Hi All,
My daughter sent me the link for this board and I just love it here! I have been searching for the name of a drug and I can't find it anywhere so I thought I would come here for help. I had a knee injection today and all I can remember about the name of the drug he used started with a D. Can someone please tell me what it was? It's been about 7 hours now and I still have no relief! OUCH!!! Thanks so much, Grama

I could guess at a drug with a D, but I'd rather be sure. I believe most injections may take about 3 days for relief. Hope it works for you. It sometimes feels uncomfortable going in, but when you reap the benefit, it's worth the discomfort. Good luck to you.


Maggie

Thank you Maggie, I am sure hoping for relief because the pain keeps me awake as it hurts more when I lay down than when I am putting pressure on it. Thanks again for your quick reply! Grama

Starts with a D, doesn't ring a bell. I know there's several that lubricate the joints and you do in a series of 3 and are supposed to last 6 months but right now the names just aren't clicking.

The other is a Steriodal injection which is supposed to help with the inflamation.

Either way ice the area and don't over do it by using a lot of stairs or walking for a few days. If it's not better in a week call your doctor

Hello Kissa,

I have been waiting for you to reply and I thought for sure you would know what I was talking about! You are really good at advice and knowing things. I will have to call my doc and ask him what it was and then I will post it on here. I knew I should have written it down darn it! He told me that I could get the shot every 3 months for awhile. I had one in the same knee by a different doc about a year ago and it only lasted maybe a month so...

Thank you so much for replying and I will let you know what the stuff is when I find out! Grama

Sorry I wasn't more detailed last night I was tired and it was late for me. Was having one of those days where my medications weren't working quite right and that too puts me in a fog :)

That sounds more like a cortisone or steriodal injection. Does the name Dexamethasone ring a bell at all? It is an injectable cortisone.

What I was thinking is something called hyaluronan which is known as Synvisc or Hyalgan. They lubricate the joint so the knee tracks better and gives some cushioning. Generally those are done in sets of 3 every 6 months but it might be possible that he is using them only once every 3 months but that wouldnt be standard protocol because you need a set of 3 - 7 depending on the product. These types of injections are also known as 'viscosupplements'

I would be very concerned if they were cortisone or steriods and the reason being is you are not to get more than 3 injections in a one years period as they do detiorate the cartlidge very rapidly and can cause damage to your ligaments and muscles.

By the way if it is in fact the product I mentioned which is used for arthritis and many other things it does indicate that you should not get any type of live viral vaccines.

Let me know if you think that's what it is!

Barbie

Hello Barbie,

It wasn't Synvisc because I can't afford that and insurance won't cover it. I just called the Dr's. office and asked and she said that it was just Cortizone. Nice huh? I couldn't get a name out of her at all. I am going to ask my daughter if that Dexamethasone sounds familiar to her because she too looked at the paper. I want to get another look at it myself I'll tell you that!
I didn't know that stuff would harm the joints that I barely have any of to begin with. So far, still no relief! Thanks so much for letting me know. Grama

Sometimes it takes two injections for it to work. Do some research though and find out the harmful effects of cortisone you may never want to have another agian.
I can tell you that the cartilage in my one knee is completely mushy and a ligament stopped functioning from injections. I am very surprised he told you it's ok to have those every 3 months. It is not ok to have them like that. 3 in one years period of time tops! He won't be doing you any favors if he injects you like that.
Keep icing the knee and keep it elevated. If it doesn't go away by the weekend you need to call him
If you notice swelling, redness or extreme pain that wasn't there before go to the ER if you can't get ahold of your doctor!

Barbie

Hi,

When you wrote Dexamethasone, I Googled that and found the brand name Decadron and then I remembered it. That's what it was. I don't think I will get another one, I will wait and see. I only did this time because the pain was so unbearable I couldn't sleep at night. I'm having a lot of trouble with it today but it's really humid and maybe it hasn't set in yet. Thank you so much for all the information about it and helping me figure out what it was! Grama

Theres a few things you can do for your knee that I post about often.
One is recommended by the Arthritis Foundation and that is to take 1200 mg of vitamin C daily. Vitamin C will slow down the degeneration and damage of your knee by a great amount. I'm not sure if it works for other joints as I think the knee was the only one tested.

Make sure you are wearing flat shoes, high heels and pumps can cause some problems not only with the knee but the lower back. Make sure your shoes are comfy as well.

Ice your knee for 20 minutes every hour when the pain is real severe, do not use heat because it will only cause more inflamation.

You can get a compression type of dressing or an ace bandage, do not put it on too tight, the compression will help with the swelling and you may feel a little better.

Do exercises to strengthen up your quads, this is particularly important if you ever have knee surgery.

I hope you knee feels better soon. It always took a few days for me as well after similar injections.

Barbie

Hi Barbie,
Thanks again for all your help on my knees. I have been in so much pain that I HAD to use ice packs just to numb it so I could breathe!!! I think the shot is working a little bit and now I kinda wish I would have had Doc shoot the left knee too. Oh well, at least I can sleep now. For how long I don't know but it's a relief. I am going to go get that Vitamin C you suggested too!! Again, thank you so very much!!! Grama

With a very painful knee on every step, I had 2 choices per my Orthoped. One was for knee replacement. The other was for 3 shots of SINVISC spaced a week apart.
I chose the shots and my knee is totally cured. Sinvisc is a lubricant. I was told that I may need more shots in 6 months to a year but its been 18 months and all is well. Calida

Hello,

Thank you for your reply!! My insurance won't cover that darn it. I sure wish I could afford it but it would cost me about 700. per knee. I am on a fixed income so that is way out of the question. I am so glad to hear that it worked for you so very well!!! You are one of the lucky ones. A friend of mine had those shots and they have worn off after about 6 months. We are in our early 50's and doc says we are too young for replacements yet. Well, gee, I would like to be able to walk better now, I'm not going to worry about it when I'm in a nursing home for crying out loud!!

I hope your knees keep getting you around pain free! I am so happy for you cause I know the pain too well. Thanks again, Grama :wave:

There are several different injections for arthritis. I've had 13 knee surgeries due to chrondromalacia patella (softening of the cartilage under the kneecap) and many injections unfortunately. I'm age 27. One of the most common injections is cortisone/dexamethasone which is a steroid that reduces inflammation but you don't want to have too many of those. Another option is synvisc/hyalgen- I've never had these but some people have these. It's synthetic joint fluid that is injected into the knee joint- the results have been mixed. I go to a pain management doctor who is an anesthesiologist and he recently did a morphine injection into my knee. These are not very common but are done now after surgery many times in combination with a marcaine ( a local anesthetic). The morphine injection helped me. hope this helps! Margaret

Hi Margaret,

Thank you for your reply. The med he shot into my knee was that Cortizone. It lasted about a week and now I'm back to the drawing board again. My Lord, 27 and 13 surgeries?? I had a sister in law who had to go through a lot of them too, I don't think I could do it! I'm 54 and the doctors say I am just too young. Well, I would rather walk now and worry about it when I'm an old lady. Thanks again for replying. I hope things work out alright for you! Deanna

Thank you Deanna! Cortisone always works about a week for me also!! I'm getting ready for another morphine injection on Tuesday. I'm so nervous- it's very painful due to the large amount of fluid injected- the marcaine then the morphine mixed with saline. I will be partially sedated with Actiq (fentanyl citrate oralet). I hope it will again help me for about a month. Arthritis- what a challenge! Margaret

I've had 13 knee surgeries due to chrondromalacia patella (softening of the cartilage under the kneecap) and many injections unfortunately. I'm age 27.

Margaret,
With the problems that you have with your knee, I'd really feel uncomfortable getting steriodal injections. I have the same dx and no cartilage, I used to get injections years ago but stopped because it completely destroyed my cartilage.The reason being is that the injections do in fact destroy what's left of the cartilage over time by softening it
Be very careful about it with your knee, it doesn't happen immediately but it does happen over time.

Honestly the safest thing to do is take 1200mg vitamin C daily. I know I say that all the time but I wouldn't say it if it were not true and that it was actually proven to work by the Arthritis association.