@rdf56 I've had RA for 25 years. Yes, I have had severe neck pain and more than my share of headaches. Have you mentioned this to your Rheumatololgist? Synovial inflammation in Cervical 1 and 2 can destabilize that area. Have you have an x-rays on that area to evaluate?
I went to Physical therapy after having a thorough work up first to make sure it was safe to do gentle exercises. The other thing to look into is your bed pillows . Have you had an changes in those recently? At one point , I had changed pillows that were probably too high that made my neck much worse. What medication are you taking for your RA?
Nsaids like advil or aleve would probably work better than tramadol. But then you have to worry about stomach irritation if you take too many.