Adalimumab

Emmasknackeredjoints

Have any of you developed antibodies to the biologic and if so, in what duration did you develop them?

jamieA

Hi @Emmasknackeredjoints

About a year after I started Amgevita my rheumatologist thought I may have been developing antibodies to the adalimumab as I'd had signs of a bit of a flare - particularly in my hands and feet . She explained it was a known issue that some people could develop these antibodies. She did extra blood tests on me and lucky for me they didn't show antibodies. She'd said if I had had developed antibodies she'd have moved me onto the biologic Secukinumab.

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/57826/secukinumab

When I did the Nuffield Health joint pain course I met two other inflammatory arthritis sufferers who'd had to change biologics due to waning efficacy of their original biologic.

Emmasknackeredjoints

@jamieA thank you. I don't feel the biologics work as well as methotrexate.

Can I ask if you feel more tired on biologics?

I feel shattered very quick these days

jamieA

Hi @Emmasknackeredjoints

I know we are all different and what works for one might not work for someone else. I've not known of anyone on the cocktail I'm on - sulfasalazine, MTX and adalimumab. One person on the Nuffield course I was on was on their 4th biologic.

With me it's always been the MTX that's caused tiredness. From when I started MTX in early 2021 either the day after or two days after I'd be really fatigued - to the point I'd have an afternoon nap and not plan anything on those two days. Last year something changed and I didn't feel as tired but it's come back recently. Also in the last month my sleep each night has been disrupted - always between 3-4am - and that was happening back in 2021/22 but had eased off last year. When I wake my elbows, forearms, wrists and hands are aching and swollen which my rheumatologist said is enthesitis. During the day it's nowhere near as bad. One rheumatologist I saw said that the body stops producing cortisol during sleep and that maybe the reason. I'm seeing my rheumatologist soon so I'm thinking of asking for a steroid shot in my rear to try calm things down.

I hope things improve for you soon.

Emmasknackeredjoints

Hi @jamieA , thank you.

I'm familiar with the 2am-6 am pain. Every night for 2 yrs before starting dmards and I feel its creeping back.

More puffy warm painful joints with tingling to them . 1 rheumatologist says inflammatory pain another rheumatologist says its mechanical pain from the day! Which I'm not to sure of.

Hope u get better soon to. Take care

jamieA

Hi @Emmasknackeredjoints

I'm ok thanks I think I'm just going through a bit of a blip. I like the rheumatologist I have now - she explains things and she said that getting a steroid shot can just knock things back into line if they've started to drift upwards. She gave me a half measure steroid shot 6 months ago and it certainly worked for about 3-4 months. On a scale 1 to 10 I've said before I was a 1-2 over the last couple of years but now I'd say 2-3 so it's nowhere near it's worst just a bit worse than I've become used to. I've noticed that towards the end of the two weeks cycle between my adalimumab injections I'm a bit worse and that continues the day after injection and then things settle down a bit again. So I took my injection on Thursday morning and last night(Friday) I slept through - I didn't wake at 3-4am and my arms and hands were not as swollen this morning.

I hate when they use the term mechanical - there's a real disconnect from the human side of things by using it.

Hope things improve for you soon.