Even after taking medicines, there is no improvement in pain radiating from hip to toe. Why?

Question

Hi doctor,

My mother is 43 years old and she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis three months back. She has a serum uric acid level of 4.3 mg/dl and an RF IgM antibody of 132.1 units/ml. Her treatment was started by taking Defcort 6 mg for a week, Methotrexate 15 mg for three months, HCQS 200 daily after dinner for three months, and vitamin B12 shots weekly for a month followed by B12 shots every month. Even after taking medications, she does not have an improvement in her knee pain, ankle pain, and pain radiating from hip to toe. She took a pain killer Setolac ER 300 mg. But there is no improvement. Kindly suggest.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Pain radiating from hip to toe occurs due to sciatica and it does not occur due to rheumatoid arthritis. Your mother needs to take nerve-suppressing painkillers and physiotherapy. Regarding other joint pains, we need to rule out the cause after having a detailed history. It is necessary to increase your mother's arthritis medications. Your mother needs to take Folate with Methotrexate to avoid its side effects in the long term. Your mother needs to do CBC (complete blood count), RFT (renal function test), and LFT (liver function test) every three months as arthritis medications can cause side effects.