Newbie and looking for experiences of DMARDS

Hello all, I'm new to the forum but unfortunately not to the condition. I've had stiff/painful joints and fatigue for many years, but only in the last few months I was made aware of PsA by a particularly good GP, who noticed a history of Psoriasis in my family. I'm fairly active and like to cycle, which helps keep the progress at bay or at least slows it down I think. I have negative Rheumatoid factor and the affected joints are my hips, lower back, shoulders and neck. The worst (and only visually apparent) joints are in my right hand, which are now constantly swollen and stiff. Generally I get pain and stiffness if I'm in a particular position for more than a few minutes, where muscles/joints are strained. Staying active is harder now because I have to put more effort in for the same level of exercise. I don't have any issues with my skin, other than having to moisturise regularly in certain places. Up until now I've really struggled to get anyone to take the symptoms seriously, even after several trips to Rheumatology. They are used to seeing people where the disease is much more severe, and I can see how I wouldn't be a priority. But these symptoms are significant to me, and the research suggests that early treatment leads to much better outcomes. I can't help but feel like I'm not expressing myself clearly, or that regardless of how I describe my symptoms to the consultant, nothing will be done until it gets to the point where a lot of visible inflammation is evident. This seems to me to be a very reactive approach and I want to explore options for prevention. I'm aware however that I don't have any experience of the effectiveness and side effects of DMARDS. Does anyone have any experience of this, especially if they've been prescribed early in order to prevent progress of the disease rather than when it's become very evident that something needs to be done? I hope all of this makes sense, and would really appreciate any experience that is out there!