John

I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering the dreaded fatigue.

I was diagnosed with RA in January 2008 and have been on all sorts of medication since. Methotrexate and Naproxen were my first option. They then tried me on Sulfasalazine but my health has deteriorated over the months. I am now trying anti-tnfs. I failed on the first one, Enbrel, I had a bad reaction, and I am now waiting to start onto Humira.

The one thing I have found very difficult to cope with is the fatigue. No matter how much sleep and rest I get, I always feel totally drained and tired. I work full time and have had to change my working week so that I work from home two days a week. I then rest as much as possible in evenings and weekends to gather the strength to continue working. I must say I have had to change my life style completely. No more long shopping trips or days out. I just get in there do what I need to do and come home. It has taken a lot of getting used to.

I believe that fatigue is a big part of RA and can only hope that if they find the right medication, this may be alleviated a bit.

It may be worth speaking to your Consultant or Nurse to tell them how drained you are and they may be able to try you on different medications.

I hope you find a solution soon.

Jackie
xx

Hello John, so sorry to hear that medication not working for you. I think you should talk with your
specialist nurse to see if she can help unfortunatley fatigue is soo common with RA.

I was on sulsph and mtx for a year but eventually had to come off last Dec. and i am inbetween
medication now wanted to start me of lleflumoide but blood press was too high.
I have been off work now for 8 weeks with a flare and high blood press. Blood press has stabilised
now and I saw spec registrar last week and promised to ring me within a week to see if
I can now start the tablet - no call to date.

But I do understand I have been VERY tired and I just don't seem to do a lot before I
have a sit down . Could be my age as well(56) not getting any younger.

Good luck
Rose

Hi John
first welcome to NRAS I am looking forward to getting to know you better
I have had RA for 14 years now sadly I also have MS too for the past 3 years
some days I am so tired I have to push your-self even to make a cup of tea
I think the tiredness comes and goes (that is with me)
you may get others on here who will tell you about the way they feel
hope you feel less tired soon
take care
Mary L

Fatigue for me is the worst part of RA.
For me. it got so bad that I went to the GP who ordered blood tests and has discovered I am iron anaemic. So I'm on Ferrous tablets now and I THINK the tiredness is beginning to lift a little.
It might be worth a check for anaemia John as anaemia and RA can often go hand in hand?

Hi John,

I agree with the others re iron supplements ... I'm on them too and it helped a little.

My rheummy department offers a fatigue clinic that I attended a few sessions of and that helped me immensely ... learning to do things differently and seeing your day in a new way. I would ask if your department has something similar.

Good luck with it and welcome to the group!

Joanna

Hi John,

Fatigue seems to be a really big part of RA - i find it really annoying as its hard to explain plus learning to pace takes time and working out what works for you is a long ol' process....

There is some really useful information on the NRAS site about this, just search for fatigue - i found it really helpful - they also do a booklet as well - maybe give them a call & they could send you a copy? x ( i left my copy lying around the house for friends and family - i think it helps others to understand a bit more about things, i picked one up yesterday at the workwise workshop, going to give it to my line manager at work....

I really believe what works for one person may not be right for another and you really need to work out what is right for you.... (not easy) I had similar expereince with sulph / naproxen - sulph took quite some time to kick in (months+) & poorly for quite some time, much better nowadays still on same meds, hope things improve for you,
Personally, I NEVER ever lie in these days - it hurts! - AND i discovered it makes me ill - i get up very slowly, at least an hour before i need to get out and about. This "routine" works for me, and another thing i do nowadays is to say NO so much more than i used to before and not to feel guilty - that was very difficult at first but something i think is very important,

Take care & keep posting ~ Liz :)

Hi John

I find the fatigue comes and goes. For quite a long time I've been fine but last weekend and today it really hit me and I just have to give in to it and do nothing. Not easy whenyou'e usedto being active or have things you want to do.

Take care

maria