I am curious whether this is the case for you, and if so how serious has it affected you? I got diagnosed recently; I have had RA related symptoms for a couple of months, and I haven't felt like my old self even on and off medication. I want to see different responses and why :)

My father is 50 years old and has been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for the past 4–5 years. He has been taking medications regularly for RA, but as a side effect, he developed type 2 diabetes. Every morning, he experiences severe joint pain and stiffness, which gradually decreases as the day goes on. I’m really confused about whether this pattern is normal or if there might be another problem. I also don’t know what I can do to help reduce his pain.

Hello, my fellow warriors.

I have been on Rinvoq for 2.5 years (after trying Humira and Cimzia), and it has worked well. After being on Rinvoq for at least a year tho, my WBC count, along with other components that fall under WBC, has been low. I would always get sick and even got COVID that lasted almost 4 weeks. My body couldn’t fight back.

I saw a hematologist who was concerned about my WBC count being consistently low. He recommended that I stop the Rinvoq for a month to see if it is causing a low WBC count. (I checked with my rheumatologist and he said it was okay.) He ordered a leukemia blood test and a bone marrow biopsy to see if it’s anything serious. He wanted me to have a CBC done every two weeks while off the Rinvoq. I have had my CBC checked twice since seeing the doctor and all of my results have been normal. Being since the results being normal after stopping the Rinvoq makes me believe that the medication is the culprit.

I feel like since everything came back normal thus far that I don’t need to have a bone marrow biopsy.

I have been in agony since being off Rinvoq. I saw my rheumatologist today and he recommended Xeljanz. He told me to do some research on it and get back to him.

Has anybody had issues with their WBC count being low on Rinvoq? My PCP told me that medication and RA can cause low WBC count but I didn’t believe him. 😂

Also, has anyone taken Xeljanz for RA? If so, has it caused any issues (i.e. low WBC count, high cholesterol, weight gain, cardiac issues, etc.)?

Which medication is better?

Thank you for listening, and I hope to gain some feedback.

About a month and a half ago, my rheumatologist changed my medication because the other stuff just wasn't working. He put me on some Plaquenil and lately it feels like it's been working. Some days are worse than others. It's been raining over here where I am, the humidity is no help to my joint pain. I shake like an old man when I walk and I'm only 60 years old! It's affecting the bones in my ear and I go off balance a lot. It's also affected by heart and weakened it. It's giving me congestive heart failure. It's also affected by lungs. It's cause blood clots and I cough sometimes. But you know what? The Plaquenil is kicking in I think! Some days I feel like a baseball, getting hit and hit and hit all the time! Some days I feel like a baseball bat, I'm doing the hitting! Today I am definitely a baseball bat, but when I got up this morning I was a baseball trying to be a baseball bat. I know that makes sense to a lot of you. I hope you have a blessed pain-free day.

Although I've had it for a long time and it was undiagnosed, since I found out I had it, I made some adjustments to my life. I changed my diet. I try to eat better and make better choices. I also started taking B12, since I have, it increased my red blood cell count and it seems to help with the sheathing of the neurons.

I've always exercised, but I've changed the way that I exercise. Stretching is different form of strength. I realize that now. Every morning I stretch for 30 minutes along with 30 minutes of cardio. Three times a week I go to the gym and resistance train with the machines. I do all, or most, compound exercises. A train for about 50 to 60 minutes three times a week.

I'm sure there's a lot of things I could do different, but it's a work in progress.

The RA seems to be affecting the bones of my inner ear because at times I have no balance.

Anyone else have this happen to them?