Rheumatoid arthritis: How do you cope day to day?

@jdnc2023 So, we have had much the same experience. After 30 years of living with RA, and with OA bad enough to result in back surgery and a total knee replacement, I find EOA to be the most aggressive, painful, and damaging.

My current rheumatologist, whom I like overall, is in the camp that believes that erosive osteoarthritis is just a subset of osteoarthritis. And, since she can't treat either, she listens, which is good. She did send me to a hand therapist and advised me to wear splints on my affected fingers, both of which have helped me. Meanwhile, over the last two years, my DIP and select PIP joints have eroded greatly. I have gone through two finger fusion surgeries. My hand surgeon said she had not seen joints as bad as mine since medical school, before biologics were available. I think you can feel my frustration.

I found my way to LDN through a friend whose doctor recommended it to her for her RA. I have to agree with you. LDN has definitely lessened the pain and inflammation of erosive osteoarthritis and likely RA. From what I have learned, Big Pharma is not much interested in conducting trials of LDN. With applications in the field of substance abuse, it has been around for a long time, and its safety profile is well understood. So treatment of RA, EOA, and OA is done off-label, in the absence of the kind of evidence base that drives clinical decision-making. Somebody out there, fund this research!

So, we must help each other.

One more thing. LDN seems to be affecting my sleep. I guess in some people it can drive insomnia. So I just started taking it in the morning. This seems to help.

BTW, very sorry to hear about your allergy to NSAIDS. But, as you know, NSAIDS are such a double-edged sword. A good friend with RA developed ulcers after one year on Meloxicam. I do my very best to avoid them when possible.

Stay well!