Fatigue
Hello,
I’m new to this site. I was diagnosed with PA about 9 years ago. Lately I’ve been overwhelmed by fatigue and I’ve had the longest flare-up ever. It started in April and hasn’t debated. I’m interested in knowing it this length of flare-up is common. Methotrexate doesn’t appear to be if any use at present also. Only steroids appear to work. Any advice welcomed.
Hi
. I wish you had more energy and I hope you get some helpful responses here. If your flare has lasted this long and your fatigue is worsening, it might be time to change medications. Many people find the fatigue that comes with PsA improves with biologics because they do a better job of reducing inflammation. Is that a possibility for you? Here is an article about the available biologics for PsA that might interest you: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/medications/biologics-how-well-works-side-effects. I hope this helps and that you find some relief. Keep us posted if you don't mind. I will be thinking of you. - Lori (Team Member) Thank you
Hi
, welcome to the community! I'm so sorry to read that you've been flaring for so long. I was able to find the following article, which looks at some responses to a survey we conducted in 2017: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/infographic/when-your-psa-flare-is-flaring As you can see from one of the infographics, 22% of our community members had experienced a flare that lasted for longer than six months. So, whilst it's not the most common length of time to be flaring, you're definitely not alone in this struggle.
Looking back, I believe I had a flare that lasted for five or six years. During this time I had severe fatigue and spent around 23 hours in bed most days. I was undiagnosed for four of those years and untreated for the whole time (which I think is probably why it lasted for so long). I'm sorry to read that methotrexate isn't helping at the moment. As Lori mentioned, it's probably worth checking in with your rheumatologist about this and your worsening symptoms (if you haven't done so already). I really hope that you can get some relief very soon. Warmest wishes, -Catherine, Community ModeratorThank you, thanks really helpful. I’ve got a hospital appointment soon so I will have to address this with my consultant. Thank you
just to let you know. Consultant wanted to increase Methotrexate but he agreed to give me steroids via injection and only increase if this doesn’t work in the next three months. I’m happy with that. I got the chance to talk about my results too and he helped me make sense of them. One step at a time I think 😊 , thanks so much for taking the time to update us. I'm glad you're happy with how the appointment went - it sounds like it went well and was useful. Really hoping that the steroid injections help get this under control for you. It's awful feeling so fatigued all the time. I'd be curious to hear if the injections do make a difference to your symptoms. Wishing you the very best for finding some relief! Warmly, -Catherine, Community Moderator
