I have 2 friends just dx'd in the last year or so, and my neighbor is now trying to manage RA without the drugs...she took some of them for about a year and she's trying to recover from all the side effects.

The other friend is combining both but would LOVE to not take the drugs. Her doc is now testing for Lyme and maybe it's not RA.

I deal with body wide OA for all my life since 18 and I'll be 77....hip replacement in 2010, left me with a big mess of complications. grrrrrr

I just found this group and lots of good information here....thanks

I had a friend at work who eventually had to leave her position because of her RA. She was taking medications for it, but if she was having any side effects she never mentioned anything to me.

I do remember her saying she was also taking turmeric daily, and possibly also fish oil. I don’t know what dosages she may have been taking, nor am I recommending these supplements as I am not really familiar with RA and its treatment.

Right now I'm talking to my neighbor who does not work a lot a all and money is a big issue in her life, lack of it. I don't know how she does it really. Recently, she said she had a flair due to stress of worry about money and pain was out of sight. She ended up taking low dose prednisone and felt better. If I could I'd buy her the supps she takes. She has no one to help her, a niece helps her a bit.

So many of these drugs can make things so much worse.

Curcumin is showing great promise in helping those with inflammation. RA has significant inflammation of the lining (endothelial) of the blood vessels. Curcumin has been found to reduce this inflammation.

Here is a review article from 2011...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3025067/

It mentions the need for better bioavailability which we now have OTC.
LongVida optimized curcumin is now being offered by many quality supplement manufacturers. (NOW brand is called
CurcuBrain).

I'm getting close to ordering her some grape seed ex, she took some yrs back but had to stop due to money. I gave her a bottle of DGL for stomach protection and now thinking of ordering her some curcumin, grape seed ex and DGL from my source where one buys 1 gets 1 or 2 free depending on sales. I'm certainly not loaded but I "feel" for her situation.

Caroline2, the science in the curcumin link that mrsD provided looks good to me.

More pragmatically (you said that your neighbour does not have much money), curcumin is cheap and it could well help with her RA.

I was dx'd with RA three years ago and was started on Plaquenil. Dr. had me discontinue in May this year. I have no real pain, just very stiff after getting out of bed in the morning or up out of a chair. I use a walker all the time for balance and support. It's uncomfortable, but I take short walks for exercise. I am 85 and also have PN.

I took Plaquenil for almost two years and my Rheumatologist had me discontinue this past May. I take no other drugs for my RA.