things, in large doses.  It is still available as an Rx drug, I believe -- you could talk to your doc about it.

[DonL]

Your doctor is the final authority. I take indomethecin for gout attacks. Both my GI and my general practice physician said that it was OK on tx. I take 50 mg up to 3x day for an acute attack. But check with your dr to be sure.

[BS1961]

I would speak to my doctor before just taking it.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a681027.html