Hi. I am wondering how long Enbrel is effective for. I have been on it for a few years and feel it is losing its punch. My psoriasis has come back and I am having flare ups more often and they are getting worse each time. I am still coping, but think it may be about time to change. If I do change, what to? I have previously tried Humira. I also take methotrexate, celebrex and paracetemol and during flare ups I also take prednisolone.
Hi
I think everyone is different but it does seem to diminish in effectivness the longer you are on it. I was on Enbrel
for seven years when it started to lose it's punch. I struggled my last two years on it
Hi everyone,
I am now 11 shots in to Enbrel, it has surely made a big difference, but I would not say it has stopped the progression of the disease. I take the shot Friday around 5:00pm, I am feeling the 'drag' of it wearing off on Thursday, so I have wondered how long it will be working for me.
The years it took for the diagnosis, the right Rheumatologist, then the 7-8 months going through the SZ and MX to get there while it tore into me surely did not help, but I feel so grateful to have it.
I know that I have read where others used it for years before it was ineffective for them, the amount of years vary. Surely more people will respond.
Wishing you all great success with your treatment,
SK
Thanks to you all. Enbrel made a major difference to my life and still does. I am just concerned that I might be back to what I was like before too long. I don't like the psoriasis coming back. I have had hardly any for the last few years. I felt almost normal. In particular my nails are again really pitted and inflammed underneath. They are not pretty and being a guy there is not much I can do to disguise it.
Philly, do you see a Dermatologist? I do not have psoriasis, but I do have pitted fingernails, and very sore toenails, perhaps one could help you. Perhaps one could help me too!
Wishing you the best,
SK
I haven't seen a dermotologist for a while because Enbrel is also a top treatment for psoriasis. That said, it could be worth seeing one again.
Hi I was on Enbrel and went off it thinking it was'nt doing anything either ,and then went off my methotexate after about 2 weeks being off the Methorexate "Oh my God " I was in soooo much pain from head to toe so I started back on the methrexate and 3 weeks later still in so much pain so went to see my specialist today and I explained the reasons of going off the medications,but he said the Enbrel was not reducing the inflammation enough on my blood test results so he has applied for a different one called Simponi which I need to do once a month otherwise he said there are a few others I can try including a infusion until we come across the right .Do you get monthy blood tests because this will show if you have inflammation going on ?
I get blood tests about every three months now. They are usually very good, but I don't usually get them when I am having a flare up. I should try that to see. However, I take prednisolone when I am having a flare up and that also usually makes my blood tests look OK. Here in Australia the government has pretty strict rules about changing meds. I have to have really bad blood tests and I only get to try three types of TNF blocker before they stop subsidising it. So, I think I will be on Enbrel until I get really sick.
I took methotrexate for bout a year. I got off because i was gettin insurance from work and didnt know if i could afford it. It took 3 months before i noticed my symptoms come back. My thumbs, hips, hands and knees hurt alot now. So i’ve got a new doctor and on my next appt im going to ask him to put me back on it. Also, i went to pain management for my back. She was very rude and gave me 4 series of shots in my back at 900$ a piece. That didnt even work. I told her i had the PsA and osteo and she insisted i get these shots. THe last one i got, my back went out and i was out of work for 6 days. Needless to say i got another doctor. He knew exactly what was wrong. I felt so relieved that i wasnt crazy. Big load off my back. Im gettin on the right track. Especially since i joined this site. Thanks all. I hope u find something that helps.
Im in Australia too in sydney Im am going to try my second TNF one called Simponi which is done once a month if that doesn't work he told me about a infusion done in the outpatients at the hospital.My Rheumatologist didn't tell me we are only allowed to try three.
I'm glad you got the Enbrel to work for for you for so long! It didn't work for me. After 3 months and numberous flare ups and psoriasis that would just bleed, we gave up and tried Humira. 6 months later we are now going to try Remicade due to the same problems. I hope you can get to feeling better!
I thought it was losing the "punch" called Enbrel folks and they said, it wasn't so much that (although it was possible) as much as the immune system getting complacent. Their recommendation was to up the dose for a few months and change the dosing site, time/day, etc. as it may confuse things enough to get going..... (probably not hard as it doesn't take much to confuse the rest of me anyway)
Visiting with my Doc, I learned from her that one of the more difficult things she deals with is reluctance to change Biologicals because of fear the new one won't work as well as the old one..... (She didn't have any answers)
Hi Wendy, I think the three rule still applies. You should ask your doctor about it. I'd be interested to hear how you go on Simponi as that's one I was thinking of changing to. I'd rather have one injection a month than one a week. Not that I mind the injections, it's just that I have to always have the stuff with me if I travel and it has to be kept cold, which can be difficult at times.
wendy said:
Im in Australia too in sydney Im am going to try my second TNF one called Simponi which is done once a month if that doesn't work he told me about a infusion done in the outpatients at the hospital.My Rheumatologist didn't tell me we are only allowed to try three.
Thanks tntlamb, I already change the dosing site from the top of one leg to the other, but I can go back to the stomach where I used to put the humira. I can also change the day easily. I might move it forward it a day, so that I get it slightly more often. Certainly worth a try. I don't think I can actually increase the dose though, but I can ask my Dr.
tntlamb said:
I thought it was losing the "punch" called Enbrel folks and they said, it wasn't so much that (although it was possible) as much as the immune system getting complacent. Their recommendation was to up the dose for a few months and change the dosing site, time/day, etc. as it may confuse things enough to get going..... (probably not hard as it doesn't take much to confuse the rest of me anyway)
Visiting with my Doc, I learned from her that one of the more difficult things she deals with is reluctance to change Biologicals because of fear the new one won't work as well as the old one..... (She didn't have any answers)
I was lucky enough to have it work for 8 years before they switched me to Humira. Since then I have been on several others and since there are no more drugs left I asked my Rheumy if I can try Enbrel again. I am hoping it will work for me again. i have been off of it for about 4 years.
When I was on Enbrel, my rheumy suggested switching legs each week, as it's thought that helps. One of the reasons I'm on Remicade now is that you can't adjust the dosage of Enbrel, and it was "lasting" around five days for me, insurance wouldn't cover it more frequently, and it wasn't helping my spondylitis. With remicade infusions, the dosage can be adjusted to fit my needs.
Thanks nym,
I was told that moving it from one leg to the other was to stop irritation at the injection site, but I am happy to move it to other areas in case it also makes it more effective.
nym said:
When I was on Enbrel, my rheumy suggested switching legs each week, as it's thought that helps. One of the reasons I'm on Remicade now is that you can't adjust the dosage of Enbrel, and it was "lasting" around five days for me, insurance wouldn't cover it more frequently, and it wasn't helping my spondylitis. With remicade infusions, the dosage can be adjusted to fit my needs.
I have been in Prednisone, Sulphasalazine, Celebrex, Enbrel, Enbrel with Methotrexate, Humira, Humira with Arava, Remicade, and I am back into Enbrel. I went to a workshop sponsored by the Psoriatic Foundation (I think that's the name???) and the doctors said that all the medications for our condition's effect wear out after a while. Your doctor will decide, along with you, what alternative is better for you. (it is a trial and error) There are some medications nonetheless, like Remicade, that you never can go back to, because once they lose effectiveness, it is entirely lost. Luckily for us, there are many alternatives in the market.
Gelita,
Just curious how long you have been back on Enbrel and are you seeing any results? I had my last infusion of Actemra on July 11th so I can't start my Enbrel until August 11th and I am really hoping that it works this second time around.
Thanks!
Gelita said:
I have been in Prednisone, Sulphasalazine, Celebrex, Enbrel, Enbrel with Methotrexate, Humira, Humira with Arava, Remicade, and I am back into Enbrel. I went to a workshop sponsored by the Psoriatic Foundation (I think that's the name???) and the doctors said that all the medications for our condition's effect wear out after a while. Your doctor will decide, along with you, what alternative is better for you. (it is a trial and error) There are some medications nonetheless, like Remicade, that you never can go back to, because once they lose effectiveness, it is entirely lost. Luckily for us, there are many alternatives in the market.
The doctors mentioned that a patient can return to certain medications (Enbrel is one of them) with similar results that patient had the first time around. I had to return to it because my liver is busted and it happens to be the mildest of the meds to the liver. I really liked Arava (Leflunomide), but it is too toxic. I have been on Enbrel for two weeks now, so it is too soon to tell. Why did you return to it?