Pregnancy

Achyknees

Had to come off my lovely Enbrel and go back on Sulphasalazine as I want to get pregnant - and I am still getting flare ups and recurrent uveitis!

Has anyone else had this problem and how did they cope? It's been 7 months now and am getting quite fed up as Enbrel was working great for me (apart from the tiredness). I have a feeling I am just going to have to suck it up, but was hoping someone may have a miracle solution ;-) I have had PA for 13 years.

julie47

Morning achyknees

Welcome to the forum, I cannot help with your question as I got my ra just after the birth of my daughter.

I hope some one else can help soon.

I wish you luck and hope that the pa goes into remission while you are pregnant. (i heard that it can, don't know if it is true)

Take care, and keep your chin up.
Juliepf x

frogmorton

Hi Achy

are you preganant??? Have you succeeded? If so then it migt be acase of surviving.....there are others on here who have come off meds to conceive(they may pop in later if you are lucky) we even have a forum baby!!!

If not then l wish you all the luck in the world and hope it happens soon for you

I also think that others have been able to take some pain meds as well as the milder DMARDs

Love

Toni xx

dutchess

A year and a half a go I came off methotrexate to try to conceive but unfortunately body relented even with max dose of steroids so had to give up and go back on methotrexate. However at the end of last year my body decided methotrexate wasn't working anymore so consultant changed my meds to azhthioprine and plaquenil (both safe during pregnancy) three months to get methotrexate out of system then safe to start trying to conceive. Don't give up hope!!! I thought I'd lost the battle but on new regime its managing my condition and once methotrexate out of my system we're in the game to try!!!I've got mixed connective tissue disease so ra/sjogrens/raynauds and vasculitis nice mix to treat. Think its really important to have a good relationship with your consultant and for them to be supportive of you wanting a family. My consultant said with my condition theres a good chance if I get pregnant that I'd go into remission and then flare four weeks after birth. In terms of management I would have to come off my celebrex (anti-inflammatory) but have been told can continue with co-coldomol or even up to co-drydromol. Wishing you luck and strength on your journey.

cthornley

I came off MTX to conceive....I now have a wonderful 2 nearly 3 yr old
It was one of the hardest things to do , come off a med that I was doing so well on and stay off through the months of painful disappointment

But we stuck with it and finally it happened
It was very very difficult and I was in a lot of pain, I was put on high dose steroids through trying to conceive and continued through pregnancy when I turned out to be one of the unluckily ones whose RA actually gets worse in pregnancy (some peoples gets better)

I'm back on MTX now and its got a lot easier but the meds don't seem to work as well as they did before personally I think this is because life with a small child is so much more difficult than one without and stress was a major factor in my flares prior to having him - so I'm now on ciclosporan and mtx - sorry I digress

I think its hard for people to get it, which makes it even harder
I was lucky to have a very supportive GP , even though I had at the time a rubbish rheumy (i've since changed)
I have been told that if I wanted to conceive again that it might want to look at changing to a Rheumy who is now running a pregnancy and arthritis clinic in conjunction with a specialist obstetrician ...It might be worth talking to your GP/ hospital and see if there is anything like that in your area. Even if its only for support as I know it is a very lonely and dispiriting process.

Good luck & best wishes (they are worth the effort....even if it is an awful lot of effort)
Chrissie

skezier

Hi Achyknees,

welcome to the forum from me as well and hope you will be able to get some drugs that don't stop you from having a child. Fingers crossed and nice to meet you. Cris x

Hey Kelly so nice to see you again. Hope your doing okish? Cris x

dutchess

skezier wrote:

Hi Achyknees,

welcome to the forum from me as well and hope you will be able to get some drugs that don't stop you from having a child. Fingers crossed and nice to meet you. Cris x

Hey Kelly so nice to see you again. Hope your doing okish? Cris x

Hi Cris
Thanks, been a rough couple of years but finally seem to be going in right direction and they have me on the right meds. Just taking one day at a time and trying to stay positive. Hope your well. Must really pop on here more often.
Take care
Luv Kelly

Achyknees

Thank you all for replying!! It's nice to know pregnancy can happen after coming off meds, I am just going to try and use alternative ways of dealing with the pain, currently testing out acupuncture! To those who are trying also, good luck, I hope to hear some success stories soon xx

elsbeth

I have OA and I found that my pain got better when I was pregnant as the pregnancy hormones help apparently.
Could have been a fluke though but my doc was most angry when I got pregnant..oops.


Good luck though. It's worth it all in the end.
x

cthornley

elsbeth wrote:

I have OA and I found that my pain got better when I was pregnant as the pregnancy hormones help apparently.

When I was pregnant I was quoted by the docs - that for women with RA about a third get better due to the hormones, a third get worse and a third have no change
:sad: I was in the 3rd that got worse but I've heard of loads that got better

Chrissie