Methotrexate is a DMARD. A disease modifying anti rheumatic drug. DMARD's actually stop the disease from damaging your body. A GOOD treatment protocol for arthritis will use DMARDs, NSAIDS (celebrex is a cox 2 inhibitor in the NSAID class and naproxn, ibuprofen and aspirin are all NSAIDS too). NSAIDS help the pain of arthritis by decreasing inflammation.
Vicodin (the vico part of vicoprofen) is a narcotic. Most people who use narcotics for pain have a 0.02% chance of having addiction problems, so it is NOT a class of medications to be afraid of. The War on Drugs has unfairly targeted narcotics being used for pain control.
The NSAIDS carry a very REAL risk of creating serious gastrointestinal problems. If you take them daily you should also be on a medication like prilosec or nexium. More people DIE from NSAIDS than deal with addiction from properly rx'd narcotic pain medications for arthritis. NSAIDS can be a quiet killer. Toradol (ketorolac) is one of the deadliest. It is SO effective at masking pain that you can bleed to death internally without feeling any stomach problems at all. If you are given it to take at home (rather than as a very rare shot at the doctor's office) you should NOT take it more then 3-4 days in a row and not more than 5 days in a month.
If you take OTC medications like aleve or advil it is important to read the full instructions on the label. IF you need more, or to take them longer than as directed on the package you really should see the doctor.
Celebrex is NOT a medication you should borrow. It carries a huge risk to your heart. ONLY take YOUR celebrex. It is very very dangerous. That is why celebrex is the ONLY cox-2 still in use. The others were all taken off the market by the manuf. Celebrex chose to stay in the market because it felt the unimpeded access to the market would vastly offset the cost in lawsuits for early death or disease. So far they are winning the gamble, but in many cases the public is losing that battle.
It CAN be a useful drug. But it can be DEADLY if you take it and you are not rx'd it. It also needs time to build up in your system. An occasional dose will not help.
You may want to ask your doctor about Lyrica. It can be helpful for some hand and foot problems.
Saucony does make an awesome shoe for those of us with foot problems. They include a larger toe box so they don't press on your foot as much. They also do not crunch your toes together much. I have never tried a pair on that did not feel awesome. I can only try 2-3 pairs of shoes on at a time anymore. If I go for that 4th try I spend a few days with my feet cramping to beat the band.
I also have found Crocs to be a good choice. THey give enough support and shock absorption with-o cramping my feet.
Z coil shoes are also worth investigating. Usually under $100, they have a big heavy duty spring under your heel. Once the spring compresses when you stand on it, the heel is just about level with the toe bed. I LUCKED into a brand new pair at our church thrift store. They felt amazing when I tried them on. They said they would have to charge more for them than they usually charged. So instead of the normal $2 they wanted to charge me $4, LOL!! I actually paid $5 because they were out of ones and I wouldn't take change.
When you buy z coils from the store they adjust the spring so that your body aligns correctly. I paid $20 to have mine adjusted simply because they took so much time with me. THey would not have charged me but since they spent more than half an hour working with me I didn't think it was fair. I am planning to take them in for a new heel pad soon.
Zcoils have that up front cost but they last twice as long. You can take the shoes in and have the heel pad replaced for very little cost. Our store quoted me $20 for new pads and adjustment and $25 for new pads and new springs and adjustment. It was a few months ago, but still. That will give me at least another year of comfy wear.
I have the "clog" version that my feet just slide in. They also have sneakers and even a few other types. You can see the shoes on ebay or you can see the full product line and find a local retailer by searching for z coil shoes on google.
Be sure to investigate insoles and other ways to support your feet. We have several podiatrists in town who now carry the Dr. Scholl's massaging gel insoles instead of their private expensive kinds. They are more affordable and they provide an amazing amount of support and comfort.
Regular massage of your feet can also help.
IF the arthritis is kicking into gear you really NEED to see your doctor. There are a LOT of DMARDs now. There are also the tumor necrosis drugs, which are heavy duty medications. They include Enbrel, Humira and Remicade, plus a couple of others. These work specifically on a substance released by the disease. They can provide an amazing return to functioning and they can really end the pain for you.
They DO have side effects so it is not something to jump into. Remicade CAUSES lupus in many many patients. Everyone I know who has used remicade (more than 20 relatives and friends of my parents!) has ended up fighting lupus after trying remicade. Remicade is actually given via IV over a couple of hours spent at the doctor's office or hospital. Enbrel and Humira are medications you injejct into yourself. Each one comes with pre-loaded syringes or with injector pens similar to the imitrex injections or an epipen. You just clean the skin and then put the loaded pen against your leg and push a button. I hate those so I got actual syringes preloaded with the medications.
When they work they are miracles. For some patients, like me, they never have any effect. For some they just stop working after a few months.
I strongly suggest using the various DMARDs that are NOT these tumor necrosis factor medications. While they didn't help ME, I have seen my mothers hands go from having "ulnar drift" where her fingers point more than 45 degrees off of their normal angle (they shifted to be angled toward her thumb more than they came straight off of her hand). It was excruciating and it was almost impossible to do any normal activity with her fingers.
Mom takes Arava and it is a miracle medication. Her fingers not only work but the hands look normal and are as close to painless as they ahve ever been.
So, this is a ton of info. Use what you can. Write down info about DMARDs and about the other medications and then consult your doctor about this. It is important to start real treatment early to avoid permanent damage to your body.