RA Out of Control - Advice?
Hi, I got diagnosed w/ RA year 2023. Taking hydroxycloroquine, leflunomide and prednisone. I responded well on those 3 meds combination until last January of this year have so many flare ups the medication I’m taking seems like not working. Biologic is the next step unfortunately I am positive for latent tb. Had to see infectious disease and prescribed me w/ 2 antibiotics first week of the treatment makes me very ill giving me more joint pain, muscle aches and extreme fatigue….Latent tb is blocking me from having biologic which I don’t understand the xray of my lungs is negative and I never had any lung infection ever….Right now RA is out of control and I am so irritated, seeing my rheumatologist on feb 2026….Any advice is appreciated. Hope all is doing well here. Mel
Hello Mel, very sorry to hear of the uncontrolled flare ups and difficulty getting on Humira. I can't offer medical advice but depending on your insurance plan, perhaps another Doctor can assist. I do find it surprising the reluctance to get you on Humira quickly. I can say, after years of taking pills, finally getting on a biologic in 2012 was life-changing for me and I hope you are able to manage the pain and stiffness until you get your medications dialed in. It sounds like you are getting close. I wish you well.
NealYou’ve been dealing with so much at once, Mel and I know it all has to be frustrating for you. Even with a clear X-ray, they still have to treat latent TB before biologics because those meds can wake it up, which is why they’re being extra cautious. But you shouldn’t have to feel this miserable while waiting. You could check and see if your primary care doctor might be able to give you temporary relief by adjusting your medication dosages or checking for anything else that could be making your flare worse that they can address. Here's an article about a few natural remedies you could also try as well if your interested- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/natural-remedies. I really hope things ease up for you soon! -Latoya (Team Member) Hi
. I'm sure hearing that your treatment options are limited due to latent TB is frustrating. The concern is that the biologic medications may activate it. I do want to note, however, that research has found this to be more the case with anti-TNF drugs and particularly the earlier ones like Embrel and Humira and that other biologics may not be as much of an issue (see here for example: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11449617/. It may be worth discussing this with your rheumatologist. Best, Richard (Team Member)
