Soooo at long last I am having my first enbrel injection today - trying to keep a lid on my rising panic but I have been hurting a lot over the past couple of weeks so it looks like the mtx is not working very well. It’s also cold here so maybe the sudden drop in temp has made everything worse!
Will post later, if I survive the first one - not worried about the injection - more the risk of side-effects …
When I started Humira I did wonder what such a hi-tech drug might do to me ...... almost like I wanted something to happen, some new sensation at least ...... but nothing whatsoever happened, zilch. I think that is the most common experience. These are smart drugs, targeted drugs, I think they are rather easier on the body than the traditional DMARDs.
Good luck with Enbrel, I hope it works as well for you as Humira has for me. I feel so normal, so often since starting Humira. And it got my very persistent swelling right down within .... weeks? Well a couple of months at most. That included my left knee which had been swollen for 3 years or more.
I love Enbrel and I was about as skeptical as one can be!!! It actually started working really fast for me, even though my head was telling me I should expect major side effects and it wouldn't make me feel better. I was so wrong, and glad to admit that!
Enbrel actually gave me more energy than I had in years. The only immediate S/E (if you can call it that) was a 2" diameter red blotch at the injection site. That happened each time I injected for the first few months. After I'd been on it for about a year my white blood cell count went down somewhat and my rheumy is watching it. I try to be really careful around sick people--everyone in our family had a really bad cough recently and I didn't catch it. So, I think my immune system is working pretty well.
Like Sybil, I feel normal more often, too! Enbrel and Humira are among the first biologics, so they've been tested for a lot of years. I wish you the best of luck!
I inject Humira every ten days. Add me to the "more normal on than not because of the biologic" club. For a while after I began Humira (when I was injecting every 14 days), I noticed a steep drop off in the way I felt about day 8-9. Now that I'm injecting every 10, I feel the drop off *maybe* once every 2-3 months. I still have a day where I'm down about every 4-5 months, but I think I would have that no matter what biologic I inject.
I've been hurting a bit more, too, for the last few weeks, but Kentucky weather has gone from cold and damp to 60* to rainy and damp and now, flat cold. It snowed about 4 inches today but I feel better. No telling what we get this weekend or how PsA me will react to it. I'll be working so I'll stay under my blanket with a cat or three.
The only major side effect I notice is every now and again, I hit a small vein or blood vessel and I get a big honking bruise. I figure that's operator error. (grin)
Thanks Sybil, grandma j and sixcatlawyer
So far all ok - no redness no rashes but I do have a headache - got terrible headaches for the first few months of mtx too! Am drinking lots of water and had a tylenol but no relief as yet. In future will probably try to do injections closer to bedtime and try to sleep through the headache. Glad to have the first one over and done with and hope for the good things that you all have found. After no snow in December, we’ve had a fair bit although nowhere near as much as we used to get in montreal so I’m not complaining. Only had the snow shovel out once which is just unheard of!
Really nice to have your support - it’s always stressful starting a new drug so it’s just great to hear positive stories - fingers crossed
We, too, have less snow than normal so far this year--but that could all change at any moment! Look out, sixcatlawyer, I'm not sure, but is Kentucky included in that impending snow storm of possible historical proportions???? I also think the cold weather is hard on us PsA folks. I felt really good while I was in GA a couple weeks ago and the temp was in the 50s. Here, we just got through a 10-day long cold spell with temperatures as low as -18 Fahrenheit at night.
Injecting into my stomach fat a couple inches left or right of my belly button has worked really well for me. It usually doesn't bleed and if it does, it's not even a drop. It seems to hurt less there than in my thigh.
When I last heard the weather, my little corner of paradise is looking at 8-14. We got 12 in March of last year, so not historical proportions. On the other hand, one of my husband's brothers and several good friends are in that historical proportions corridor. I can't imagine what Kentuckians would do with 24 inches of snow at once. Probably shut down the state like in 1994. What I remember about that one in 1994 is that toward the middle of the week, I got a honking craving for a baked potato. You guessed it--we ran out of potatoes. None of the three grocery stores I could get to had any either.
Yes, we have potatoes--just in case--for this one.
I switch sides for every injection, which usually leads to me looking at my belly wondering if I did left or right the last time. I have noticed a small patch of dry skin when I inject on the right side. Doesn't happen every time but I noticed it this morning--I injected near that area last Thursday.
I injected on my leg - really didn’t hurt much! Woke at 5 this morning with bad nausea and constant headache all day - unshiftable! Was meant to be a mtx day today but with nausea just couldn’t face it so will do tomorrow. Apart from headache no change at all…
I remember our first year in canada they had the most snow ever for over 10 years. It was hubby’s birthday and I was fitting through snow drifts trying to get a cake mix to make him a birthday cake (with poor little daughter) it was horrendous and nearly sent us all running back to the uk!
Well six days in - no improvement but have the following symptoms:
Blood sugars elevated since day 1 of enbrel! I have increased insulin, cut down on food but nothing seems to be working to get my sugars back in their normal range
Persistent cough - had only 2 hours sleep as can’t stop coughing. Am at docs this morning so will ask her to check my chest.
Ewww...that's not good, Golfnut! I'm glad that you're seeing the doctor, but I think maybe a call to the biologics nurse at the clinic is in order as well.
Get better and get answers soon, I hope!
Hi seenie
I will call the nurse tomorrow before my next dose! Never even thought of that…
Lucky that I had an existing docs appointment as she identified cough and nose as an allergic reaction - hadn’t even though about that. Anyway have nasal spray, inhaler and strong allergy pills - thankfully they’ve stopped the coughing already.
Have just caught up on an hours sleep and feeling so much better
I hope things improve, Golfnut! Your biologics nurse should have good advice. Be sure and tell him/her about the allergic reaction. Did the doctor say it's from the Enbrel?
Hi grandma j
Yup doctor said it was the enbrel given that it started after that shot. I read that a cough was a side effect and just thought it would go but it was getting worse and worse. Am zonked out now with anti-histamine and fed up. Next dose due tomorrow but just don’t feel like giving myself anymore on top of what’s obviously still in my system. Also starving as anything I eat shoots my blood sugars up - it’s a good diet plan …
I'd be afraid to take the next shot, too. If there's an allergy isn't there a chance of it getting worse with continued doses? My daughter is a nurse and she told me to have liquid antihistamine on hand when I did my first couple shots. She said in case of an allergic reaction, a dose of it would help until I could get to the ER. Luckily, there was no allergy. Glad you have the antihistamine on hand. I'll be surprised if the Humira nurse is okay with you taking another dose. Good luck--so many hurdles to jump to get to where you want to be! :-(
Golfnut, what a blow! I know how much you were looking forward to starting Enbrel. Oddly I had a few reactions myself. One was full body rash and huge (not normal injection site reactions) formations around 2 wks of injection sites. I was told to continue on and to take double doses of claratin the day before and day after as well as normal doses regularly. I did not have it effect my breathing but it did raise my blood pressure. I am not encouraging you to continue with Enbrel but rather to question use. It did me little to nothing and on a lay persons therory I pose this question, if your body is rejecting it what benefit can it do? When our bodies reject things we often feel terrible and for a slow gain med that’s alot of expectation for it.
Stay positive though, you caught it early like a bump in the road, there will be more options and there are still more toe injections available until you find the right one. Take care!
Rachael that’s exactly what I’m thinking! It seems ridiculous that I’m now using 3 extra drugs, feeling crap and struggling with my sugars - all in the hope that this might work! I don’t want to give up too early but I really don’t want to take another dose. Maybe there’s a new wonder drug on the horizon…
Just a quick update - off enbrel for the moment - cough hasn’t gone away and rhinitis? Having to control it all with antihistamines and inhalers. Going back to the docs this week as suspect I may have allergic asthma. Heart rate is high and I just can’t stop coughing - feel terrible…
I think of all the things I’d be most worried about, its the blood glucose readings. :-(. Those usually don’t get better over time, if a med is causing it. It’s good you stopped, but dint let it put you off of bios altogether. They are life-changing. I feel like, if something cruddy happens, it should wait until you’ve had good results with at least one of them!
Thanks grumpy cat - no I’m not put off just a little down as have been so ill since the first enbrel. I am seeing rheumy at end of feb so will ask to try humira. Endocrinologist was firm that I should not try enbrel again. Thanks for the positive message
Well to update have developed asthma since enbrel dose. Rheumy appt Monday so will see what they say - am on 2 inhalers, anti histamines, nasal spray so won’t be doing anymore enbrel for a while. Plus daughter no 2 very ill - had a blood clot in December and just found out that blood thinners haven’t worked … Besides ourselves with worry!