Anyone taking Enbrel get very dizzy, tiredness, nausea and no energy both day of and days following injection. Oh and also is any ones hair affected - as in thinning and falling out, PLEASE HELP - I NEED ADVICE :(
I also take 2 different painkillers, 2 different NSAID's, 3 supplements , a tummy protector, nausea meds and have stopped the steriods, and arava / mtx since June / July.
I never had any side effects to Enbrel. I used it twice for about a year both times. I do get all the symptoms you describe from the 22.5 mg of methotrexate I inject each week. I have been on Humiria, Enbrel, Simponi and now on Remicade. I never had any side effects from any of the biologics except for a very localized bee sting like allergic reaction to Humiria. I would discuss your concerns with your physician though just to be sure.
Ugh, that's a lot of medications. Definitely talk to your doctor. Until you can get in, you can check meds on an interaction checker such as Medscape's at http://reference.medscape.com/drug-interactionchecker
I hope you start doing better soon. It's possible that some of the hair loss may be delayed, and not directly due to what you are on now.
That’s a good tip about the drugs interaction checker Stoney that’s a really good one and can also be downloaded for a mobile device which gets updated regularly 
I get a "remicade hangover' similar to what you describe with Enbrel, although I didn't get it with Enbrel. Please check on drug / supplement interactions, as they may be the cause.
About the hair - my hair thinned/fell out on Enbrel and is even worse on Remicade. I found a short-ish hair style that makes it look like I have more hair than I do, and I usually wear a bandanna, scarf, or tichel on my head anyway, because for several weeks post-infusion my hair falls out like crazy and I leave it EVERYWHERE if I don't cover it.
Intrestingly enough tnf inhibiting is considered to be a help in hair retention not a caIuse of losing it. However, chronic inflammation is also a cause of hairloss. It could simply be stress.
I also hesitate to point out that smoking weed is also a cause. Don't know about vaporizing or injestion. But if you are woman of a certain age or man with declining T, you can plan on losing some hair if you put a green card to use. . . . .
I was on Enbrel Arava combination for four years and yes always tired and dizzy sometimes lost a lot of hair and also on Depression meds sleep meds and stomach meds plus some blood pressure and nerve pain meds like a walking pharmacy.They switched me to Humira and MTX and my Psoriasis went crazy had blisters in my palms sores in my mouth. so I would say that the meds can certainly be affecting you.
Brett
I took Enbrel for 8 years and then have blown through every other biologic drug. I stopped Enbrel because it stopped working. I am now back on Enbrel with Methotrexate and I have never experienced any dizziness, fatigue or any of the other things you mentioned. I have expreinced those symptoms from pain medications especially if I take a full dose. You might want to ask the doctor about weaning down on the dosage and see if that helps with the problems.
Not dizzy, no loss of hair so far from Embrel, but the rest is the same. My meds are similar. I have only been on Embrel for three weeks, so it is early days for me.
I had hair thinning when I first went on Mtx but after a few months my hair went back to normal.
I realised that the combination of Embrel and Sulphasalazine effected me similar to diahorrea. Arava did the same to me and now I am wondering if it was the combination of meds.
Short layered hair cut helps especially if you can curl it to make it look fuller. Try wearing hats when out and about. Hats can create so many different looks. I put on a hat on and it depends on what it looks like what sort of attitude I choose to go with it.
You could also try and put the emphasis on your accessories to take the attention off your hair. Swish a scarf around your neck, wear plenty of bling, and add a pair of sun glasses. I even managed to find a pair of orthopedic sandles at half price which are flat and have some bling on them. That made my day!
If it gets too bad, there are also some great natural looking wigs available made out of synthetic hair and you can't tell the difference from real hair looking at it. Can you imagine how many different looks you could get if you had a couple of wigs. Some of those ladies that have survived cancer and their hair has grown back must have unwanted wigs sitting in a draw just needing a small donation to cancer research to part with them.
You could make it fun, trying on hats while shopping with a good friend, I can guarantee you will at least have a good laugh at each other. This is just my crazy way of how I manage to cope. I hope it helps you in some small way.
Carolynn I’m sorry; side affects are no fun! I take enbrel twice a week right now because my P is so bad and at first when I started doubling up my hair DID fall out and it killed my appetite and I lost over 20 pounds. Fortunately it has started to grow back but the weird thing was my hair that has always been board straight since I was little. It is now curly.
I wish I had more advice but I agree with Stoney, that’s a LOT of meds. My pharmacy will flag stuff that could possibly interact and call my rheumy directly before they fill it.
Best of luck with thus and let us know what your doctor says.
Hi. I’ve been on Embrel for a little over 2 months. I take Benadryl with my shot Friday nights before bed. Sleep through most of the night. Initially took the whole weekend to recover. Had that feeling like you get after the flu - tired and hit by a truck. The word tired can not do justice. Now I just sleep in on Saturday. As for hair, I use l’oreal-evercreme nourishing shampoo and conditioner. It was recommended on this site and really seems to help. Other shampoos were causing the hair fall out - too harsh. Embrel has given me my life back - so the side effects are with it. My Rhem. thinks by 6 months in there should be almost no effects.
have you ever taken humira injections every other week?
i am on it for 3 years.
i can not say that my life is better with or without it
anyone agree?
thanks
steven
If you are so many side effects due to enbrel than you can go for natural supplements like green tea or turmeric.
Steve, yes I do agree. Im newly diagnosed in October. However, taken 3 humira shot so far. Im on medrol 12 mgs and im just as tired as can be constantly sleeping, if I do anything im worn out, even just taking a shower. My rheumy is suggesting a change in meds to weekly for a couple of weeks. Lets see how that works. Good luck to you.
I'm taking Enbrel and after the 1st injection, I was a different person. I was running up and down the basement stairs doing laundry w/o any problems. I've been on it since June 5th, 2012. I still do great on it but the steps aren't as easy as they were when I first began. I also have Meniere's Disease, diabetes, colitis, anxiety, underactive thyroid, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and back problems. I am on numerous meds but I can truly say that Enbrel has been a life saver for me. I was previously on Humira for 2 years and it never worked as well as Enbrel. It just totally stopped working one day and I couldn't move my thumbs, wrists, and forefingers on either hand and used ACE stabilzers plus both ankles. I laid in bed for 2 days only to use the bathroom. I could barely walk and my hips and back hurt so bad that I didn't think I'd ever feel good again. Since the Enbrel, I haven't had the need for a prednisone burst since I started it. Prior to June 5th, I was on a prednisone burst every month from December, 2011 until June 5th. To this day, all I take for the PsA is Enbrel and occasionally a Tylenol. I haven't had any problems of any kind from it. I guess it's been my "wonder drug" and I pray it stays that way forever! Too much to ask for? Ha! I'm sure!!