Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 A huge problem, Sue. I think your rheumatologist shouldn't be putting you at risk by refusing to give you something to protect your stomach. You can have another bleed without discomfort or warning. What sort of acid reducer did the pharmacist suggest? I'll tell you where to go! Mayo Clinic in Rochester http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester s Hopkins Medicine http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org [ ] Switching from Bextra > > I told the rheumy Fellow that I was ready to try something else besides > Bextra. I asked about salsalate, and he thought that was a good choice. > He prescribed 500mg tablets, 1 or 2 to be taken twice a day. I've been > taking one in the morning, and two at night. In the past, I had a > bleeding ulcer from Aleve, so asked about taking a proton inhibiter or > acid reducer with it. He said I could try it by itself and see if I had > any stomach discomfort. > > My pharmacist, however, insisted that I had to take something to > protect my stomach. He recommended OTC Prilosec. That was too > expensive, I told him. It was $27 for a 14-day supply, I believe it > was. So I got an acid reducer, the CVS brand. He said to take that 30 > minutes before I eat, then eat, and then take the salsalate. So that's > what I've been doing, except when I forget to take the salsalate after > I eat. > > Unfortunately, it's not doing much for me. Enbrel and Bextra were > working so well for me. I considered myself lucky to be having almost > no pain, while so many of you here were suffering so much. I didn't > realize how much the Bextra was helping the Enbrel out. Now, I'm having > pain in my hips, knees, lower back, and feet. I'm even walking funny. > The pain doesn't seem to go away at all. I wonder if the salsalate is > helping any at all. It's also very scary to think that I might get > another bleeding ulcer. > > What should I do? > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 A huge problem, Sue. I think your rheumatologist shouldn't be putting you at risk by refusing to give you something to protect your stomach. You can have another bleed without discomfort or warning. What sort of acid reducer did the pharmacist suggest? I'll tell you where to go! Mayo Clinic in Rochester http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester s Hopkins Medicine http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org [ ] Switching from Bextra > > I told the rheumy Fellow that I was ready to try something else besides > Bextra. I asked about salsalate, and he thought that was a good choice. > He prescribed 500mg tablets, 1 or 2 to be taken twice a day. I've been > taking one in the morning, and two at night. In the past, I had a > bleeding ulcer from Aleve, so asked about taking a proton inhibiter or > acid reducer with it. He said I could try it by itself and see if I had > any stomach discomfort. > > My pharmacist, however, insisted that I had to take something to > protect my stomach. He recommended OTC Prilosec. That was too > expensive, I told him. It was $27 for a 14-day supply, I believe it > was. So I got an acid reducer, the CVS brand. He said to take that 30 > minutes before I eat, then eat, and then take the salsalate. So that's > what I've been doing, except when I forget to take the salsalate after > I eat. > > Unfortunately, it's not doing much for me. Enbrel and Bextra were > working so well for me. I considered myself lucky to be having almost > no pain, while so many of you here were suffering so much. I didn't > realize how much the Bextra was helping the Enbrel out. Now, I'm having > pain in my hips, knees, lower back, and feet. I'm even walking funny. > The pain doesn't seem to go away at all. I wonder if the salsalate is > helping any at all. It's also very scary to think that I might get > another bleeding ulcer. > > What should I do? > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 After I told him OTC Prilosec was too expensive, he suggested Ranitidine acid reducer. And I didn't WANT another prescription medication. He didn't refuse; I didn't ask for anything. I am already on nine prescription medications. That's enough already, LOL. My co-pay for brand names is $25 a month. For generics, it's $10. For Enbrel, it's $40. Most of the others are brand names. I know that this is cheap compared to the cost for someone who has no insurance, but it still gets to be expensive when you have several diseases. Oh, and I forgot the non-prescription eye drops that I have to use in my eyes, so expensive (for basically what is salt and water) that I order it from Canada. Not to mention the doctor visits. Medicare pays 80%; my supplementary insurance is free but requires me to pay $15 per visit plus 20% of the rest, so that they wind up paying maybe $.59 toward a doctor bill. My old insurance was free; Medicare costs $66.60 a month. It all adds up. I am thankful that I can afford good health care, though. Sue On Friday, March 4, 2005, at 08:17 PM, wrote: > > A huge problem, Sue. I think your rheumatologist shouldn't be putting > you at > risk by refusing to give you something to protect your stomach. You > can have > another bleed without discomfort or warning. What sort of acid reducer > did > the pharmacist suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 After I told him OTC Prilosec was too expensive, he suggested Ranitidine acid reducer. And I didn't WANT another prescription medication. He didn't refuse; I didn't ask for anything. I am already on nine prescription medications. That's enough already, LOL. My co-pay for brand names is $25 a month. For generics, it's $10. For Enbrel, it's $40. Most of the others are brand names. I know that this is cheap compared to the cost for someone who has no insurance, but it still gets to be expensive when you have several diseases. Oh, and I forgot the non-prescription eye drops that I have to use in my eyes, so expensive (for basically what is salt and water) that I order it from Canada. Not to mention the doctor visits. Medicare pays 80%; my supplementary insurance is free but requires me to pay $15 per visit plus 20% of the rest, so that they wind up paying maybe $.59 toward a doctor bill. My old insurance was free; Medicare costs $66.60 a month. It all adds up. I am thankful that I can afford good health care, though. Sue On Friday, March 4, 2005, at 08:17 PM, wrote: > > A huge problem, Sue. I think your rheumatologist shouldn't be putting > you at > risk by refusing to give you something to protect your stomach. You > can have > another bleed without discomfort or warning. What sort of acid reducer > did > the pharmacist suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Sue, Sorry that your having pain. I wonder how long it will take for the Salsalate to start working. I hope it kicks in for you soon, and gives you some relief. I'm not sure about that med, have never tried it. Good luck, Tawny > I told the rheumy Fellow that I was ready to try something else besides > Bextra. I asked about salsalate, and he thought that was a good choice. > He prescribed 500mg tablets, 1 or 2 to be taken twice a day. I've been > taking one in the morning, and two at night. In the past, I had a > bleeding ulcer from Aleve, so asked about taking a proton inhibiter or > acid reducer with it. He said I could try it by itself and see if I had > any stomach discomfort. > > My pharmacist, however, insisted that I had to take something to > protect my stomach. He recommended OTC Prilosec. That was too > expensive, I told him. It was $27 for a 14-day supply, I believe it > was. So I got an acid reducer, the CVS brand. He said to take that 30 > minutes before I eat, then eat, and then take the salsalate. So that's > what I've been doing, except when I forget to take the salsalate after > I eat. > > Unfortunately, it's not doing much for me. Enbrel and Bextra were > working so well for me. I considered myself lucky to be having almost > no pain, while so many of you here were suffering so much. I didn't > realize how much the Bextra was helping the Enbrel out. Now, I'm having > pain in my hips, knees, lower back, and feet. I'm even walking funny. > The pain doesn't seem to go away at all. I wonder if the salsalate is > helping any at all. It's also very scary to think that I might get > another bleeding ulcer. > > What should I do? > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Sue, Sorry that your having pain. I wonder how long it will take for the Salsalate to start working. I hope it kicks in for you soon, and gives you some relief. I'm not sure about that med, have never tried it. Good luck, Tawny > I told the rheumy Fellow that I was ready to try something else besides > Bextra. I asked about salsalate, and he thought that was a good choice. > He prescribed 500mg tablets, 1 or 2 to be taken twice a day. I've been > taking one in the morning, and two at night. In the past, I had a > bleeding ulcer from Aleve, so asked about taking a proton inhibiter or > acid reducer with it. He said I could try it by itself and see if I had > any stomach discomfort. > > My pharmacist, however, insisted that I had to take something to > protect my stomach. He recommended OTC Prilosec. That was too > expensive, I told him. It was $27 for a 14-day supply, I believe it > was. So I got an acid reducer, the CVS brand. He said to take that 30 > minutes before I eat, then eat, and then take the salsalate. So that's > what I've been doing, except when I forget to take the salsalate after > I eat. > > Unfortunately, it's not doing much for me. Enbrel and Bextra were > working so well for me. I considered myself lucky to be having almost > no pain, while so many of you here were suffering so much. I didn't > realize how much the Bextra was helping the Enbrel out. Now, I'm having > pain in my hips, knees, lower back, and feet. I'm even walking funny. > The pain doesn't seem to go away at all. I wonder if the salsalate is > helping any at all. It's also very scary to think that I might get > another bleeding ulcer. > > What should I do? > > Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Sue, If after a few more days you don't think salsalate is helping, maybe etodolac (Lodine)? It's available as a generic and has been around for a pretty long time. It's more COX-2 selective than salsalate (but not as much as the coxibs) and from most of what I've read, it seems as safe as Vioxx for the GI tract. They haven't found a cardiovascular risk yet, and they are looking. I've heard several members mention that they are on it. Salsalate is safer than many NSAIDs for the GI tract, but since you've already had a problem, you have to be very careful. Check this out: *********************************** Generic NSAID Causes Fewer Complications November 19, 2004 08:41:12 PM PST FRIDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDayNews) -- The generic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) etodolac caused 60 percent fewer gastrointestinal ulcer complications than the over-the-counter painkiller naproxen. That's what researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center report in a new study. The study included more than 16,000 patients who took either etodolac or naproxen over three years. The study found that the decrease in ulcer complications with etodolac was as large or larger than decreases in earlier studies with brand-name NSAIDs such as Celebrex and Vioxx. Vioxx was recently pulled from the market by its manufacturers because of concerns over side effects such as heart attacks. The use of etodolac instead of brand-name drugs could save the VA health system about $40 million a year, the study said. " Since etodolac is available as generic medicine, as much as an 80 percent cost savings can be achieved if patients were to use it rather than branded medications such as Celebrex or Bextra, " study author Dr. Byron Cryer, a VA physician and an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern, said in a prepared statement. " In the 13 years of etodolac's use in the United States, there have been no reports of increases in cardiovascular events associated with the drug either, " Cryer said. The study appears in the November issue of Gastroenterology. ******************************** Same story: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=6278 I'll tell you where to go! Mayo Clinic in Rochester http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester s Hopkins Medicine http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org Re: [ ] Switching from Bextra > > After I told him OTC Prilosec was too expensive, he suggested > Ranitidine acid reducer. And I didn't WANT another prescription > medication. He didn't refuse; I didn't ask for anything. I am already > on nine prescription medications. That's enough already, LOL. My co-pay > for brand names is $25 a month. For generics, it's $10. For Enbrel, > it's $40. Most of the others are brand names. I know that this is cheap > compared to the cost for someone who has no insurance, but it still > gets to be expensive when you have several diseases. Oh, and I forgot > the non-prescription eye drops that I have to use in my eyes, so > expensive (for basically what is salt and water) that I order it from > Canada. Not to mention the doctor visits. Medicare pays 80%; my > supplementary insurance is free but requires me to pay $15 per visit > plus 20% of the rest, so that they wind up paying maybe $.59 toward a > doctor bill. My old insurance was free; Medicare costs $66.60 a month. > It all adds up. > > I am thankful that I can afford good health care, though. > > Sue > > On Friday, March 4, 2005, at 08:17 PM, wrote: >> >> A huge problem, Sue. I think your rheumatologist shouldn't be putting >> you at >> risk by refusing to give you something to protect your stomach. You >> can have >> another bleed without discomfort or warning. What sort of acid reducer >> did >> the pharmacist suggest? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Sue, If after a few more days you don't think salsalate is helping, maybe etodolac (Lodine)? It's available as a generic and has been around for a pretty long time. It's more COX-2 selective than salsalate (but not as much as the coxibs) and from most of what I've read, it seems as safe as Vioxx for the GI tract. They haven't found a cardiovascular risk yet, and they are looking. I've heard several members mention that they are on it. Salsalate is safer than many NSAIDs for the GI tract, but since you've already had a problem, you have to be very careful. Check this out: *********************************** Generic NSAID Causes Fewer Complications November 19, 2004 08:41:12 PM PST FRIDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDayNews) -- The generic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) etodolac caused 60 percent fewer gastrointestinal ulcer complications than the over-the-counter painkiller naproxen. That's what researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center report in a new study. The study included more than 16,000 patients who took either etodolac or naproxen over three years. The study found that the decrease in ulcer complications with etodolac was as large or larger than decreases in earlier studies with brand-name NSAIDs such as Celebrex and Vioxx. Vioxx was recently pulled from the market by its manufacturers because of concerns over side effects such as heart attacks. The use of etodolac instead of brand-name drugs could save the VA health system about $40 million a year, the study said. " Since etodolac is available as generic medicine, as much as an 80 percent cost savings can be achieved if patients were to use it rather than branded medications such as Celebrex or Bextra, " study author Dr. Byron Cryer, a VA physician and an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern, said in a prepared statement. " In the 13 years of etodolac's use in the United States, there have been no reports of increases in cardiovascular events associated with the drug either, " Cryer said. The study appears in the November issue of Gastroenterology. ******************************** Same story: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=6278 I'll tell you where to go! Mayo Clinic in Rochester http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester s Hopkins Medicine http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org Re: [ ] Switching from Bextra > > After I told him OTC Prilosec was too expensive, he suggested > Ranitidine acid reducer. And I didn't WANT another prescription > medication. He didn't refuse; I didn't ask for anything. I am already > on nine prescription medications. That's enough already, LOL. My co-pay > for brand names is $25 a month. For generics, it's $10. For Enbrel, > it's $40. Most of the others are brand names. I know that this is cheap > compared to the cost for someone who has no insurance, but it still > gets to be expensive when you have several diseases. Oh, and I forgot > the non-prescription eye drops that I have to use in my eyes, so > expensive (for basically what is salt and water) that I order it from > Canada. Not to mention the doctor visits. Medicare pays 80%; my > supplementary insurance is free but requires me to pay $15 per visit > plus 20% of the rest, so that they wind up paying maybe $.59 toward a > doctor bill. My old insurance was free; Medicare costs $66.60 a month. > It all adds up. > > I am thankful that I can afford good health care, though. > > Sue > > On Friday, March 4, 2005, at 08:17 PM, wrote: >> >> A huge problem, Sue. I think your rheumatologist shouldn't be putting >> you at >> risk by refusing to give you something to protect your stomach. You >> can have >> another bleed without discomfort or warning. What sort of acid reducer >> did >> the pharmacist suggest? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Thanks, , I will keep this in mind. I plan to keep on with salsalate for a while longer. I have a month's supply. Don't know if I'll last a month, though. Sue On Friday, March 4, 2005, at 10:41 PM, wrote: > > If after a few more days you don't think salsalate is helping, maybe > etodolac > (Lodine)? It's available as a generic and has been around for a pretty > long > time. It's more COX-2 selective than salsalate (but not as much as the > coxibs) and from most of what I've read, it seems as safe as Vioxx for > the > GI tract. They haven't found a cardiovascular risk yet, and they are > looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Thanks, , I will keep this in mind. I plan to keep on with salsalate for a while longer. I have a month's supply. Don't know if I'll last a month, though. Sue On Friday, March 4, 2005, at 10:41 PM, wrote: > > If after a few more days you don't think salsalate is helping, maybe > etodolac > (Lodine)? It's available as a generic and has been around for a pretty > long > time. It's more COX-2 selective than salsalate (but not as much as the > coxibs) and from most of what I've read, it seems as safe as Vioxx for > the > GI tract. They haven't found a cardiovascular risk yet, and they are > looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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