As long as SOMEONE does this and is willing to manage your disease I say go for it!
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In Australia, we are so conservative, a GP is not actually allowed to.
I am pretty bullish on the biologics (the stats speak for themselves, and Iāve personally had great experiences).
In terms of any reservations though - if it were me in Australia, I would have just the one - and that is because our GPs here arenāt allowed to use them, their familiarity with monitoring them and any potential issues would be extraordinarily unfamiliar, which presents a different type of risk profile.
In the US, that may not be the case at all - in which case I would say No Reservations!
In my case, Iāll be honest, Iām such a researcher, and am comfortable with my understanding of risks and possible outcomes, that even with a GP without experience, as long as I trusted them and they were willing to let me access my own monitoring data (e.g. Blood tests), Iād be happy to go ahead.
But it is up to you to asses your own risk profile, and what you are comfortable with.
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GREAT NEWS !!!
Received approval for Enbrel and itās arriving in 2 daysā¦scared and excited all at the same timeā¦Primary care doctor stepped up to the plate and swungā¦Now letās hope he hit a home runā¦
He starting me out on a low dose (25mg) to startā¦wantās to make sure I have no allergic reactionsā¦
Could I expect to see some results from a half weekly dose ??
sooooo want this to workā¦
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FANTASTIC NEWS indeed. Wow, you are lucky to have got approval for a bio ordered by a PCP. While some people notice changes soon after starting, most of us got gradual improvement over a period of a couple of months.
I understand your docās wanting to play it safe with you, but allergic reactions are pretty rare. If you seem to tolerate it well, Iād be pushing for a standard dose asap!
One thing about biologics: they tend to either work well or not at all. So yes, letās hope for a home run!
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Best of luck THread designs - both entrepreneurs and humira were near miracles for me, I hope you have some great results too 
Thanks so much Jen75ā¦but I feel like Iām putting all my eggs in one basket and the way my hands feel right now I could easily drop it. Elbows were in so much pain last week I couldnāt open the clamps on my embroidery machines. I had to reach for the prednisone bottle ā¦you know, the one with the skull & X bones on it. I had no choiceā¦I have to workā¦retail specialty stores depend on meā¦only problem is that I get every possible side effect there is even with just 10mg. Iām normally in a sleep coma for at least 7 hours but now all you have to do is tap me on the shoulder at 3 AM and my eyes will pop open and Iāll ask āhow may I help you?āā¦awfulā¦
Itās a very good basket. Congratulations ThreadDesigns, hope all goes well.
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Hi, Everyone,
Iām a Nebraska newbie. Diagnosed two years ago with āA nickelās worth of psoriasis and 75 cents worth of psoriatic arthritis.ā I have done the tumeric & diet thing with some success (gluten-free, who knew?). Iāve taken an NSAID (Indomethacin) twice a day and few symptoms, but I have a clash with a blood thinner (Xarelto). So now Iām facing (this Friday) a choice between Otezla - Enbrel - or Humira. At 66, I think Iām ready to grow up a little and face this. Can anyone give me their thoughts/experiences- why one over the other? (Google is a big disappointment on this one!) Many thanks!
You bet we are conservative.
When I saw my Rehmy first 15 years ago now I thought he said take 20-30mg once a week of MTX. I looked at the recommendations of the Mayo clinic and they suggested 30. So thats what I took. On my next visit said I decided on 30 - he said WHAT - the max you should be taking is 25. I told him I thought he said 20 to 30 - no - he said 20 to 25 - 25 is the max used here in Aus. But I said - look if you cant trust the mayo clinc who can you trust. No - go - so took 20. Its just we are very conservative here.
Hi Autographkālucky you! 
Actually, Iām serious. Iāll put a plug in for Enbrel. Iām 63, and have been on Enbrel for almost 3 years now. Itās one injection a weekāwhich is one of the reasons I opted for it. I liked that it only lasts a weekāin case it gave me nasty SEs, they wouldnāt last long! I have no SEs other than the first few injections gave me a 2" pink blotch around the injection site. I inject in my stomach (lots of fat). If you go on Enbrel, your doctor might start you out on two injections a week for the first 3 months. Iām an Enbrel success story so farā¦good luck with whatever biologic you decide on!
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Oooops, I noticed youāre on a blood thinner. Iām on some meds also for a recent coronary blockage, and there is no adverse effect from combining blood thinners, cholesterol meds or Plavix with Enbrel.
ThreadDesigns, howās it going on Enbrel??? Are you feeling better?
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Hi, Grandma_J
Thanks for replying. I think I will talk Enbrel with my doctor this Friday.
I appreciate your thoughts/info.!
Hey Grandma!!
Finally checking in since I started Enbrel February 20thā¦
To sum it upā¦ I would say there is about a 90 percent improvement in the skin and about a 50 percent improvement below the skinā¦ I canāt say joints cause the swelling stiffness and pain is not joint specificā¦ My entire hands, arms, elbows and feet fluctuate all day and night with variable degrees of pain and swellingā¦ The Enbrel is definitely helping though without any side effects ā¦ I just wish it could do more. Rheumy claims that I could see more improvement over fime. Itās a little frustrating when I read testimony that people are so called ācuredā. With the amount of disease activity, I donāt see that happening with meā¦
Hey ThreadDesigns!!! That sounds good! Iām hoping the PsA will improve to at least 80% also.
Iām wondering, though, if your rheumy has increased your dose to 50mg yet? I think thatās important. Interestingly, my dermatologist got me started on Enbrel 2 x 50mg a week for the first three months. I think that helped kick my symptoms hard from the getgo. Do have problems with allergies?
Keep us posted!!!
Be patient - biologics continue to work on pain etc for a full year! My relief was slow to come with humira - definitely not instant but it has continued to get better and better ā¦ Relax and give it time xx
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What a great thread!
One thing stood out for me though. Never ever be scared of being a nuisance to your doctor. Be polite by all means but please always be persistent if you donāt understand or something doesnāt āfeelā right or logical or doing any good beyond the expected time period. And work hard at explaining why you feel that too so they can understand.
This disease is awful (as are many others too) and treatments can help a considerable amount so thereās no good reason with the eventual access to the specialists that progressive treatments arenāt being tried when necessary (within varous countriesā guidelines) so as to minimise your pain first of all and any disability most importantly. Please donāt be shy in saying something doesnāt make sense to you.
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I had steady improvement over about nine months. The thing is, biologics enable you to do things that you couldnāt do before. They make you move better, with less pain, so youāre likely to be more active. Physical activity is good for pain control, and so it goes. In the end, is the improvement because of the medication, or is it because of the good things it allows you to do? Does it matter?
What great news, ThreadDesigns! I hope the trend continues for you.
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