I have osteoarthritis and the last 2 weeks my hands and joints have been swollen to the point that I hurt just getting out of bed and moving. It affects mainly my hands, knees and has started affecting my hips and lower back (sciatic area).
I am on 15 mg of meloxicam 2x per day as well as flexeril and 800 mg of Ibuprofen 3x a day as needed. None of this is helping 
Any ideas? The cold damp weather is not my friend either
Have you been tested to see if you might have rheumatoid arthritis?
Jingles that you feel better soon.
First up, yes, as above, make sure itās Osteoarthritis!
Second: You can try other NSAIDs. Meloxicam doesnāt work well for my pain (Mine is RA), naproxen (in a much high dose sadly) works better, weāre going over other options for longer-term though.
Have you tried compression gloves? By no means are they miracles, but they help with swelling and provide some support and stiffness to help with pain. When my hands hurt I still cannot use them, but the gloves reduce the pain (and any help is good help with pain!).
Flexeril is a muscle relaxer, wont help much with joint pain. Will help with muscle and tendon pain caused by joint damage, but for the joint pain itself itās pretty useless.
Otherwise, Iām not sure (Still trying to find things to help with my RA!) besides talking with a doctor. Definitely make sure itās Osteoarthritis and not RA or another type of inflammatory arthritis though!!
Duplicate post. Sorry!
Iām taking Lubrisyn and it seems to be helping. Also,Tylenol and fish oil (4 grams/day).
I take a long acting tramadol for pain because I canāt take NSAIDs, which really do work the best.i wish I could take even one Motrin or Celebrex every so often but I canāt.
There is a time-release version of naproxen (Naprelan). I find I take about half as much of it that way vice OTC generic naproxen. It is expensive and keeping insurance that will cover it a challenge. Iāve tried others and this works best. Since Iām stuck with the stuff for the foreseeable future (until I die :lol:), Iāll fork over the $$$ for it.
Your description of your joints and pain sounds much more like rheumatoid arthritis (inflammatory and autoimmune) than osteoarthritis (wear and tear). Has your doctor done testing to determine that. Rheumatoid arthritis is much more likely to affect multiple joints at once. Your doctor can test for that and there are many other medications available to modulate the inflammatory response.
You really shouldnāt be taking two NSAIDs at the same time (meloxicam and ibuprofen). Really hard on the kidneys and stomach. Your meloxicam dosage is even double the recommended max! Was this dosage prescribed for you? If it was, I think I would be shopping for a different Doctor. Even if it wasnāt, I would cut down to 15mg/day. 30mg will catch up with you and not in a good way.
Jingles for getting some relief but I think you need a more definite diagnosis first.
Susan
How old are you? Yes, it does sound more like RA than osteoarthritis.
OA sufferer here. Iāve been on celebrex, meloxocam and various other OA meds. Weaned myself off of them four years ago as they are also known to be hard on your heart (my apparently healthy brother had just died of a massive heart attackā¦he was only 58).
I see a preventive care doctor who helps you find alternative ways of dealing with health issues. He got me started on a natural supplement called Quercetin. It took about three weeks before I noticed a difference. Quercertin is a natural anti-inflammatory. I take two capsules three times a day and it has helped me tremendously in managing my OA. There are still some days when I get bad āflaresā and I resort to a naproxen, but not often. Iāve been told not to take any NSAIDS since I have bleeding gastric ulcers, so I really try and stick to not taking any. But the Quercetin has worked for me as well if not better than the celebrex did. At least itās helped with the stiffness part.
First of all thank you for the replies! 
I am 42 years old. My mom as well as both grandmothers had osteoarthritis. My previous doctor said it ālooksā to him like osteoarthritis, so didnāt do any other tests. I havenāt been particularly kind to my body. I galloped race horses for 15 years and had some pretty bad falls. So have some issues from that that my previous doctor was attributing some of my aches and pains to.
I also suffer from severe recurring migraines and am on topimax (100 mg/ 2x day, verapamil 80 mg 2x day, amatryptiline 25mg 1x day) I take fiorinal and fioricet for rescue meds for those. Fun huh?
Previous doctor has since moved out of town, I have a new doctor that is good. But, we havenāt touched on this yet. I need to make an appointment for my yearly.
I also see an orthopedic specialist for an issue with a previously broken foot that has been acting up. I have an appointment with him on the 18th. I was thinking of talking to him about the pain in my joints to see if he has any ideas as he is the one that prescribed the Meloxicam at 15 mg 2x day. ( I have yet to take it at that dose).
If you have gotten this far, thank you! I hate meds and hate taking them. But, without the current dosage I am on for my migraines I would have 15 to 20 a month. But, I am at the point where it hurts to move, hurts to get out of bed and hurts to have my cat walk on me to lay down I am miserable.
Have you tried Cosamin? Cosequin for humans
I have OA, and have been taking an oral form of Glucosamine/Chondroiten Sulfate/MSM for quite some time (Iām almost 59); I definitely notice relief from itā¦A little spendy, but worth a ātrial periodāāif you havenāt tried itāit might help you, and doesnāt have the NSAID side effects.
My massage therapist recommended warm paraffin for OA in the hands and fingersāinteresting suggestion! Some of the MTs use it.
Oh, adding migraines in to the mix is no fun. I also take topamax, fioricet for them, and inderal too. I have arthritis on top of it and take a bunch of meds for that. Itās a double whammy. I have arthritis in my neck and that triggers the migraines sometimes.
When my RA flares up, I feel like you describe. I hope you can get some answers when you see the orthopedic guy. I would bring up your joint pain when you see him. He might be able to get the ball rolling.
Have you been checked for Lyme?
I wish I could wave a magic wand and take the pain away. I am sorry that you are going through this.
Sorry, double post again! Maybe there is two of meā¦
Just found out about chronic kidney disease from too many years of NSAIDSā¦no more cowgirl candy for me. Be careful with that stuff!
Iām in my 60ās and have it all over. I miss the days when I used to wake up feeling better than when I went to bed. I too have not been very kind to my body from working all my life with horses. I take Meloxicam. It helps some. I find activity is one of the best things I can do. The act of barn work, grooming and tacking helps warm me up enough to ride. Really wish I had a pool to work in. The sad thing is that I used to be able to ride for hours. Those days are gone.
If your Dr. is not sure you actually have osteoA, please get tested for Lyme Disease. It can mimic OsteoA. I know this because it happened to me. Turned out I had Lyme.
I am 57, have a similar history, and have not been kind to my body either.
Supplements no longer offer much help, as I have bone on bone arthritis in several places. The medicine that works for me is Diclofenac, an NSAID, and Tramadol for the pain. They work best in combo with each other. There are some concerns about staying on the Diclofenac long term, but my current doctor is okay with ad long as I have blood drawn and liver and kidney levels checked periodically.
The other thing that REALLY helps is swimming. This winter I giving serious thought to joining a facility that has an indoor, heated pool. Bliss!
The other key is not to give and stop moving when you hurt - very important to keep moving, even if itās very mild, low impact stuff.
This is a very bad morning. Both hands are swollen and I have a severe migraine. I swear if I didnāt have work and class I wouldnāt have gotten out of bed. I have a week long class this week in our flex term that I am taking. Why did I decide it was a good idea to go back to school to get my degree??? 
No riding or barn till Saturday evening for me.
I am going to make an appointment with my regular Doctor and see if she can help unravel this mystery. See if the Orthopedic guy can help any. UGH!!!
Hang in thereā¦thereās so much to learn about managing all this and going back to you doc is a good place to start sending you good thoughts and energyā¦
Does the pain and swelling in your joints lessen as the day goes on? Any fatigue or muscle pain? Iād get some blood work done to check for autoimmune conditions.
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