Is anyone here on Enbril or Humira for RA?

doulosforhim · Feb 3rd, 2008, 12:57 PM

Greetings,

I was diagnosed last summer with rheumatoid arthritis and desided to start treating it aggressively to avoid joint damage.
Since then i have been on prednisone,methotrexate, and high doses of naproxen.
I was finally able to be taken off of prednisone (after a nearly 25 pound weight gain) but required a higher dose of naproxen, until i developed an allergic reaction to the naproxen recently.
I am now back on the prednisone in addition to the methotrexate, but am in the process of adding an additional medication....Enbril or Humira.
I have read about the many different side effects and its making the decision even more difficult, but quality of life is more important.

I was hoping to obtain more information from P'fers here on either Enbril or Humira.
Is anyone here currently on either of these medications for RA? What side effects have you experienced? How long before you responded to the medications?

Please feel free to either pm me of post on this thread.

I welcome any informaton anyone can offer.

Thank you

kimberf · Feb 3rd, 2008, 04:24 PM

Hopefully people will have some information for you soon. I'm not on either , but I have a friend who is on one of them (I think Enbrel, since she's been on it for 4-5 years). For her, it's been an absolute wonder drug. It's really stopped her joint damage and pain. She had been borderline disabled prior to taking it and is doing so much better now. I'll try to see her soon and get more information for you. Good luck.

doulosforhim · Feb 3rd, 2008, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimberf

Hopefully people will have some information for you soon. I'm not on either , but I have a friend who is on one of them (I think Enbrel, since she's been on it for 4-5 years). For her, it's been an absolute wonder drug. It's really stopped her joint damage and pain. She had been borderline disabled prior to taking it and is doing so much better now. I'll try to see her soon and get more information for you. Good luck.

thank you sooo much kimberf. i do hear its a wonder drug and i hope it can help me too. Humira is one of the newer ones, and its an injection every two weeks as opposed to Enbril which is once a week every week.

Irishgal · Feb 3rd, 2008, 06:13 PM

Hey sweetie..you know I am on it. I was dx with RA 3 years ago, methotrexate did nada, my symptoms were so bad I could not walk..within 8 days of my first injection I had a 75% reduction in symptoms. I have had ZERO joint damage, I am symptom free, I play ice hockey, lift wts, travel for work, no problem. I am now down to 25mg every 10 days. PM me if you need to. All I can say is that they drug probably saved my health.

Irishgal · Feb 3rd, 2008, 06:14 PM

Oh and no side effects. I self inject, no big deal. Like I said, within 8-10 days after my first shot they symptoms started to go away, signficantly. It was a miracle.

Bagpuss · Feb 4th, 2008, 10:36 AM

Let me first say that I'm very sorry to hear that you were diagnosed with RA but then on the other hand thank goodness that there are some promising choices out there for us now that may prevent joint damage. I don't have any experience with the TNF drugs yet but I am in the same boat as you- in the process of starting Enbrel after being on Methotrexate for twelve years and having done courses of prednisone, naproxin, and other NSAIDs for many years.
I have permanent joint damage and six fused joints (fingers at 90 degree angles) that occurred before they found anything to help me. Methotrexate has worked the best but it has only slowed the progress and not stopped it. I finally decided to add Enbrel to the mix when it my ring finger swelled a week ago and I couldn't get my wedding ring on. For completely irrational reasons that royally pi**ed me off more than having to wear knee wraps. It's a hard choice when you have to weigh out the side effects with how much the disease is affecting your life and over the years I have usually let the newer drugs pass me by and wait until some of the bugs are worked out. .
We should stay in touch with how they are working, I hope that Irishgal is a stellar example of how it will go for us. I should be receiving mine this week- had to have it mailed due to insurance company stipulations.
Good luck to you!

doulosforhim · Feb 5th, 2008, 02:25 AM

Bagpuss, sending {{HUGS}} to you. It is not easy

. I hope Enbrel can prevent further joint damage.
I went ahead and decided to start on the Enbrel as well. I find myself dealing with all the insurance stipulations too and have to have it mailed once it gets authorized.

There is also a new drug in final or close to final stages of clinical trials..IL6 (interleukin6) which seems to be promissing but frankly i need relief last week, and chose not to participate in the clinical trial

.

We should definitely keep in touch

.

Good luck to you too

!

Feb 3rd, 2008, 12:57 PM	#1
doulosforhim Member Location: New Jersey	Is anyone here on Enbril or Humira for RA? Greetings, I was diagnosed last summer with rheumatoid arthritis and desided to start treating it aggressively to avoid joint damage. Since then i have been on prednisone,methotrexate, and high doses of naproxen. I was finally able to be taken off of prednisone (after a nearly 25 pound weight gain) but required a higher dose of naproxen, until i developed an allergic reaction to the naproxen recently. I am now back on the prednisone in addition to the methotrexate, but am in the process of adding an additional medication....Enbril or Humira. I have read about the many different side effects and its making the decision even more difficult, but quality of life is more important. I was hoping to obtain more information from P'fers here on either Enbril or Humira. Is anyone here currently on either of these medications for RA? What side effects have you experienced? How long before you responded to the medications? Please feel free to either pm me of post on this thread. I welcome any informaton anyone can offer. Thank you

Feb 3rd, 2008, 04:24 PM	#2
kimberf Member Location: California	Re: Is anyone here on Enbril or Humira for RA? Hopefully people will have some information for you soon. I'm not on either , but I have a friend who is on one of them (I think Enbrel, since she's been on it for 4-5 years). For her, it's been an absolute wonder drug. It's really stopped her joint damage and pain. She had been borderline disabled prior to taking it and is doing so much better now. I'll try to see her soon and get more information for you. Good luck.

Feb 3rd, 2008, 06:13 PM	#4
Irishgal I run with scissors Location: In a Bell Jet Ranger	Re: Is anyone here on Enbril or Humira for RA? Hey sweetie..you know I am on it. I was dx with RA 3 years ago, methotrexate did nada, my symptoms were so bad I could not walk..within 8 days of my first injection I had a 75% reduction in symptoms. I have had ZERO joint damage, I am symptom free, I play ice hockey, lift wts, travel for work, no problem. I am now down to 25mg every 10 days. PM me if you need to. All I can say is that they drug probably saved my health. __________________ Ten thousand blessings to all of our furry friends who are in need of prayers. May they be comfortable, healthy, and blessed with joy and companionship. May their eyes shine brightly and may they know that they are loved.

Feb 3rd, 2008, 06:14 PM	#5
Irishgal I run with scissors Location: In a Bell Jet Ranger	Re: Is anyone here on Enbril or Humira for RA? Oh and no side effects. I self inject, no big deal. Like I said, within 8-10 days after my first shot they symptoms started to go away, signficantly. It was a miracle. __________________ Ten thousand blessings to all of our furry friends who are in need of prayers. May they be comfortable, healthy, and blessed with joy and companionship. May their eyes shine brightly and may they know that they are loved.

Feb 4th, 2008, 10:36 AM	#6
Bagpuss Purseaholic	Re: Is anyone here on Enbril or Humira for RA? Let me first say that I'm very sorry to hear that you were diagnosed with RA but then on the other hand thank goodness that there are some promising choices out there for us now that may prevent joint damage. I don't have any experience with the TNF drugs yet but I am in the same boat as you- in the process of starting Enbrel after being on Methotrexate for twelve years and having done courses of prednisone, naproxin, and other NSAIDs for many years. I have permanent joint damage and six fused joints (fingers at 90 degree angles) that occurred before they found anything to help me. Methotrexate has worked the best but it has only slowed the progress and not stopped it. I finally decided to add Enbrel to the mix when it my ring finger swelled a week ago and I couldn't get my wedding ring on. For completely irrational reasons that royally pi**ed me off more than having to wear knee wraps. It's a hard choice when you have to weigh out the side effects with how much the disease is affecting your life and over the years I have usually let the newer drugs pass me by and wait until some of the bugs are worked out. . We should stay in touch with how they are working, I hope that Irishgal is a stellar example of how it will go for us. I should be receiving mine this week- had to have it mailed due to insurance company stipulations. Good luck to you!

Feb 5th, 2008, 02:25 AM	#7
doulosforhim Member Location: New Jersey	Re: Is anyone here on Enbril or Humira for RA? Bagpuss, sending {{HUGS}} to you. It is not easy. I hope Enbrel can prevent further joint damage. I went ahead and decided to start on the Enbrel as well. I find myself dealing with all the insurance stipulations too and have to have it mailed once it gets authorized. There is also a new drug in final or close to final stages of clinical trials..IL6 (interleukin6) which seems to be promissing but frankly i need relief last week, and chose not to participate in the clinical trial. We should definitely keep in touch. Good luck to you too!