I am newly diagnosed RA (34 y/o diabetic). Tried Plaquenil for 3 mos with no results so RA Doc disc med. Basically I rely on Advil but am in constant (slight to severe) pain all the time. Do any of the other over the counter pain relievers really differ? I am considering going over to CVS and just trying something new to see if any is more effective. I'll be seeing the RA Doc & my PCP soon to try a different course of treatment...

I, too, am newly diagnosed with RA. I just started on Plaquenil a few weeks ago and am also taking Celebrex. I am starting to have some relief from the Celebrex (although it's not over the counter) maybe you should talk to your doctor about something like that. Also, my doctor told me the Plaquenil would take a few months to kick in (I have also read it could take up to 6 months). I'm certainly no doctor, but maybe they could keep you on the Plaquenil just a bit longer to see if it starts to help?? Just a thought.

As far as over the counter, I haven't really found much to help - except when I used to take 3 or 4 Ibuprofen at a time, but the Celebrex is actually better on your stomach (Bextra is another arthris medication like Celebrex). Not sure if these would have any interaction with your Diabetes.

Let us know if you do find OTC medicines for pain relief!

For me, I started out at my PCP taking celebrex, vioxx, amitriptyline, naproxen, etc. Nothing seemed to help. Aleve works welll, if you take enough of it, but then it interferes with some meds. Right now Im on Prednisone and Tylenol and am feeling better. I notice an improvement in the way I feel a little while afte I take it. Am stiff in the morning until I take it though.

Have you thought about trying Glucosamine/Chondritin (sp?)??? I hear it helps some and is OTC. You might ask your doc about those supplements and see what they think about them for you.

Best of luck!!

Meg