PsA just started Amgevita

LouLouCeCe

hello
I’m new on here. Had PsA for many years (34). I’m 52 now. Just started biologics. Did anyone else feel dizzy & tired day after injecting? I’m just wondering how long I’ll feel like this, if it’s a settling in period.
cheers
Lou

Naomi33

Hello @LouLouCeCe and welcome to the online community.

Sorry to hear your concerns about biologics, have you spoken to your doctor/consultant about this??

I am sure others will respond to you to soon.

Best wishes @Naomi33

LouLouCeCe

thanks @Naomi33, haven’t spoken to consultant yet. Will ring my nurse advice line on Monday if it persists. Just wondered if it was a normal response or something I should keep my eye on. Did see another post where that provided some reassurance.

Naomi33

Your welcome @LouLouCeCe

I have a friend I walk with who really rates biologics and keeps telling me to enquire about but apart from that I personally have no knowledge sorry.

I am sure others will advise you more soon.

@Naomi33

jamieA

Hi @LouLouCeCe

I've been on Amgevita for almost 3 years now for PsA. I also take sulfasalazine and methotrexate. I've not experienced dizzieness or tiredness from Amgevita but I do experience tiredness from MTX. It's always the day after or two days after I take it that I feel as if my energy levels are at a low point. I'd started MTX 5 months before Amgevita and the tiredness was there very early on. Amgevita was a real help for me - two months after starting it I was able to hand back my crutches and I now walk my dog 50-60kms a week.

I know we are all different in the way we react to drugs but I'm thankful it has worked for me and hope it works for you.

LouLouCeCe

hello @jamieA thanks so much. It’s really good to hear Amgevita started making such a difference for you after a couple of months. I’m really hopeful I can go on big big walks with my dogs again. My hands and wrists are main places affected with this flare, but the tiredness has really wellied me!

jamieA

Hi @LouLouCeCe

I still do daily exercises for my hands and wrists. I wear compression gloves which I think help. My finger joints are not particularly sore but they continuously feel like they've been overworked if that makes sense. I have a lot less strength in my fingers than I used to have. My right wrist still swells regularly and aches most of the time. As a side issue my hands and feet are a lot colder since my PsA appeared so the gloves also help keep them warm. My rheumatologist diagnosed me with enthesitis in early 2022 and apparently about 30% of PsA sufferers also develope enthesitis. She said that's the problem with my right wrist - and my right elbow. That might sound like the treatment hasn't worked but in comparison with how I was for the first year of PsA it's a really significant improvement. I'd previously describe my feelings when my PsA was at it's worst as feeling as if someone had driven a wedge into my affected major joints - knee, hip and shoulders - stopping movement. The fact I can walk 50-60kms a week now is a really significant improvement.

I hope the biologic works for you.

LouLouCeCe

Hey @jamieA I was thinking of getting some compression gloves. My most of my finger/ thumb joints are affected. I thought they might like the gentle squeeze. Good to hear you use them. Yes, I totally get you re over worked feeling. I’ve had that after swelling goes from a steroid injection previously. Just starting to get that feeling now, so looks like I might have (hopefully) hit on the right biologic first try.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I just had to look enthesitisup. Is that something you are left with after flare has reduced?

Any movement towards less constant pain & swelling is good. I am amazed both at how much I put up with 30 plus years ago when I first was diagnosed, & how much I took for granted in my 10 yr (2014-2024) period of remission!

jamieA

Hi @LouLouCeCe

Enthesitis appears to work independently of my PsA and it's pretty much there all the time now in my right wrist, elbow and ankle. I'd been treated for plantar fasciitis in my heels two years before my PsA and my rheumatologist is of the opinion that was probably enthesitis. I'd also had suspected carpal tunnel issues with my right wrist some years ago which she also suspects was actually enthesitis. The year before my PsA diagnosis I was diagnosed with trigger finger in my left hand and at my most recent consultation for this earlier this year the orthopaedics consultant casually mentioned it was linked to PsA. I've since read it's actually linked to enthesitis as it's caused by the tendon sheath becoming inflamed.

I've always thought my PsA and enthesitis was brought on by a bout of covid in early 2020 but I'm now beginning to wonder if it had always been there and covid had simply caused it to be amplified.

LouLouCeCe

@jamieA Covid has a lot of impact I think. I caught it end of 2022 and that definitely contributed to my flare getting a hold. I always seemed to fight it off quickly, but then my immune system kept going! I think maybe Covid irks anything underlying because it’s such a stress on the system.

jamieA

Hi @LouLouCeCe

According to what I've read studies of covid sufferers show significantly raised levels levels of TNF alpha protein in their system. Amgevita(adalimumab) is an anti TNF alpha biologic so it would seem there's some form of connection - though I don't think there has been enough in depth research to prove this.

Emmasknackeredjoints

@LouLou. I started biologics and the first 2 inj made me feel very strange. Dizzy, but more gazing into space for about 1 hr.After the inj. After the 3rd inj I was fine

The day after my inj I'm sleepy, and don't do much as if I do I will be sleeping by 2pm.

But after the dreaded mtx I'm happy to take it.

LouLouCeCe

@Emmasknackeredjoints you win username award 🙌🏻 Thanks for reassurance. I was hoping it was teething troubles. Yes mtx really didn’t suit me either!