Upadacitinib and Pain: What Users Say

• Boo...
• November 23, 2020

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have been on Rinvoq for almost 4 weeks. Didn't notice too much difference in my RA other than less pain and swelling in my hands and knees. All of a sudden, my legs turned red with severe pain and swelling below my knees into my ankles. I developed pitted edema with sharp pains in my legs. Also, sharp chest pains in the center, increased urination, nasal congestion with runny nose, and worst of all is the chills and sweats I'm dealing with. A sore throat appeared but did not last. I am really scared about the possibility of blood clots and intestinal bleeding. I do have interstitial lung disease, GERD, diverticulosis, fibromyalgia, and ulcerative colitis. This medication does make me very tired. After the swelling of my ankles got so bad, I stopped Rinvoq. Does anyone know how long it takes for Rinvoq to get out of the body after stopping? I feel so awful and am really scared of a serious blood and/or heart attack."

• Dai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2020

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I’ve been on Rinvoq for about 4 months now. I didn’t notice a difference for the first month, but after that, I felt really good. Pain and stiffness in my wrists, hands, and joints did not interfere with my life, and I wasn’t thinking about it all day anymore. Now, in the last two weeks, I started getting stiffness and pain starting back again. I’m not sure what to do since the other pain meds didn’t help. It’s hard to live with extreme pain all day. Night times are hard, and my wrists and hands are so stiff and painful, but I can’t sleep."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 28, 2023

For Ulcerative Colitis "I am 64 and have suffered from ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s disease for many years. I was having Entyvio infusions every six weeks for three years. It did help me a lot until it just quit. Daily bleeding, pain, and clots were back. My specialist put me on Rinvoq 28 days ago today. It stopped the bleeding, etc., in 2-3 days!! My stools are completely normal, and I have no urgency to get to the bathroom. I’ve been on 45 mg for 28 days. Tomorrow I start 30 mg. I’m so thankful for this medicine."

• RBM...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 24, 2022

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was taking methotrexate ($67 a month) for 14 years. I still had a little pain and inflammation in my joints. My rheumatologist prescribed Rinvoq ($6,300 a month). I took it for 3 months. The first 3 weeks, it worked because I still had methotrexate in my body, but after that, my pain came back a lot stronger! Finally, I went back to methotrexate, but for some reason, methotrexate did not work as good anymore as it worked before I started taking Rinvoq. I am totally disabled to the point that I can’t even do simple things I used to do before I took Rinvoq. I think Rinvoq changed something in my body that is not repairable. This is a very bad drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 12, 2021

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was diagnosed with RA in 2020. I was first put on hydroxychloroquine, then methotrexate, which did not work for me, then Rinvoq. I took Rinvoq for 3 months and started to feel the drug working well on the RA. I had less stiffness and pain, but between the third and fourth month, I started to feel my heart beating rapidly, like it was on a treadmill. I had to stop taking it, and now I have to see a cardiologist. The drug was working, but my heart could not tolerate it."

• Dav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 17, 2024

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have been on medication now for over 2 months. It started to work within 3 days. Side effects include nausea and feeling tired all the time. After a month on Rinvoq, I have gotten used to the side effects. I am on week 9 and starting to have other side effects, not sure if it is from the medication. These include sleep problems, my left knee suddenly swelling up and hurting, and my hips starting to hurt again."

• Dav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 12, 2024

For Psoriatic Arthritis "Lower back and hip pain more severe since using Rinvoq"