sulindac.. clinoril..?
Patrick F. Coleman
OK.. I let my Dr. Talk me into trying aspirin for two weeks for hand
pain.
result.. right hand cleared up just fine.
left hand terrible stiffness, could hardly open it in the morning..
very tender knuckles on first finger.
So we went to sulindac, which I guess is clinoril.
And the left hand got better. but just less of the above.
(at least I can play my guitar again.)
But..
this stuff is really hard on my stomach. I've had more stomach pain
lately than ever before, certainly more than with the aspirin.
Is there anything out there that doesn't have such a hard side effect
to deal with.
Even prevacid doesn't help completely.. I take it (sulindac) with
food, twice a day.
Also... although I was told to see a rheumetologist by folks in here,
I didn't.
This dr. is fine, by the way.. He handles my health really well in
every way.. one of those guys who talks and gets into detail.
But... should I get xrays? What sort of examination should I expect or
ask for?
email is very much alright... many thanks in advance.
and best of luck for your own problems everyone.
patrick f. coleman
sls...@sirius.com
> OK.. I let my Dr. Talk me into trying aspirin for two weeks for hand
> pain.
> result.. right hand cleared up just fine.
> left hand terrible stiffness, could hardly open it in the morning..
> very tender knuckles on first finger.
> So we went to sulindac, which I guess is clinoril.
I've been using sulindac for a few years now. Yes, it is the
generic for Clinoril. The maximum recommended daily dose
for sulindac is 400 mg/day, altho' my RD does allow me to
go up to 600 every now and then.
However, this is really just another NSAID, like the aspirin --
an aspirin analogue, if you will. Its effect is largely palliative,
that is, it doesn't affect the underlying cause.
> And the left hand got better. but just less of the above.
> (at least I can play my guitar again.)
> But..
> this stuff is really hard on my stomach. I've had more stomach pain
> lately than ever before, certainly more than with the aspirin.
> Is there anything out there that doesn't have such a hard side effect
> to deal with.
We each respond somewhat individualistically to NSAIDs. For exam-
ple, I find sulindac very easy on my gut. There are, however, many
NSAIDs out there, and it's possible that another may not bother you
so much. If the aspirin didn't bother you, for instance, you might ask
for a 'script for ibuprofen (I found it too expensive to use OTC in the
dosages needed -- up to a gram a day).
> Even prevacid doesn't help completely.. I take it (sulindac) with
> food, twice a day.
> Also... although I was told to see a rheumetologist by folks in here,
> I didn't.
> This dr. is fine, by the way.. He handles my health really well in
> every way.. one of those guys who talks and gets into detail.
> But... should I get xrays? What sort of examination should I expect or
> ask for?
You really, really need to see a rheumatologist. Really. It isn't that
your regular doc isn't alright -- it's that the diagnosis and treatment
of arthritic disease requires a specialist, particularly if it's inflammatory
arthritis. From your description, that's what I'd suspect, particularly
with the morning stiffness and painful knuckes. For diagnosis, you
need to see someone who's very familiar with all the over 100 forms
of arthritic disease, because diagnosis can be tricky. For example,
there's a serum test for rheumatoid factor; while many people with
rheumatoid disease will test positive for this, some do not, and yet
it seems to be common for non-specialists to wrongly assume that
this test is diagnostic.
For inflammatory arthritis, you need a DMARD, not just an NSAID --
the acronym is for 'disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug.' There are
many of these, as well, and finding a good match can take time,
since it takes at least 3 months and often 6 before you know if one
of these is going to work for you.
Traditionally, inflammatory arthritis was treated starting with the least
option -- NSAIDs only at first, then progressing with the addition of
corticosteroids, then finally the DMARDs. However, this approach
has been superceded by recommendations for early aggressive
treatment with DMARDs. The change has been made because
with the least-treatment protocol people accumulated alot of joint
damage -- which is, unfortunately, permanent -- prior to being put
on the stronger drugs. With early aggressive treatment, the ac-
cummulation of this permanent damage is significantly slowed and
reduced. However, many GPs are apparently not aware that the
protocol has changed.
Stacy Scott
San Francisco, Calif.
charlotte le fleur
Tsk tsk tsk.
But it sounds like you will have to keep changing nsaids and hope you find
one that doesnt do a number on your stomach.
But seriously, I still think an RD is your best bet, but it is your
choice. Hope things work out for you.
Char.
Iowa, USA
JMccar8090
Patrick!!!!!
Get thee to an RD immediately!!
(you can rap that line if you want, it has a certain rhythm to it!! or maybe
country and western??)
Seriously, before I saw an RD, my previous primary care doc(Dr Jerk-O*f--who
said I had tendonitis, or PMS, or I was a hypochondriac) gave me all kinds of
NSAIDs. Sulindac being the one that made me sick to my stomach constantly, AND
the added bonus of handfuls of hair falling out....
Anyway, the moral of this story is, I waited so long to go to an RD and get on
disease modifiers and had such severe swelling and inflammation that I have
tendon ruptures in my hands and wrists...and am looking at a series of
surgeries to correct what they can of the problem (typing with 1 hand as we
speak!)
Since you play guitar, it is important that you do this immediately, because
you DONT want to lose an activity that brings you such pleasure!
Kim