I have started Enbrel two weeks ago. My pain level has been off the charts since my doctors took me off of Prednisone the first week in March. I was wondering how long it takes for the Enbrel to begin easing the pain? Also, my psoriasis is breaking out with a vengeance. Ugh!
A little background… I was on 25 mg of methotrexate weekly. I was not doing well on it and I ended up in the hospital from Christmas Day for 10 days. It almost killed me. The PsA had attacked my lungs because of the MTX. My pulmonary doc had me on high doses of prednisone and I weaned down and he took me off on March 5th with the blessing of my Rheumy. Because of the bad reaction with my lungs, my rheumatologist did not want me on Remicade so that’s why we are trying the Enbrel. I’ve read that it is only effective for about 50% of patients with PsA.
Hello! Sounds like a rough road to travel, sorry you were in the hospital!
Many people do well on Enbrel, or another biologic. The only way to find out is to try it for a few months and see what happens. I refer to this as the medication merry-go-round. Remember, the medication only has to help YOU, so don't worry too much about the stats.
Thank you, Marietta. You're right, I need to be patient with the medications. One positive thing for me is that I haven't had any reactions to the injection site with the Enbrel. I was misdiagnosed 20 years ago with fibromyalgia when it has really been PsA. Now just about every joint in my body is affected. However, I am very hopeful with all the new medications that are available. Hope you are doing well with your journey down the PsA trail!
Marietta said:
Hello! Sounds like a rough road to travel, sorry you were in the hospital!
Many people do well on Enbrel, or another biologic. The only way to find out is to try it for a few months and see what happens. I refer to this as the medication merry-go-round. Remember, the medication only has to help YOU, so don't worry too much about the stats.