Ankylosing Spondylitis or Psoratic arthritis along with a bit of Iritis..

[Handsup]

I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis after blood tests showing up the HLA B27 gene in conjunction with an attack of iritis and lots of joint pain from the lower back, knees and heels. I also get a small patch of psoriasis on my elbow (not bothersome).

I've been taking Neurofen on and off for a couple of years but the pain and fatigue is now becoming overwhelming. The rheumatologist offered the more advance drugs but the side effects sound really unpleasant and the thought of my immune system being suppressed worries me as I've glandular fever in the past and I've felt lowish ever since.

Has anyone here had the condition? What options/ drugs have you taken?

The consequences of chronic untreated AS are also grim. Give meds a go before you decide against them . Do not be scared off my others and discuss options well with your Consultant. Long term nurofen also has significant risk to stomach and kidneys so keep very open mind.

I have psoriatic arthritis, diagnosed 8 years ago. After a few years of breastfeeding, TTC , pregnancy then breastfeeding again, I now take immune suppresants - methotrexate. (I tried hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine but neither worked out).

The mtx is quite a big deal in some ways. No more babies, not much booze, and some unpleasant side effects in the early days. But it does work. I no longer wake up in the night, unable to sleep through the pain. And it has halted the joint damage that really worried me - I want to be able to use my hands for many years to come.

It took me quite a while to accept this was the right thing to do for me. You have to think about it in the round - your whole well being. Some rheumatologists aren't great at that. One never understood me wanting to breastfeed when it limited choices of medication. But most do.

The other thing though is that its not just a straight choice between over the counter nurofen and methotrexate. Stronger anti inflammatories and steroids (tablets and injections) kept me going until I was ready for the heavy stuff.

Good luck with it.

Thankyou for replying. I posted two threads accidently and am getting replies from both.
It's good to know there's the 'in between' options rather than jumping straight to the heavy stuff and I realise my neurofen days are fading as they're not doing much on the pain front or for my stomach either.