My Friend Has Nodules On Both Of His Forearms, They

My friend has nodules on both of his forearms, they start out with a short painful deep sting, then start itching, he scratches, and the sores get harder, develop whitish color on the most raised part of the sore. He has a history of acute RA, age 24, treated with steroids, gone... now 45 develops skin problem around age 42, they come & go. Uses topical prescription cream only. Also around age 42 started taking fluoxetine. Can you tell me if its possible that these nodules could be related to RA or could it indicate a higher risk for RA in time?