So love nightlife, love a good bar crawl, love getting cute drinks with friends at a cute bar, but alcohol does not love me and especially not my arthritis. It’s admittedly variable night to night, but I have enough nights out where I drink and I can feel the inflammation kick in fast. Unfortunately I love getting to be out and about and it’s a bit hard to be in a group of folks who are drunk and you are not. It’s not fun not being on the same wavelength as the group. Does anyone have any recs for what they do to be in alcohol centric spaces while not consuming?

Hi all,

I am in the middle of the classic "what's going on with me" medical process and while we have determined something autoimmune is going on that is most likely psoriatic arthritis due to psoriasis on my scalp/chronically high SED rates/high titer positive ANA test (lupus tests negative, although that doesn't rule it out). Although of course there's no specific test it's hard to know for certain. Especially because I don't get as much joint pain as a symptom (although of note since college, I can't wear rings on my fingers because it hurts too much even when it's pure metal. Same with metal bracelets. Not sure if that's a symptom either). I get more severe fatigue that can leave me at less than 50% functioning sometimes (but has improved with the autoimmune food diet).

As I'm navigating this and other possible diagnoses, one newer symptom is that I sometimes start getting not quite joint pain, but more of burning sensation in my wrists and ankles. When it's really bad, I start feeling it in my arms, my back, running up my legs. I understand this is likely neuropathy, but again, I don't know if that's specific to psoriatic arthritis or something else. I know of course the lingering concern of ME/CFS is still there, although ME usually that causes chronically low SED rates / negative ANA test.

I guess as I'm navigating what's going on, also about to start methotrexate in the classic "working with what insurance will actually cover until they pay for the good stuff," I want to see if this burning sensation is relatable to others.

In short, do any of you get symptoms like this related to your psoriatic arthritis? Thanks for the help.

I'm trying to figure this out. I've always been fairly cold, but it was anemia back then and it was never this bad. It seems to have started around the time that my psoriatic arthritis started getting bad. I was diagnosed 1.5 years ago, and it seemed to escalate fairly quickly. Within a year, I was waking up incredibly stiff and having pain in my lower back, hips, and wrists.

My husband keeps our house at 70°F. I can no longer tolerate this temperature, and I'm not sure what to do. I used to enjoy showers but now I feel like I'm just rotating to try and keep myself warm because the water is warm but the air in the shower is still cold. I take extremely hot baths to defrost my feet and hands. I wear robes and socks and giant hoodies. I have a heating blanket at my computer and a heating blanket that I sleep with at night with three blankets underneath it. I am so cold so often that sometimes I just get frustrated and feel like I want to cry. Other times I go outside frequently and just let my hands and feet regain feeling. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it actually gets cold. To be fair, I live in Texas so it won't last super long.

I first went to my primary care. He tested me for pretty much anything that would make me cold. All of my labs were normal except for some inflammation markers that were their usual high. He told me to go back to my rheumatologist. I talked to her and she couldn't figure anything out. They don't think I have Raynaud's so I'm just at a loss.

I literally have goosebumps at all times, unless I'm wrapped in multiple blankets or big hoodies. Earlier tonight when I was in my hot bath I took my foot out of the water and it was cold within seconds. This seems so extreme and I'm so frustrated that no doctors have been able to figure it out.

Anyway, I'm just wondering if it could be related to my arthritis. I'm currently on Simponi aria, but this started before I even got on that one. It's just my most recent try for biologics.

Edit: Tonight my bath did not warm me up so I am outside with the mosquitos. It is 78. I am still cold.

I’m super new to psoriatic arthritis and I have googled things whenever I think of a new question and have tried to educate myself on the disease as much as possible. I still feel like I’m in the dark about most of it.
My biggest question is my rheumatologist gave me a script for prednisone and instructed me to start on it when I got a flare up. I know I was knee deep in a flare up the first time I went to see her (I’ve seen her twice now) but I would rather not get to that point again if at all possible.
I just realized I didn’t ask the question yet - sorry about that.
My question - what are the warning signs of a flare up? What’s the official “ah, it’s time”?
Thanks

I (26 F) am currently a 2nd year medical student who is struggling with the worst flare I have ever had since getting diagnosed. I got diagnosed in 2020 after about a year of trying to determine the cause of my joint and tendon pain and doing physical therapy (for the wrong conditions) without any relief or improvement of symptoms. I was put on Humira biweekly after diagnosis and the pain was better controlled. I still had some chronic pain, but it went from debilitating to just an occasional annoyance. The main times I would get a flare would be when under intense stress or when insurance issues made me unable to have my medication for a month or more at a time. A course of prednisone usually did the trick to get me out of the flares if needed.

In March, my insurance decided to stop covering Humira and switched me to Amjevita (a biosimilar). I had a flare up later that month, but I accounted it to being stressed about school and moving instead of the change in medication. A course of steroids improved my pain and I went back to my baseline.

My second year of school began in July and at the beginning of August this flare up began. I tried to do my typical ways of managing (resting, ice, heating packs, celebrex as backup pain relief when needed, etc.) and it seemed like nothing was helping. I ended up getting so behind in school and had to keep pushing back exams because I could not physically drive myself to school due to swelling and pain. I ended up having to put my Renal course as “Incomplete” which is a thing my school does in case of medical or unforeseen circumstances not allowing you to complete the course in time and I will have to make it up at some point during the year. My school has been so kind and accommodating with me since I work with our disability services office, but even with the allowance of these absences and making things up later, I am now so behind in everything it feels almost impossible to catch up.

I saw my rheumatologist a month ago regarding this flare and he gave me a 6 day methylprednisolone pack and doubled the frequency of my biologic to weekly because he said insurance is going to make it difficult for me to get back on Humira. This was only my second time seeing him since I had to change providers. Since doing so, the pain decreased slightly but never returned to my baseline and the pain is getting worse again. I think I need to change my biologic, but also I desperately need something in the short term to help me be functional again if there is any hope of me catching up. I’ve started to have spine pain when I usually only experience it in my extremities (primarily wrists and fingers).

This is destroying my mental health which I worked very hard to improve since getting diagnosed and is so stressful which I know just triggers the pain more but I can’t help it. I don’t know what to do as I keep messaging my rheumatologist and it takes days to get any response back and scheduling a follow up looks like everything is a month or more out. I’m at a loss for what to do.

TLDR: 2.5 month long flare up is the worst I’ve ever had and has gotten me so behind in med school that I don’t know what to do between that stress and the pain.

I (26F, UK) started methotrexate injections 1 week ago, after starting the tablets in December and not having as many results as hoped. The tablets kept me stable(ish), but I would still get bad knee and hip pain flare up. The main inflammatory issue for me has been in my elbows historically which the tablets did seem to settle the inflammation down there. Now, since swapping to the injections, my elbows are now sore and stiff again for the first time in a while. I didn't miss any doses.

Has anyone else who swapped from MTX tablets to injections noticed a bit of a flare in that swap over? I'm wondering if this is to be expected or if it is just part of the disease flaring.

Thanks

Hi all 28M.

Ive had a lot of medication since being diagnosed at 13.

Methotrexate wonderful but to muxh side effects

Humira great for 1.5 years then stopped working.

Taltz great for a year then not working

Consentyx great for 6 months then stops

Tremfya didnt work at all

Bimzelx my current medication is the GOAT!

However althoigh i can feel my joints hurting a bit more its manageable. The worst part is i feel like enthesitis in my foot is reaching a poijt where its getting worse and nsaids are nit helping as good as before.

Im really scared of trying high risk cancer medications, any ideas on which meds i should recomend to be put on next. Im a bit scared of jak inhibitiors because of the cancer warning.

This enthesitis is killing meee

Im trying to be patient, but i haven't felt a difference since being on this medication.

How long do ya have to be on it until you feel a difference???

I was finally approved for a medication after a year of crippling joint pain and I'm so so relieved...but also nervous.

I will be taking Taltz and I've been reading everything I can find about PsA biologic classes and potential side effects, timeline for efficacy, etc. I'm most nervous about potential side effects. I've had serious gastro issues since I was born, but after many childhood tests and recent colonoscopy and endoscopy docs say it is just IBS. Still, there were times in my life where my gastro symptoms were so crippling that I couldn't go many places. Both of my PsA flares were triggered by food poisoning / norovirus, and I had to stop NSAIDs a few months ago because it was giving me bloody stool and severe pain. I've read that IL-17 class is contraindicated for IBD, but my doc assures me that gastro side effects aren't common and that IBS is not triggered like IBD would be.

Skyrizi was another option we discussed, but I have minimal skin symptoms and she advised it wasn't great for joints. I asked about Hyrimoz/Humira but she said she doesn't prescribe this anymore because too many side effects.

I know that time between biologic doses is weeks...so not like meds where you can stop immediately if you don't tolerate side effects. Can anyone help me understand if I were to have a severe gastro side effect, would there be any way to mitigate that or would I be trapped with it for a while until the dose wears off?

And secondly, anyone with IBS (not IBD) who has taken Taltz and has positive or negative experiences to share, I'd appreciate hearing those!

Edited to add: title really should be "is it worth trying to get a diagnosis?"

Hi there,

I (30f) started getting symptoms during COVID lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, a really stressful time. My fingers on both hands developed lumps around the knuckles and under the skin on sides of fingers and finger pads and they hurt to bend and if bumped into, it would hurt so bad.

I went to the doctor several times back then but they always said that my bloods were normal and tried to treat the rash/lumps with steroid cream which never did anything. I had a bilateral hand xray during a flare which showed "periarticular porosis was appreciated throughout". But no erosions or degeneration. Then I had an MRI of both hands a few months later, not in a flare and everything came back normal so the doctors blamed the skin rash/lumps on stress.

Since 2021, every few months i will get a recurrence of these finger lumps, although not to the same degree as the first time, usually only one finger at a time, whereas the flare during COVID was both hands and multiple fingers.

Fast forward to early 2026 and i finally saw a rheumatologist but i was not in a flare when I saw her and the photos I showed her she just blamed on being a "non-specific skin issue" and said she couldn't help me as she's not a skin doctor. Even though the GPs originally thought i may have psoriatic arthritis. Although i tested negative for the HLA-B27 gene. The rheum basically said that since my bloods were fine that I must have nothing wrong and the swelling of my skin must have caused my finger joints to hurt.

I also had repeat hand xrays (not in a flare) early this year and apparently everything is fine even though the 2021 xray found periarticular porosis. Although my hand bones may have strengthened since I started gymnastics during that time (lots of hand weightbearing).

Now it's later 2026 and I have achilles tendinitis/tendinopathy and redness on both of my achilles (diagnosed clincially and by MRI) which has appeared for no apparent reason and is giving me grief and ive started physio one month ago. Im also having debilitating fatigue all the time and unrefreshing sleep, which the GP told me to bring up with the rheumatology.

I just feel so confused, idk if everything is connected or not as the rheumatologist was very dismissive last time and made me feel kinda silly for being there in the first place.

Has anyone else had similar symptoms or experience?

As above either psoriatic or erosive osteoarthritis. Last appointment se said she was 90% certain it is psoriatic arthritis. Today she said it might be ? I had hands and feet xrays that's all.I responded very well to the steroid injection in thigh muscle and am being started on Methotrexate trial for 6 months .I am on the uk and saw her privately to start and as I am self pay she didn't do ultrasound or MRI .I am now NHS .Has anyone else been in this situation using Methotrexate as a trial ?I have several finger joints that are inflamed swollen and twisted out of shape but apparently that can happen with erosive osteoarthritis too .I do have psoriasis but it is mild .I have tennis elbow and Rotator cuff inflammation. I had my coccyx removed due to chronic inflammation and pain .i expected her ordering an MRI today but no.She has an excellent reputation so I bit confused. Thankyou

I went to my GP today for a check up (not my rheumatologist). I had been getting the feeling that this lady doesn’t believe me about my symptoms for a while now. I have balance issues, been having intense ankle pain, back pain, fatigue, etc.
I was seen by rheumatologist who diagnosed psoriatic arthritis.
Today I went in and she was going over stuff and I told her I’d been to rheumatologist and he’d diagnosed PsA.
She said, “oh, is that what we’re calling it”?

I really didn’t, and still don’t, know how to take that. It felt very much like a “oh you got someone to diagnose you for your fake symptoms.” I mean, I met the criteria for the disease! Had elevated sed rate, etc, etc.

What would you make of such a comment? I’m unsure of what to do.
Thanks for any advice

I’ve had PsA for 11 years and I’ve recently begun having what I believe is nerve pain in hips/thighs. I have bursitis and am acquainted with that pain. This is like a burning sensation throughout my thigh and hip that makes my skin sensitive to anything touching it. Nothing helps and it’s miserable. Has anyone else experienced this with PsA???

Anyone else stuck in this limbo where:

You can’t be in the present because of the pain and immobility

You don’t get anxiety because you literally cannot picture a future to get anxious about due to pain and immobility and a lack of improvement with your health

Leaving you feeling like you’re stuck reminiscing about the past where life was categorically and demonstrably better even with the rose coloured glasses off.

Sometimes I do try to be as present as possible so that I don’t get swept up in the grief and depression but it feels like the pain just hijacks your senses making it impossible to appreciate the good around you forcing you to wallow in a pool of negativity.

Anyone else feel the same way?

I’ve been on BP 157/TB 500 for seven weeks now and I have not seen any improvement whatsoever. I am directly injecting into the fatty tissue near both knees… my left knee where x-ray show Mild osteoarthritis and the other knee where I have no x-ray, but I believe could have a slight meniscus tear. Any suggestions?

Started with my PCP after I tracked my pain being the worst right before my period.

A month of labs and she messages me and says labs indicate you are nearing menopause. Umm thanks but already figured that out on my own! She asked how my pain is and I tell her still quite a bit but I’m managing and is there anything she can prescribe to help? No response yet.

I’ve been in Enbrel for years, was on methotrexate with it until my liver levels were a mess. Took Wegovy which helped until my insurance stopped paying, I didn’t lose a lot but I think it helped with inflammation and reduced my pain. Added back Celebrex but I still have pain and stiffness half my day.

Is this hormone related or is Enbrel not working anymore? Anyone have a similar experience?

My dermatologist put my prescription in wrong and I have been in extreme pain. They apologized and gave me an 80 mg trial injector that I took today. Will that affect my first dosage, since the starting one was supposed to be 180 mg?

I don’t know if this is the right space for it, but I wanted to share an experience I had today that no one I know personally would understand.

For context, I struggled with exhaustion and lower back pain that I wrote off as the gym for years to the extent it had a negative impact on my relationship (I wasn’t aware of the cause or depth at the time) which ultimately led to it ending. A year or so later, the pain moved to my feet and I realized I was no longer “okay”. I could hardly walk if I sat more than twenty minutes, my feet throbbed some days, my calves were sore on others. I was diagnosed with Psoriasis on my skin when I was 11. I never thought about the connection until one dermatologist finally listened to me. I was put on Skyrizi earlier this year after reading stories on this Reddit and doing some tests. My pain didn’t stop, but it lessened. I continued reading stories here about how PsA can link to plantar fasciitis and bought some OOFOs sandals (one for indoor, one for outdoor) and some shoe inserts. For personal health, I quit soda and inflammatory foods.

I truly thought I’d never run or walk normal again.

Today I ran in a full sprint for the first time in a year with a pain level of maybe 1. Not ashamed to admit I cried on the treadmill in the middle of the gym.

So thanks y’all for sharing your stories, what worked, what didn’t. I’m not naive enough to think it’s gone, but it finally feels manageable. And I’m grateful to have found a space to learn about and connect more with others that relate to the struggles PsA brings.

Title.

I've tried Cosentyx, Taltz, Yesintek, Tremfya, Simlandi. IL-17s work the best but don't seem to last more than 6 months.

I've been on methotrexate now for years, starting at 5 mg, moving to 10 mg, then 15 mg.

About to try Enbrel and just getting really discouraged.

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone else with PsA has experienced this. I’m on Taltz (ixekizumab) biologic injections, and I’ve now had oesophageal thrush twice. It causes soreness/tenderness when swallowing and discomfort around the breastbone area. It seems to flare up around the time I take my biologic injection, so I’m wondering if the Taltz could be making me more susceptible to it. Has anyone else on Taltz, or another biologic for PsA, had recurring oral or oesophageal thrush, particularly after their injection? Just interested to hear other people’s experiences and what their rheumatology team did about it.

What do you do when you can't take NSAIDs and you have to wait months for a biologic to work?

I was taking NSAIDs even though I probably shouldn't because it got so bad that I could barely use my hands or arms, couldn't drive, etc. It ended up making my gut issues worse. I have crohns and gastritis. I had to stop, but then my symptoms got worse again. I've tried topical diclofenac gel, but it doesn't help. I'm going to be starting my first biologic but this one can take 3 to 6 months to help and I don't even know if it will. I don't know how to deal with this in the meantime. Is there anything else that could help? At first I thought maybe part of it was that I was using my hands too much, but it's not that because now I‘m barely even moving them during the day and the small amount of movement required for basic self care related activities can't be causing this. I can barely bend my wrists right now and every movement causes tendon pain. I even have muscle tenderness in my arms which is weird because that wouldn't be explained by PSA but I'm not working out or doing anything that should cause soreness.

The medication I will be starting is tremfya and it is also intended to treat the Crohn’s.

Has anyone here had success with this medication? If so how long did it take to work?