Heat making arthritis worse?

[Scarlett]

I have auto-immune arthritis, caused by ulcerative colitis. Since the weather went hot, I have been really struggling. My ankles and knees feel like they are about to give way all the time and often do. In cold weather I feel much better and my joints feel more reliable. The docs have only prescribed pain killers which I can't take as they make me so dizzy I could never do my part-time job working with children (which I can barely do now). I feel like I'm 80. Anyone heard of this sort of problem getting worse in heat? And anything else I can do about it?!

[Sqad]

Scarlett...yes, this heat exacerbating certain arthritic conditions is well recognized, but i feel that it is the humidity rather than the heat.

The only relief that you are likely to get is with pain killers.......which one's can't you take?

[Scarlett]

Hi Sqad- I've been given Amitriptyline but it made me feel like I was a zombie. And drunk in charge of children. I did only take it for a couple of days though; perhaps I need to persevere, if the effects will lessen. I also found myself thinking uncharacteristically depressing thoughts which worried me! I seem to react to drugs and get all the side effects. I've been taking paracetamol but it doesn't touch the sides. I've also been struggling with costchondritis for the past 3 months, and using topical ibuprofen as I can't take anti-inflams cos of UC.

[Eve]

This heatwave has made mine worse. I feel a lot more swollen quicker and that horrible irritating feeling and restless legs have gone evil. I'm trying to keep them up a lot to orevent and reduce swelling.

I've just tried to keep cool and out of the direct sun/heat. I've got a dehumidifier in the bedroom I have on time at night to cool me down and have been dressing in light (fabric and colour) looser stuff to help air circulate. Also got some cooling leg gels and sprays to help.

I find my feet are key, if I can keep them cool the rest of me is cooler. Also wearing a hat with a peak that covers my face helps me feel cooler generally when the sun is not in my face or my eyes.

Buses have been horrible lately, like canned heat even with the windows open and I get 2 each way to work and back though I tend to be in early for 7.30am so at least it's cooler when I'm getting in.

At least the heat should calm down after today though according to the weather forecast.

[Sqad]

You see, Nsaids like Ibuprofen CAN be taken with ulcerative colitis if taken with food. Many patients take NAID's which relieves their arthritis, but has no worsening effect on their bowel problems. It is a matter of trial and error and personally if i was suffering from the pain of arthritis, I would certainly give NSAID's a trial...UC or no UC.

[Eve]

I've been in amitriptilyne and it can make you really drowsy - how much have they got you on?

Even on 10/20mg I found it harder to wake up and get going in the mornings. They "accidentally" put me on 50mg (should have been 5mg, apparently he put an extra 0 in by accident!) and I was like a zombie, thought I was going to lose it.

Also, what time do you take them? Could adjusting the time or dosage help? Best to check with your GP/specialist before playing about with prescription meds though.

Have you tried anything like codydramol if you can take that? I know it's not an anti-inflammatory (I have similar issues with taking NSAIDS) but it can help with pain like with the costochondritis. I find it also helps me get to sleep when my legs are painful and crawling.

[Eve]

Further to Sqad's last post, one of the only things I found helped with some of the pain I had with gallstones was diclofenac (low dose over the counter) which I'm not meant to take.

I confessed to my GP and we looked at it that it was a calculated risk for the pain against the possible side effects and I was on meds to reduce acid to help prevent problems so maybe worth a conversation.

[Scarlett]

Sqad- that's interesting. Which NSAIDs do you think I should try with food, or is it just Ibuprofen? I tried the liquid stuff a while back and it was okay initially but then made my colon bleed. Don't think I was necessarily taking it wit food though. Also I am taking 40mg Omeprazole each morning for hiatus hernia/acid probs.
Jenna do you actually have a diagnosis? Your problems sound very auto-immune; I've been told I have UC but nobody seems to want to link the joint problems to anything but weight, despite always having a raised ESR. Annoys me. I MAY have Fibromyalgia but don't have all the symptoms. Hence, I don't take any drugs at all apart from the Omeprazole!

[Scarlett]

Jenna- I took 10mg of Amitriptyline around 9pm. The next day I felt woozy and my vision was all blurred. I also felt DEADLY serious and kinda depressed. That was my main worry- it seemed to alter my mood. And I only took it for a coupla days!!

[Sqad]

Scarlett, there is well documented evidence linking ulcerative colitis with arthropathy.

NSAIDs..I would try 400mgms of Ibuprofen with food or the equivalent of voltarol.

Don,t be in pain, give it a go.......the relief of pain aginst the chance of bleeding from your colon...........your choice.

[Scarlett]

I'll certainly give it a go Sqad- should I just get some from the chemist or go see the Doc? Doc is tricky cos I can't walk.

[Sqad]

Scarlett...the right thing to do is to clear it with your GP.

What would I do?.........get some from the chemist and try them.

Keep me informed Scarlett as I am interested.

[Scarlett]

I will do. Would you suggest liquid capsules rather than pills, and with food- does that mean just before, just after or during?! I want to get this right!! :)

[Scarlett]

Also do you mean 400mg once per day with food, or several times?

[Sqad]

Liquid capsules OR pills...at the START of your meal.

[Sqad]

Dose depending on your response........if one tablet relieves the pain, then don't take another one if the pain doesn't return.
If it does, then 400mgms at the start of each meal.

"Juggle" with the frequency of dose that keeps you pain free.

[Eve]

I seem to have quite a few autoimmune like things. Diagnoses at the moment are inflammatory arthritis, fibromyalgia, hypermobility, vitamin d deficiency, menieres (sqad, is this the same thing as autoimmune ear disease or different?) and bile acid malabsorption. They did a load of blood tests and a urine test recently looking for lupus/connective tissue disease or immune problems (been plagued with infections and rashes and such) but bloods ok save low vit D. Always have a raised ESR too.

I was on sulfasalazine but couldn't tolerate it so on plaquenil now as apparently much easier to tolerate (had a few vision problems but hopefully a one off), methotraxate was brought up but I'd rather avoid that if I can. Also have been on vit D supplements and have codydramol, acid meds and others.

They initially thought maybe crohns but have checked all over and not found it but found the BAM. My rhumatologist referred me to gastro to see due to the connection between Crohns/UC and arthritis and my gastro symptoms. Do you see a rhumatologist to manage the arthritis symptoms and look at fibromyalgia?

Could you try taking the amitriptilyne a bit earlier in the evening? See if that helps or go down to something like 5mg to ask your GP if a different drug would suit you better. They mentioned getting me back on it for chronic pain issues and to help me get more effective sleep but decided against as I have dry eyes/mouth symptoms and they said it could make that worse so suggested fluoxetine. I've tried that before and it made me feel really sick so I went for citalopram.

I found the pill helped a bit with mood too and flares around that time.

[Sqad]

Jenna....as far as is ascertained at the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that Menieres Disease is an auto immune disorder.

[Eve]

Thanks Sqad, I have read some conflicting things, some suggesting it is and some not. Interesting to know. I have a question I'll go back to on the labyrinthitis thread so as not to hijack Scarlett's if that's ok.

[Scarlett]

Sqad- gave the Ibuprofen 3 weeks and then had one days colon bleeding. HOWEVER I also started to take 1500mg Glocosamine so that may have caused the bleeding. I will give it a week and then try one of them again and see if I get any effect.