Does anyone know about rheumatoid arthritis and TNF blockers?

2 Comments

1. eek says:

   April 1, 2010 at 7:19 am

   I took Celebrex for only a very short time. The side effect I had was very unusual: I quit sleeping.

   On the other hand my sister started taking Celebrex over 2 years ago. It seemed to be working very well until this summer. She has pains in her hands now that are not helped my the Celebrex. The doctor has her trying something new. I do not recall the name of her new medication. She is still taking the Celebrex.

   I Read you question last night. I was hoping you would get many answers … I will post a similiar question …. may be on senior citizens forum and see if there is any more response …………… when this question goes out of date.
2. Larry D says:

   April 1, 2010 at 7:43 am

   I have psoriatic arthritis (a severe variant of rheumatoid arthritis) and have been using Enbrel, which is a TNF blocker for about 8 years now.

   I’ve found it to be very effective and have seen marked improvement in my arthritis. (I take it in combination with other drugs, so I can’t completely attribute the improvement to the Enbrel… but I’ve done much better since adding Enbrel to other drugs I’ve taken).

   I have not experienced any adverse side-effects, and have seen the product improve over the years. The injections are easier to give now… I’m able to take the entire dose in one injection, once a week…. and I’ve grown accustomed and used to injecting myself.

   I was hesitant to start it originally (scared of injecting myself), but now its second nature. I feel like its benefits more than compensate for the hassle of injection myself.

   The drugs is, however, quite expensive. Luckily I have good managed care and get the drug very cheaply.

   Good luck to you in improving your condition — I hope that you find relief.

   rtrout2