Year: 2021

RA, Nighttime and Cortisol

We all agree that mornings with RA is not easy. Stiffness, pain,  and suffering that feels like it lasts forever. I have learned to manage morning pain well.  I usually wake up about five or six to use the rest room. At that time, I take  pain medication  and I go back to sleep. When I wake up around eight,  the edge has been taken off my discomfort. I  have coffee and read the New York Times for an hour. And then I am good to go. Some of us with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience increased pain at night.  When I am in a flare, I have a hard time sleeping.  My body feels worn and ragged. Knuckles, wrists, shoulders, feet, ankles, pelvic girdle, spine. And even my elbows. Nighttime pain is different. It feels heavy. It feels overwhelming. It feels endless. It just seems too much. Research has shown that people who experience nocturnal pain have an increased number of swollen, painful joints. They are sicker. The body repairs itself during the quiet of …

Targeted biologics for RA Part One Rituxan and Orencia

The following are targeted biologics approved for rheumatoid arthritis.  Targeted means these drugs  dampen a particular  part of the body’s overactive inflammatory process. Rituxan Orencia Actemra Kevzara Kineret Some of the  biologics will not work for you although they work for some other people. Some biologics work for a short time then stop working.  Some biologics work for years then seem to stop working suddenly. Sometimes an insurance company will stop covering certain biologics and insist a patient use a limited selection from their formulary. Some people are affected by the possible, serious side effects of these drugs. These complications happen to somebody so pay attention when your doctor briefly mentions them. Doctors do not know which drugs will work for you. Docs give it their best shot. It is trial and error. There is no system to finding the biologic that will work for you. This is the current medical  scenario. In this article we will discuss Rituxan and Orencia. Rituxan (Rituximab) In 1982,  Rituxan was created by Ronald Levy for the express purpose …