Medications
Has anyone had any success with medications? My rheumatologist put me on metformin before the last surgery. I have only been on for 3 months - which all my doctors say isn't long enough to assess. But the way the adhesions came back after the arthroscope I am really questioning if it is really doing anything.
My rheumatologist doesn't want to try Losartan as I tend to have low blood pressure. My good orthopedist (not to be confused with my ortho surgeon) mentioned some new research on GLP-1 and AF.
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Hi Erika
I had 5 surgeries. After the 3rd one I learned a lot about AF and went to a different surgeon ( Dr. Noyes & Dr. Erlichman in Ohio) who truly understand AF. The mindset, treatment, and care was SO different than my other surgeon in FL who had a " oh well some people just get AF attitude and willing to do another surgery".
I got a blood test from Orthopedic analysis and found out I was reactive to Nickel so I had a Total knee revision with no Nickel in it.
To answer your question one of the biggest differences I experienced in OH was the medication realm after surgery.
In my previous surgeries I was on 5 mg of Prednisone and Celebrex which didn't help as I always had AF return before 2 months.
My last surgery was different ( of course having the implant changed helped) but I was put on 20 mg of Prednisone which is a lot but it helped and I stayed on it for a couple months while I was meeting my Rheumatologist and figuring out a plan. It took several months to wean off. Surgeons don't like you to be on steroids that long but it helped and my Rheumatologist helped me wean off it and and at 7 weeks after surgery I started Methotrexate 20 mg injections once a week I did at home.
This is something a lot of Dr. Noyes patients do ( some others do PRP injections). I did that for 11 months and was completely off the steroid. It worked very well.
I decided to get off of it at 11 months because of the side effects and started taking Sotyktu (off label) as it targets cytokines that promote fibrosis.
It's a lot stronger than Methotrexate so I had to play around with the dosage. I went from everyday to twice a week and it was working well but as some medications cause your immune system to suppress a got a few infections like a yeast infection and covid so I stopped it for a moth, however it was keeping scar tissue away.
I'm trying once a week now and i'ts been a few weeks since I've been back on it.
My ROM is great but I do get a lot of edema still which I have for a year and a half since surgery. Some people still get edema after for whatever reason.
I tried Losartan after the first couple surgeries I had and it didn't help at all. I wouldn't do Metformin because I have a B12 deficiency.
In answer to your question I strongly feel the Medication realm is super important and hopefully someday it'll be proven.
Anything can happen to anyone at anytime but I'm blessed a year and a half out the AF hasn't returned and when I did stop the medication while I was clearing up the infections I had more edema and it didn't feel as good. Hope this helps and best of luck!!!
Also what else was a huge difference was the PT in Ohio was extremely different and gentle. Mostly stretching for awhile more frequently not to the point of pain and gentle quad strengthening. I rented an ERMI for a month it loos archaic but works so good!!!