I was put on Meloxicam maybe about ten years ago for a severe flare of my inflammatory arthritis—I could not walk the pain was so bad in my hips , feet and legs. I don’t remember exactly how long I was on it- maybe about 4 months? It was a miracle drug for me! No bad side effects. I do remember having morning pain and using ice packs on my swollen ankles for maybe the first week or so. She did put me on a gastric protective, Carafate, because I’m sensitive to NSAIDS. I took a low dose for a short time and it worked good for me! I did have a short term use of low dose prednisone with a quick taper while on this drug.