I’ve had hypothyroidism for 40 years I learned that your thyroid needs to be under control or all sorts of issues can occur. Was diagnosed with RA at 73. Dr placed me on prednisone for 6 weeks (3/2/1). I, had issues in the past with the pred. However, he attempted the 6 week course of treatment to alleviate my RA pain while my RA medicine (sulfasalazine) would take 3 months to kick in. When my 6 weeks of prednisone ended, the pain returned like clockwork!

Your Dr is absolutely correct. Medications do help slow the progression of the RA, and will assist with all of the other conditions as well. I have RA, Sjogrens, Hypothyroidism, endometriosis, chronic migraines, and asthma. I take medications for all of them because when I don't...I am right back to being miserable and you will notice the difference. How did you get diagnosed for these conditions? You had enough symptoms to warrant a Drs visit, right? Hopefully you got treatment early, for me with my RA it took about 5 years and by that time I felt terrible and had severe pain, so it took even longer to get my symptoms under control. I have several nodules on my forearms, by my wrists; after my third endometriosis surgery I had such a terrible RA flare...I needed several rounds of steroids after an ER visit to get pain meds and steroid IV. There was also a time where I had to stop taking methotrexate before beginning Humira and oof! Not a good month at all. Plaquenil helped to get a lot energy back for me, got rid of some rashes as well, and just makes me feel better overall. For my hypothyroidism, I use Armour thyroid because it treats both T3 & T4, and that helped fatigue, too. Vitamin D is great to take because people don't know that they have a Vit D deficiency & that can worsen RA symptoms, especially pain, aches, etc. The contraception is necessary because many women's menstrual cycles make them flare (I know mine does) and keeping your hormones stable assists in lessening flares. It sounds like your Dr truly has your best interest at heart; and although all of this is A LOT and is a huge change, they are all for the best. Just, if there are any side effects, let your DR know as soon as they occur. Adding you to my team, feel free to add me, too!

I understand all of your concern. However, your doctor is correct that the medication slows the disease progression. I actually have a great personal example of this. Methotrexate is the medication that I am on for this autoimmune mess. A little over a month ago I developed severe pneumonia and had to stop taking the MTX (Methotrexate) for a few weeks. Almost 4 weeks after my last dose I noticed that one of my toes had developed nodules and is now curled. This is a completely new development. My PCP suggested that I skip one more week of MTX. I was feeling much better (this was a week ago) and decided to get back to the MTX last Monday. It was disturbing to see how quickly the damage occurred. Therefore, my recommendation is to follow your doctor's advice...
Hugs and blessings for you to make the right choice for you. Prayers!

Pat

You are right to question everything that is going on with your body, as well as what you put into it. I also have hypothyroidism along with autoimmune disease. The thyroid issue began when I was a teenager, will be 67 next month. I have had osteo since my early 20's, knee surgery recommended at age 23 and still have not had it. In 2017 autoimmune disease was diagnosed and I took RX anti-inflammatory meds, Prednisone, and Methotrexate (MTX). The MTX took about 4 months to feel significant improvement.

I still take most of the meds regularly, though dosages have changed. Every time I consider stopping the meds, I (or my hubby) reflect on how I was before the meds were started. This is all I need to remind me of why I need the meds.

Best of luck to you for making the right choices for you.

Pat

Sorry! Been busy here.I stopped taking the prednisone,It was making me nauseous,dizzy and couldn’t sleep.Dr said to lower dose or stop taking it.My choice so I stopped taking it.I also started taking turmeric-curcumin pills.How was your talk with your Dr?