Biologics

Hello @Africa66

Welcome to the online community and thank you for joining us.

So you have tried a number of medications that did not work for you including Methotrexate and Leflunomide. You have found that these types of medications have left you suffering with all types of side effects. Your arthritis is currently out of control and you cry because the pain can be so bad. You were doing some research and came across Biologics and wondered if anyone had had any success with these.

It sounds that you have really been through it. No one should be in that amount of pain where it causes them ti cry like it does with yourself.

Biologics are quite common now and you will find that a lot of members have tried various ones. They do not always work for everyone but they can also be very successful for people. I will leave some information below on them but would also strongly recommend discussing them with your consultant. Regardless of whether biologics are the right treatment for you, you do need to speak to your consultant with regards to your pain levels as what you are experiencing just isn't right.

Im sure once other members have read your post you will have lots of comments o how biologics have worked for them.

Please do let us know how you are getting on and please so keep getting involved in the community.

Take care

Anne (Moderator)

Hi @Africa66

I was put on the anti-TNF adalimumab biosimilar Amgevita at the end of July last year and by the end of September I felt it had really worked well. Prior to July I'd been in hospital 5 times in 7 months (complicated by contracting pneumonia as well) but since last July I've only had 1 overnight in hospital for observation. I don't think I could have continued with the level of pain I was in previously.

Obviously a downside of the biologic is the suppression of your immune system - particularly in these times of covid and the fact I've had pneumonia - so I'm being extra careful in what I do, where I go and who I see. I also test regularly with LFTs.

In the last few months I've had a return of a number of symptoms - I feel a bit like I've a bad flu with shoulders, hands and feet particularly aching - but it's nothing like it was and I can live with this if necessary. My rheumatologist thinks it may be caused by my system generating antibodies to the biologic - turns out this is not uncommon with anti-TNF biologics - and I'm awaiting blood tests results to confirm this. If so the rheumatologist is planning on moving me onto another biologic.

You've got to go through hoops to being prescribed biologics - the cynic in me thinks the main driver is cost - I had 3 months on sulfasalazine then 5 months on methotrexate and had to show inflammation in at least 3 joints before I was put on Amgevita.

As the others have basically said, there's no magic bullet for arthritis and that includes biologics. Some things work for some people for aome time. No guarantees ut, frankly, if we were to read the potential side effects of any ,eds, we'd take no e and be in a far worse position.

As I see it we have to fine a level of pain that we can tolerate and side effects we can cope with. I hope you can find a med with which you can feel comfortable.

However, I would disabree with @Rubikscubeboy re smoking. There is lots of evidence to show that smoking can probably be a precipitating factor for RA. My authoritative site of arthritis is Johns Hopkins medical school in USA. is unsure of this but does say categorically that smokers have 'poorer outcomes"https://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/ask-the-expert/smoking-and-ra/

As an ex smoker I agree that smoking is bad and certainly giving up is to be encouraged. What i meant is the doctors seem to follow a tick list of treatments to use, starting with the cheapest. If I had access to biologics 10 years ago when i first heard about humira maybe I wouldn't have needed hip replacements and knee replacements and be in a wheelchair now.

Yes i agree that makes sense. I guess I'm just bitter that I wasn't even offered this option until I asked about it myself 15 years after my initial diagnosis.

Agreed. I have had 2 hip replacements at about 15k each and waiting for 2 knee replacements I'd guess at the same price. So that's 60k just on these so far. Considering they usually last 15 years maximum I have been told to expect replacements for all by the time I'm 60 and a second replacement for all at 75 and again at 90 (depending on life expectancy). In addition I have just been approved a grant of 50K a year for Taxis for Access to Work. If I plan to work until I am 68 that's 23 years X 50K (and this was based on petrol prices before the recent price hikes). If I then add in PIP and future accessible wheelchair accommodation then I dread to think how much the government could have avoided paying.

Hi @Rubikscubeboy

Thanks for the offer - I would try medical cannabis if I needed it and read your posts with interest. I'm ok at present - Amgevita has helped greatly - though my new consultant thinks it may be waning somewhat and she has a plan to move me on to another biologic if that is so. I'm waiting on blood test results to see whether my body has started generating antibodies to Amgevita. I've only had one steroid injection in the last year since being on Amgevita and I've almost cut out taking painkillers. I'm still using capsaicin cream and Ralvo patches which I think are helping.