Thank you for your participation and interest in ARC’s “Take Five!” Here are today’s “Take Five!”Questions and Answers: 1. Do you believe Fibromyalgia is a progressive syndrome? Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease, meaning it lasts a long time. It is not inevitably progressive, if by progressive you mean a continuous downhill course. Symptoms may improve or worsen at times, in response to therapy or life circumstances. The good news is: with flexible, ongoing treatment, the good days can outweigh the bad for individuals with fibromyalgia! Thank you for your question! 2. Do you think that biologics that we take now as injections will be available any time soon in pill form? The biologics are larger molecules that have to be given as shots or IV’s. If the biologic medicines were given orally, your digestive system would break them down into smaller pieces that would not be effective in treating arthritis. Lots of research is ongoing to look for “small molecules” that would act in the same way as the “larger molecule” biologics, but be available in pill form. The first of these “smaller-molecule” meds in pill form is called Xeljanz. It came on the market last November. I discussed this class of medications in a KTBS Healthline 3 Webcast in September of 2012, and again after Xeljanz was approved in January of 2013. For more detailed information, you may view the archived webcasts in their entirety by clicking on this link: ktbs/story/22079162/healthline3-arthritis-rheumatology and select the archived webcast on p. 1 dated 1/17/13, and on p. 2 dated 9/20/12. Thank you for your question! 3. Does brain fog (due to fibromyalgia) ever get better? What can one do about it? Of all the symptoms of fibromyalgia, brain fog (also sometimes referred to as “fibro fog”) is most closely tied in with getting better sleep. Science tells us that REM or Rapid Eye Movement, sleep is of particular importance in fibro fog. So, practicing good sleep hygiene, can go a long way toward improving fibro fog. There are also a number of other strategies and treatments that can be effective in improving the frustrating symptoms of fibro fog. For more information For more information, check out the article on our blog: "Coping with Fibromyalgia - Tackling Fibro Fog" at this link: louisianaarthritisclinic/our-blog 4. What is the most successful medicine on the market for a combination of fibromyalgia and OA? Cymbalta got the Food & Drug Administration’s indication in 2003 to treat depression and anxiety. In 2008, Cymbalta got the FDA indication, or approval, for treatment of fibromyalgia, followed by a third FDA indication for osteoarthritis in 2010. That means that the pharmaceutical company that makes Cymbalta is the only one that pursued FDA approval for both diseases. Other medications, as well as exercise and other therapies, could well be the most successful combination for you. Cymbalta is an option for you and your physician to consider. Thank you for your question! 5. Could my condition (Psoriatic Arthritis) cause some problems with my eyes? Psoriatic arthritis can cause certain very specific problems of inflammation of the tissues within the eyes. This inflammation is most commonly called iritis. Iritis can be treated with the same oral or IV medicines used for the arthritis & psoriasis. Thank you for your question! Follow up Psoriatic Arthritis Question: Would this affect your hands, knees and ankles and is there a vitamin that would help the pain in my hands? Yes, psoriatic arthritis can affect the hands, knees, and ankles. Omega 3 fish oil helps the inflammation and pain a little bit. If the problem continues, we have many medications to help improve the pain and inflammation of psoriatic arthritis dramatically. Thank you for your question!
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 20:42:42 +0000
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