enbrel vs methotrexate

Take Enbrel once a week and am supposed to take 5mg. injectible of methotrexate weekly. I had gone without the methotrexate for at least six months and have not noticed any difference at all. I am scared to death of the methotrexate. Can anyone explain why my doctor wants me to continue it if it does not seem to make a difference? I do great on the Enbrel by itself, but am sure there are reasons, I just don't understand!

This can be a tough decision. I inject both methotrexate and Enbrel once a week; both are virtually painless. Sometimes I don't even feel the needle, it's so small. The upside is, self injecting is much more convenient. You'll get so fast at it that you'll be done in under a minute and get on with your day (or night, if you inject at bedtime). Humira is taken once every two weeks, I believe, though it varies from patient to patient.

My husband has ankylosingspondilitis and takes enbrel injections and has considered taking methotrexate before. Best of luck. Could be a real blessing from God :) and a healthy baby!

Not sure if was the meds I was on at the time, methotrexate, prednisone and anti inflammatories ( Ketoprofen ). I had mentioned it n passing to my GP and she said she wanted to see them the next time it happened but I went off the methotrexate and prednisone, I could not tolerate either. 4 years later I am now on Enbrel and so far so good, wish I had done it sooner.

Methotrexate did nothing for me and then I got on Enbrel...miracle drug! I have my life back and am even in the gym running on the treadmill and lifting weights...stick with it if you can...it could be well worth it!

VE HAD RA FOR 25 YEARS, STARTING TAKING METHOTREXATE ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO WITH PREDIZONE FROM TIME TO TIME. AROUND THREE YEARS AGO I WAS HAVING FLARE UPS AND MY DOCTOR ALSO ME ON ENBREL, WORKED VERY GOOD FOR THE RA BUT MY NOW MY THROAT IS ALWAYS SORE AND CONGESTED WITH PHELM. THIS YEAR I'VE SEEM NUMEROUS DOCTORS ENT, GENERAL ALERGIST AND EVEN HAD SINUS SURGERY FOR 30 GRAND, NOTHING FIXED THE THROAT PROBLEMS.

Is there any way you can be over medicated with the enbrel and celebrex? For the fatigue I use vitamin B complex. This really helps me. Good luck and dont give up!

d like info on natural enbrel alternative.

Hi and welcome. I am HLA B27 negative too but have AS which is another of the spondys. I have heard of the antibiotic treatment but have not personally communicated with anyone for whom it worked. I can appreciate your reticence about the stronger drugs. Most of us feel that way at one time or another. Personally, I prefer the methotrexate injections to the pills. They are easier on your body and have fewer side effects.

I have been taking Enbrel for over 3 years but because of the expense of it, I am in the process of taking methotrexate (1 ML by injection) as well as my usual dose of Enbrel, for a while to see if it helps my psoriatic arthritis. After a period of time, it is the hope that I will be able to stop the Enbrel and remain on the cheaper methotrexate. I also take klonopin for anxiety/panic.

Have had two friends die of cancer when they had been on Remicade for less than a year--there are great fears of this drug perhaps causing cancer. Is methotrexate alone enough of a remedy? Can methotrexate actually slow the progression of RA?

I have AS ( Ankoylosing Spondylitis) arthritis of the spine and ReA ( Reactive Arthritis) AS is especially painful and I have no choice but to work as I am on my own. I too am on Enbrel 50 sure click. I cannot tolerate methotrexate and hate how prednisone makes feel. I take Ketoprofen which is a RX anti-inflammatory which does help me and always has ( been sick for 4 years) I have been on Vicodin 750 for that long as well, it doesn't really take the pain away but takes the edge off.

My ANA and RF have always been negative but I have had a high ESR and CRP. I am on Enbrel, Plaquenil, and methotrexate. Thanks for any and all comments.

I have taken methotrexate for over 20 years. A few years ago we added Enbrel and it has been a good combination for me. The good news is, children are extremely adaptable. At her age, she may not have the language skills to tell you how good or bad she is feeling, so it is up to you to watch her for non-verbal cues. Also, you can teach her ways to communicate how bad something hurts. A series of simple face drawings that start with a smile and gradually progress to a frown could help.

There are many, many medications available to treat not only the pain and inflammation, but also slow down and hopefully halt the progression of the disease itself. The frustrating part is finding the right medication or combination of meds for you - no two people respond the same way to the same medications. My "cocktail" is Enbrel and methotrexate, plus an anti-inflammatory called meloxicam (Mobic). These three meds only scratch the surface of what's available. Good luck!

No cure. I have AS and use methotrexate and Enbrel. I am virtually pain free and live a normal life. Occasionally I do have flares but other than that those 2 drugs gave me back my quality of life.

I suffer quite badly from Psoriatic Arthritis. I have no signs of Psoriasis, but my joints are inflammed and very painful. I'm 33, female. I'm taking 25mg of Methotrexate weekly, other anit-inflammatroy drugs. I'm interested in hearing from others who suffer from this and what they are going through, as I've never met anyone who suffers from this.

He is on needles now weekly for Methotrexate, how aggressive is this and what can we expect, he has had it for 4 years now but i can see him deterorating very rapidly in the lat year, are there any other options he can be doing to get some relief from this....

I am on 40mg humira every other week. June 2007 - March 2008 I was on Enbrel and prednisone. I started on 10mg prednisone daily in June of 2007 and reduced it to 2 mg daily currently since December 2007. I am also very fatigued, have no libido, skin rashes here and there, my hands have "hot spots" of red and swollen flesh which moves around every few days. I also experience incontinence (I have never had children), slight depression and lethargy.

Hi Karen, I'm sorry you're having so much trouble. I also have RA, for which my main medications are methotrexate and Enbrel. If mtx isn't working for you, I would urge you to look into adding a biologic like Enbrel or Humira to the mix. It's very important that you get off the prednisone if at all possible. It can give you short-term relief but trust me, the long-term effects of prednisone are not worth it.

I have now been through prednisone, methotrexate, Enbrel, Humara(Humira? sp) then back to Enbrel.......then nothing. The Enbrel worked very well, but I have massive anxiety about the biologics. I just don't trust them and and it's very frustrating. I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard spot. On one hand they really do make me feel better, pain and ROM vastly improved.

It is a great place to find info and talk to others who have Stills. A friend I talk to from there takes methotrexate, Enbrel and steroids and she is having significant relief and she is returning to work after ten years. I get injections put in the joints that are bugging me, the best relief I got was a steroid and lidocaine mixture. The numbing effect doesn't last long though but it was worth it to me to be numb.

Wishing you better luck than I had! Naproxen did not seem to help me. I was diagnosed 8/07 and am now on Plaquenil and Methotrexate. It can take up to 3 months to know if these drugs help. Still trying to get the dosages and combination of drugs right and may be going to Enbrel or Humira soon.

Ok, heres one for anybody out there. Has anyone tried the Enbrel, had no luck with it and gone on to either the Remicade or Humira and gotten results? It's a beautiful day here in the NE and the pup is telling me it's time to get out there! Make it a good day everyone and I will check in later today. Sue & Casey, ha ha!

A friend of mine has PA and has been taking Enbrel for years and she is in great health now. I started taking it 14 weeks ago after being so miserable for 4 years. I feel the best I have since getting sick 4 years ago. I urge you to speak to your Dr. about it. Take care.

I thought I had the flu about 5 years ago.. turned out to be PMR and my joints were very painful.. could hardly walk.. it was in my feet and ankles, knees, and wrists.. anyway I took celery seed and Ibuprophen.. and it went into remission.. yeah! celery seed.. worked as well as the sterioids that others have been on.. and though I have had a flair up .. so has another person I know with it, who is still on the steriods.. so you might want to at least look into the symptoms..

Enbrel vs methotrexate

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