Excruciating pain in the night.

Hiya Constance.. I have RA and fibromyalgia and just been diagnosed with APS(sticky blood syndrome)

I am on 10 mg prednisolone and have been for 3 years and I too want to get off it.I am on pregabalin and sulfasalazine. Don't be afraid to take the sulfasalazine. I have had no side effects. Like you I have pain in night mainly shoulders,arms hands and feet but about lunch time pain and stiffness is less but do still have pain during day. RA consultant will want to put you on some DMARD.I have tried methotrexate too plus biologics humira,embrel and rituximab and none have helped.You need to be on something to dampen down the disease. You can't cure it but I hope it doesn't get any worse for you

Hi

i only have RA  , but like Frances said on sulphasalazine with no side effects. Also on 7 mg pred and on a slow decrease. From what I ve read you ve done really well to reduce your pred! The sulphasalazine is to hold back the RA from progressing. It sounds like you need that with your painful feet and legs. It takes some weeks to work though. Only the pred deals straight away with the inflammation. Hope you get some relief. I find a hot water bottle on feet helps a bit .... 

Hi, the sulfa drug is an antibiotic, and may or may not help, but its where RA doctors typically start. There can be side effects, typically digestive or tummy issues for some, and did not help me. It did cause asthma type problems for me and I was taken off them. As for your nightly pain, and extreme stiffness throughout the day, I found that this has been greatly managed by taking magnesium glycinate before bedtime (2 tablets is what I take and if needed 2 during the day. D3 is very much needed with this (I TAKE 1 (5000mg) tiny liquid filled capsule). It is suggested to take 2 to 4 tablets of the magnesium glycinate (not oxide-very poorly absorbed) into 2 doses. Magnesium is responsible for 300 + natural enzyme reactions involving bone, muscles, nervous system, and mind/body connection pain. I can only find them online. It is very important to take the D3 with this and calcium so that all 3 very needed nutrients can work together, so that they can each be absorbed. The body needs all 3 for them to be absorbed properly to manage the RA condition. Doctors do not tell us this for sime reason. Also, I found that by spacing my medication out closer to bedtime, my pain was better managed (anti inflammatory medication such as mobic). My RA doctor has also said on painful days, to take ibuphrophen in between prescribed anti inflammatory doses every 6 hrs or as indicated on the over the counter ibuphrophen. Also, it is very wise to stay away from foods that are inflammatory, such as high allergy type foods such as gluten/grains, soy, milk and dairy, high sugars, and tomato based foods, as this contributes hugely to candida type conditions that spread systemically thru your body, depleting magnesium, and causing all over inflammatory pain and arthritis condition flaring and pain. I hope being proactive with these things helps you as much as they have helped me to manage this disease we have.