Inflammation: Any time your body is experiencing excess inflammation, such as during a lupus flare, you will feel more tired. Anemia: Anemia occurs when your red blood cell count gets low. This means that the amount of oxygen going to your organs will decrease, which can increase your level of fatigue.
Life with lupus can be challenging. With symptoms that come and go, disease flares and remissions, and the uncertainty of what each day will bring, it's normal to experience feelings of unhappiness, frustration, anger, or sadness. It's also normal to grieve for the loss of the life you had before lupus.
Some common symptoms of a flare include: A butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks and nose. Rashes on other parts of the body. Pain or swelling in joints.
Lupus causes mild to extreme fatigue. Even mild cases of lupus make it hard to do daily activities and exercise. Increased fatigue is a classic sign that a symptom flare is about to occur. Joint and muscle pain.
Myalgia/myositis
Pain in the muscles (myalgia) is a common symptom in lupus patients. The upper arms and thighs are the most frequently involved areas. In some cases, the pain is accompanied by muscle weakness, which is known as myositis.
There is no way to know if a flare will be mild or serious. Mild or moderate flares may cause only a rash or more joint pain. But severe flares can damage organs in the body, including fluid buildup around your heart and kidney disease. Call your doctor if you get the warning signs of a flare.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are used to reduce inflammation, pain and fever associated with lupus. They include over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen (for example, Nurofen®), or prescription medications such as Voltaren® Celebrex® and Orudis®.
Lupus and the central nervous system
Symptoms include: Confusion and trouble concentrating (sometimes called lupus brain fog) Seizures (sudden, unusual movements or behavior) Stroke (blocked blood flow in the brain that causes brain cells to die)
Many lupus patients experience joint stiffness, especially in the morning. People often find that taking warm showers helps to relieve this problem. If this habit does not offer comfort and joint stiffness prevents you from daily activity, be sure to speak with your doctor.
Having lupus can make everyday life challenging. When your lupus is active, symptoms like joint stiffness, pain, fatigue, confusion, or depression can make simple tasks difficult — and sometimes impossible. Since these symptoms aren't visible, the people around you may have trouble understanding how you feel.
Many people with lupus experience a variety of related problems including forgetfulness or difficulty thinking. They may describe these problems as feeling “fuzzy-headed” or being in a “lupus fog.” These problems often coincide with periods of increased disease activity, or flares.
Your doctors might call it “inflammatory arthritis.” You're most likely to have it in your fingers and wrists, but it can also reach your elbows, knees, ankles, and toes. Your joints might feel tender and warm. You also might have pain in the joint itself.
Getting enough sleep can help you prevent lupus flares, manage fatigue, and keep your body's immune system healthy.
You can take action to treat your lupus flare, too. The following can help you feel better sooner: Rest and sleep.
Take care of your mental health
Relaxing activities like low-impact yoga, meditation, and Tai Chi can help you shift your attention away from the pain and focus on the present moment. Learn more about meditation and how it can help you manage lupus pain.
If your brain is affected by lupus, you may experience headaches, dizziness, behavior changes, vision problems, and even strokes or seizures. Many people with lupus experience memory problems and may have difficulty expressing their thoughts. Blood and blood vessels.
The term 'lupus fog' is used by many people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). On patient fora and websites, confusion, difficulty planning, loss of concentration, difficulty in articulating thoughts, and memory impairment are symptoms described in the context of this fog.
Both lupus and MS can follow a pattern of remission and relapse which repeats. They can both cause brain lesions that look similar on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While the nerves are the primary target of MS, lupus sometimes affects the nerves as well.
Sulfa drugs, which make a person more sensitive to the sun, such as: Bactrim® and Septra® (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole); sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin®); tolbutamide (Orinase®); sulfasalazine (Azulfidine®); diuretics. Sun-sensitizing tetracycline drugs such as minocycline (Minocin®)
Prednisone is the most common steroid that doctors use to treat lupus. If you have liver problems, your doctor may recommend different steroids called prednisolone or methylprednisolone (Medrol®). There are a few different ways to take steroids: Most people take steroids as pills.
Summary. People with lupus should avoid certain supplements, including echinacea, spirulina, and vitamin E. These supplements may increase the immune system response and trigger lupus symptoms. It is also helpful to avoid excess sun exposure, salt, and alfalfa sprouts, which may also make symptoms worse.
Lupus flares can be mild to serious, and they do not follow a pattern. However, with treatment, many people with lupus can manage the disease. Anyone can get lupus, but women are more likely to get the disease than men are.