Etanercept & Methotrexate

weemillie03

Hi sorry i havent been on for such a long time tbh i just havent had the time ,to busy enjoying my life (chance be a fine thing ) anyway 50years of age now JCA since age 12 S/S for past 8 years and so on and so on .
Went to Rheumy on Mon he said "Well i think you need a change Lorraine as the meds you have been on have not done the job ,i have been telling them that for like the last 14months . He said that when i was aged 11/12 these drugs wernt around then but they are now and he thinks its a good idea to start me on them as for the past 9 months i have had 3 Kenelog's and my usual meds . So i said yeh what are you thinking he said Anti tnf drugs & methorexate ??.
So he did tell me to go away and think about it but the nurse will be in touch to do a screening ,i got an x-ray there and then (chest) and he said when the nurse contacts me i will start this new course of treatment . Like i said im 50* now but i think its the first time i have been scared to start any new meds. What didnt help was the fact he said that there are side effects one beign Skin Cancer and i just lost my nephew to that in Feb this year aged 31* . So am i right to be scared ?? The other way i look at it is i had a Hystorectomy aged 29 so have been on h.r.t and that carrys its own side affects & so does the Sjogren's ??

stickywicket

Everything has side-effects, weemillie03. The humble packet of paracetamol carries a warning about a string of side-effects. Not many people get them.

However, you're right to take this seriously. It's a big step. I don't know what your 'usual meds' are – presumably a combination of DMARDS – but, if they're not holding back the disease, you clearly need something more. I get by nicely on a combination of meth and hydroxy. As/wen/if these fail to work I expect I'll need and anti-tnf. It will be a big step for me too but I know what RA is like unchecked and I don't want to go there again.

You'll be well-monitored while on these meds. Be sensible about your blood tests and about not going out unprotected in the sun. I hope the meds make a big difference.

barbara12

Hello Lorraine ..its always scarey with new meds especially these days has they have to give you all the info..but I am glad they are going to try you on them..things have moved on so much...you take your time thinking about this and hopefully someone will be along with more advice for you...good luck with it all..and please let us know what you decide..x

dreamdaisy

An anti TNF supported by meth is a very common occurrence. I am on my third and final one and it's kinda doing the business in that my bloods are lovely unlike the rest of me. I am sure that if I had started the meds which are available a great deal earlier I wouldn't be in the mess I am now but I didn't and I am. No matter.

When taking this kind of combination you will be well-monitored as long as you have your bloods done on a regular basis. When I was on enbrel (is that the same as etanercept? I can't remember :oops: ) it was the fact that I had my bloods done monthly which showed a problem I didn't know I had because I felt fine. An increased risk of cancer is a known factor but to my mind cancer differs to arthritis in one important fact: more and more forms of that can be cured. DD

Sezeelson

I'm on this combo, well i was but after 6 years my body just can't cope with even the smallest doses of meth. So I'm on just Enbrel which started when I was 18? Then my life went down hill and I stopped but I'm now back on it.

Your definitely right to take it seriously, I'm not one to take medication lightly either but so far so good I give my own injections weekly and I'm monitored on a monthly bases. My dr is literally down the road so this is nice and day for me

I'm only 21 and have RA everywhere, I get so bad I can't walk or look after myself at all which scares me for the future as it's certainly not going to magically get better! So the longer and more effectively I can slow it down the better and so far this medicine is working well for me

Good luck!

weemillie03

Thank you so much for your knowledge& advice I really do appreciate it. Like that i was on the Methotrexate for 8 years until my stomach couldn't take anymore. And that was enough that was last year, but after several tests for my stomach it reaviled that i had a hole in my stomach due to the no of meds over the year's .
That was after a capsule test reviled it .
But again since I stopped taking the Methotrexate I went on to a tab called Leflunimide , in which I had no side effects, but as per usual to good to be true , and thats why things are as bad as they are now.
So I will speak to my Rhuemy nurse about all of it and she will give me her feelings on it as well.
Thanx so much Lorraine x