sorry to hear about your mom- It is always best to ask the Dr. when taking any addittional meds, even if they are over the counter. It is my understanding that omega adds to the joint fluid, it is mostly helpfull with OA. In the case of RA, we don't loose the fluid in between the joints, in fact due to the overactive immune system- there is too much fluid attacking the joints. I don't know much about yoga- personally, I avoid any type of excercise- it just causes extra pain. On the flip side- if your mom likes the yoga & it helps her, she has nothing to loose. Tell your mom to hang in there! Take care!

Hello there and welcome!

I'm sorry to hear about your mom's recent diagnosis. I'm 25 years old and have had RA since I was about 8, diagnosed at 13.

The way I regulated my "bad" days was by finding the right combinations of medicines. Basically this is done through trial and error. In my experiences, some medicines, such as Prednisone, for example, helped my RA but had unbearable side effects. Others, had no side effects, but did not control my RA factor efficiently. This process can be very frustrating because it inhibits and interferes with your life and day-to-day activities.

I take supplemental vitamins along with my medicines, such as Calcium and a multi-vitamin, amoung others. These do not interfere with the RA Medications, but I always consult with my Rheumatologist before hand. As far as Omega 3 interacting with prescriptions, I'm unsure.

Finally, I wanted to recommend that your mommy develops a strong rapport with a Rheumatologist, since that is the most qualified specialist in RA matters. Encourage her to be open with him and while she is being prescribed these meds, to be very aware of how she is feeling and if she feels better or worse. Some of these meds are very strong and can do more harm than good if not monitored properly. Light excercise is excellent, especially yoga. On the arthritis.org website there is info on what types of yoga or excercises people with RA should specifically do.

I hope I have helped. I commend mom for listening to her doctor, since he knows best. I must emphasize that I am not a medical student, nor have I ever treated anyone and know nothing about meds and interactions. My advice comes from my personal experiences that I hope can help you and your mom in dealing with this process.

Good luck and I wish your mom the best. I hope to hear her having more good days very soon.

Take care and God Bless.

Tart cherries have a few good reviews. You can get them in pill form, and they decrease your inflam. process. Adequate Vit. D levels also decrease inflam. and have been proven to help with the pain.. Fish oil also decreases the inflam.. process. All this has to be gone through with your rheumatologist of course.

I'm sorry to hear about your mom. My mom has RA and I got her this RA Kit that help relieve her pain and stiffness. It's only available for people on Medicare and cover by most private insurance. I'm not sure if we are allowed to give out informations of any companies on this blog but here is the email address. grmedicalsupplies@att.net and they will send you the informations. Hope this will help.
Take care.

The only interference with any medications that I am aware of (herbal information specialist, certified) with Omega-3 which comes from cold water fish, is that it can increase bleeding time so it is necessary to let your doctor know about taking it especially prior to any surgery. As always, it is important that the doctor know of ANY over the counter supplements you are taking. Omega-3 also comes from flax and hemp seeds which also contain omega 6 and omega 9 fatty acids. Omega-3 oils are also very beneficial for skin, heart health as well as joint health but can take up to 3 months before seeing any benefit depending on the person. I have been taking high doses of Omega-3 and noticed some relief in my knee pain within 2 weeks.

With any herbal or over the counter supplements, please read labels!!!!!!! Some cheaply made brands have as a base to the softgel or capsule an ingredient called propoline glycol which is ALSO AN INGREDIENT IN ANTIFREEZE!!!! Do not take any supplements with ingredients such as this!!!

I have wonder some of this same question. I take the cherry pills and the flex seed oil and I wonder will it counter act my humira and methotrexate. I would also like to go to some meeting with people who have RA. I call the foundation her in Columbia, SC and I alway get a voice mail. I leave a message but I never get a call back. I would like to meet with others who are facing the same problems as i.