I’ve been on methotrexate, Celebrex, and prednisone since January and my fatigue and pain is worse than ever. How long do these meds take to take effect? Today is one of the worst days I’ve ever had! My legs are hurting so bad I can’t stand more than a few minutes at a time and I’ve had a terrible headache for two days. I couldn’t sleep last night because of the pain and the fatigue feels ten times worse. I can’t get any relief at all. I’ve been in and out of bed all day. Are these meds going to work or not? I feel worse now than I did before I started them!
Wow..sorry to hear you are hurting so badly. Does it feel like a flair up or possibly the onset of a flu? I wouldn't wait any time before calling the doc though. For me personally, prednisone usually kicks in at about the 5 day mark so a few months is plenty of time. I only take Plaquenil (which takes a good 4 months to kick in), not your other 2 so I can't help but I am sure some of the others will chime in. Till then, sending gentle hugs.
Here's my question. First, is your dose of prednisone enough to make a difference? Keep in mind that you don't want to be on prednisone long term, which is why my doctor usually just does a burst.
Second, is it not inflammation based? There are lots of people who have an autoimmune disease AND fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia will not respond to prednisone, and with the headache and fatigue as part of what you are describing, I'm wondering if this is a piece of it.
Also, not all meds will work for everyone. Methotrexate did nothing for me, but leflunomide, another drug in that class, has worked well for me. I gave MTX a 6 month trial, with no benefit.