Enbrel

[lett]

Hello, I have been diagnosed with PA wasn't even sure what exactly that meant. This disease has only affected the one joint in my wrist it is swollen and is three times the size of my other wrist. I was always an active person and sometimes I feel sluggish and break out into sweats. I'm not sure but I think this is a side effect of PA. I had surgery done where they scrapped synovitis out of the wrist and hand. I have not been on any medication except for Celebrex, now my surgeon and Rheumy feel I need a more aggressive treatment. They want be to start Enbrel If anyone has tried Enbrel I would apprecitate anything you have to say on this drug. I know it has only been approved since 1998. I have done some reading and investigating but its always nice to hear from a person. One of the side effects is death..kinda turns you away, but they tell me that in those deaths these people were diabectic or had some other type of illness. I didn't mean to alarm anyone by saying that but I guess I'm interested in knowing just how effective this drug is in treating PA. Thanks for listening.

[rstigall]

Hi-My name is Rick and I am 37 years old.I have had Psoriasis for 11 years and PA for 10 years. I have been very frustrated because I am married and the father of 3 sons and the pain and inflammation gets so bad at times that I can hardly walk. Makes me nervous about how long I can keep working and provide for my family. I have been on Celebrex for a year and a half and Methotrexate for my P.A. for 6 months. The celebrex has helped a little and the metho did nothing but make me sick. I also was anxious to try Enbrel but apprehensive about all the side effects. Well..I finally decided to try it and see if I could get some quality of life. I have had 3 injections now. I felt pretty good after the first two. My arthritis is practically gone for the first time in 10 years. I can't believe how "normal" I feel. However, after my last shot 2 days ago I have felt funny. A little sick and achy. Don't know if I am coming down with a cold or what. It's scary but I feel that at this point it is definitely working for me. Guess I'll just have to really pay attention to how I feel and be aware of side effects. Good luck. I hope you try it and it works for you too.

[gramklein]

I have had psoriatic arthritis for about 15 years. I don't think I have ever heard about a treatment that I haven't tried. I have had a hip replaced, my toe nails permanently removed, my knee drained, and my hands were almost useless. I could go on and on but that gives you a general idea of what I was dealing with. I have been on Enbrel for almost two years and I still find it hard to believe what it has done for me. My hands are normal and I even have finger nails. All the swelling in my joints is gone. I have had no side effects.

[kmfitzpatrick1]

Hi,
I am on the waiting list to get Enbrel. It is so good to hear from someone that says it helps. My fingers are so messed up, swollen, inflamed and painful. I can hardly function at times.
Rick (rstigall) had said that two treatments seemed to be working and then he was feeling some symptoms but not sure if it was from the Enbrel. I would love to hear more from Rick on that.
Thanks,
Kathy

[rstigall]

Hi Kathy,
I must have had a flu bug or something. My experience with Enbrel has been a positive one. I hate getting the shots but it is well worth it. I definitely have noticed an overall health improvement with Enbrel. Other than lower back pain(which I still have) my feet and other joints feel MUCH better. My skin lesions are clearing up too. Our local pharmacy ran out of Enbrel for a couple of weeks right about the time that I was needing to refill my prescription and I went a couple of weeks without it and noticed my feet starting to ache again. For me...the only irritating side effect seems to be diarrhea. Now that I am back on it-my feet are feeling better again. I hate the thought of having to inject twice a week the rest of my life----but at this point it's better than what I have been going through.
Good luck!
Rick

[shutrbugr]

You have lower back pain, too? I have been experiencing excruciating backaches for about a month now. (I've been on Enbrel for four months) Even so, I'll take the backaches over the full-blown flare. Psoriasis is relatively new to me... my first real flare began last summer and it was a big one. I've always had patchy places on me but never really knew what they were.. just thought it was dry skin. Then, last summer, something set me off and by October, I was covered. Began going to the derm, who tried every potion and lotion he could give me. Nothing helped. All it did was ruin my clothes. He wanted to put me on methotrexate but I couldn't go that route for a number of reasons. He insisted, I was miserable and he wouldn't recommend any other therapy and wouldn't even talk about Enbrel, so I went to a different derm who wanted to prescribe Enbrel for me right off the bat. It took two months to get it approved through my insurance but I began my shots in December. (By the time I began, I was so covered from the top of my head to the soles of my feet that I couldn't shower without screaming and I couldn't sleep at night because lying on the softest sheets still felt like lying on glass!) It took another miserable month even with the shots before I saw improvement, but once the Enbrel kicked in, I was a different person! I, too, had a bit of an 'achy' spell but that eventually went away. Sometimes I'm really tired now and I have the backaches... only a few 'break-through' scales and occasionally I feel like my skin is crawling... but it is still a HUGE improvement. I'd recommend to anyone thinking about going on Enbrel to stay with it until your insurance pays. It's been my wonder drug!

[RichJ]

hi rick and shutrbugr,
welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you.

have a good weekend all

richard