please tell me the good the bad and the ugly.
went to the rhumey today she wants to start me on Humira. when i first started this process i was scared it would come to biologics.. now i think i am happy to try anything the pain is so bad.
she is keeping me on the MTX to start as well as the naproxen.. with hope to ween off the MTX.
There's been some great discussions that you can search to start off with. Just keep in mind that everyone will have a different response, and that it won't be immediate.
I just started my first biologic too, Enbrel. I started it 2+ weeks ago and am eagerly awaiting the day that I notice some changes.
I know this all takes time. Even starting will take a few weeks. But I have hope.
I started Humira last Friday. The injection itself was a lot easier than I'd anticipated and I only have a tiny mark. By Friday evening I was experiencing one or two weird chills which passed after about a hour. I have since had a mild lingering stress type headache, but nothing major. In terms of results, one small patch of psoriasis on my finger has definitely faded, but not the couple of patches on my legs, so his could just be a coincidence. My knee joints seem to have improved too. They have been my biggest source of misery in the last few months so any improvement was likely to be noticeable. At first I thought it was my imagination, but 4 days on and they still seem to be better than they were, probably about 20% better. I actually got down stairs normally this morning instead of the side ways on descent I usually adopt. So after one injection, I'm cautiously optimistic.
Ali- That's pretty awesome that you may have noticed improvement right away. I'm hoping that when I go in to my doctor after 4+ weeks on Enbrel that I'll have good results to report. I have very minimal psoriasis, so nothing visible to report so soon.
I have been on Humira since August. I had almost instant pain relief - less than a week. I was first diagnosed with psoriasis of the scalp and 3 years later with the arthritis. The psoriasis on my scalp has only been a very, very small area. I had a topical that I was suppose to use twice a day but was able to use it only once a day to keep it under control. I have even been able to quit using that.
As far as the injections, I cannot give it to myself in the stomach, I am just too afraid. I alternate between my thighs. For some strange reason, it hurts in the left leg but not the right. The pain does not last very long.
Good luck!
Ali, to have seen improvement after one injection is phenomenal but unusual. It does happen though, and I’m happy for you that it did!
Ali said:
I started Humira last Friday. The injection itself was a lot easier than I’d anticipated and I only have a tiny mark. By Friday evening I was experiencing one or two weird chills which passed after about a hour. I have since had a mild lingering stress type headache, but nothing major. In terms of results, one small patch of psoriasis on my finger has definitely faded, but not the couple of patches on my legs, so his could just be a coincidence. My knee joints seem to have improved too. They have been my biggest source of misery in the last few months so any improvement was likely to be noticeable. At first I thought it was my imagination, but 4 days on and they still seem to be better than they were, probably about 20% better. I actually got down stairs normally this morning instead of the side ways on descent I usually adopt. So after one injection, I’m cautiously optimistic.
The good: biologics give you the best chance of damage prevention of any of the dmards.
More good: side effects are rare.
Even more good: Early and aggressive treatment gives you the best advantage over this enemy
The bad: bios are expensive
The ugly: the rare side effects for some patient groups. But even uglier, and statistically more likely, is the damage that PsA can do to your body and your quality of life.
Good luck to you!