Unfortunately, there’s no getting around the fact that arthritis is almost always a painful and sometimes even a debilitating condition. This in turn can lead to depression and other factors like deprivation of sleep. Sometimes, these can be almost as bad as the arthritis itself. But there is always help, there are plenty of sources of help and the message is “Do not give up.”

I’m Paul Stillman and this is Streaming Well.

It can be very tiring to have arthritis, a lot of people with osteoarthritis or with any other kind of arthritis find that they get worn out by hobbling around in pain most of the day. And it’s tiring to put a brave face on it.

There are drugs, antidepressants, especially in small doses that can help relieve pain and can lift mood slightly as well. So, if you find that you’re getting depressed, and things are getting you down, do see your doctor and explain exactly how you’re feeling and get the help you need.

There are numerous sources of advice for people online. There’s plenty of other information on the Streaming Well site but you might also care to visit NHS Direct or Arthritis Care, both very good sources of information. If you have a specific condition like rheumatoid arthritis, then putting that into a search engine will often lead you to one of the major charities which have got lots of good information. 

Thanks for watching.