I have been on Enbrel for 7 weeks and I am a completely different person ~ in a good way. Before I couldn’t roll over in bed unassisted. I needed a step stool to get in the bed. I couldn’t hold a plate or cup to wash it. I couldn’t get in or out of the car on my own. Five minutes of sitting meant restring my entire synovial system from concrete to go. The only problem is that I have gotten pretty sick. It might be just the worst summer cold I have ever had, but if I cough up a piece of lung I won’t be all that surprised. Yesterday I thought my nose was running and whn I wipes it. My hand was covered with blood. I’ve never had a nosebleed in my life!? I have asthma on top of the PsA so colds always turn nasty for me, that’s not new, but this is a new level of big bad. I’ve developed costochonditis from the cough and had to go to the ER for a related migraine. Have y’all had infections related to Enbrel? Does it weaken your immune system?
I have been on Enbrel for most of the last two years but have not had incresed infections. In fact I have had less colds. I was interested to hear you say you have asthma. I had been diagnosed with asthma about 20 years ago but this has disappeared since I have been on enbrel. My rheum. thinks the Psa was causing inflammation of the airways rather than normal asthma.
Hope you settle down the longer you are on enbrel as 7weeks is very early in the treatment and it usually takes about 6 months before being really effective.
I was on Enbrel or 18 months and the only infection I had was one cold. Then I started on Humira and got a cold right off. I'm fine now though.
Honest to gosh. I've been healthier on Enbrel that any time in the last 20 years. You are freaking and I don't blame you. but in a 1 minute commercial for biologics approximatley 45 seconds is spent by the lawyers trying to scare the H out of you
.Colds are going to be different. Remember inflammation is a big part of a cold ( thats how you get the bug out of you all that nasty snot and flem) You aren't going to have as much. The snot doesn't cause the cold. You need to help out a vaporizer (will stop the nose bleeds) Drink enough water that your back teeth are having boat races etc.
The "infections" from biologicals are just that INFECTIONS. They are cause by BACTERIA (colds are not) More importantly they are very specific bacterias. You have an overly ACTIVE immune system slowing it down a bit isn't a bad thing.
You may feel a bit yuckyier when because with all the meds you take, its hard to run a fever, and finally after all these years they have figured out running a fever is not a bad thing........
This will pass trust me. No one is worse than me with a cold. last one I had, the Nannys took my Grandaughter on a community outing to the zoo - The closest Zoo is in Seattle (400 miles away)
But even a bad cold is worth it if the Enbrel is working. Its nice to be able to go on your own to the bathroom for more Kleenex.
Y’all are right. I think all those ads scare me. I have felt so great on the Enbrel!! The last thin in the world I want is to have a problem and have to stop it. Colds are always tricky for me bc of the asthma but this has been the absolute worst. This morning my husband put a vaporizer in here around 4am and I finally got some sleep. My rheumatologist was very clear in his beliefs that the Enbrel was SAFE and my best option. Still it’s a little hard to not worry when blood is spurting from your nose hehe. I can’t imagine how frightening and frustrating life must have been for sufferers of this disease, and others, before the Internet.