enbrel without 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!

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!

d like info on natural enbrel alternative.

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!

m rather surprised he would start you on methotrexate without a diagnosis. How long have you had these issues? How long have you been on your meds? Plaquenil is first line of treatment for both RA and Lupus and takes at a minimum 3 months to show results. I'm 5 months in and starting to really see a difference.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I have decided that I probably should take the methotrexate. I just have a few questions. What happens if I take it without taking folic acid? My dr. never said to take folic acid where everything else says you should. Will I have to be on this forever once I start it? What can just a positive ANA mean? Thanks for any input.

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!

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!

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 started on plaquenil and then went to methotrexate. After awhile, I stopped the methotrexate and discovered the plaquenil was managing my symptoms fine (unless I do not get regular sleep, get stressed out and/or it rains - then I go into flare.) Prednisone was not something they used for me, but I did have several steroid injections to deal with my most troublesome spots. How is your daughter doing now? When is her next shot?

It takes about 3 months to determine if this medication is helping. If not, they will likely place you on methotrexate (MTX) either in pill or injectable form. If you go on MTX, you must take folic acid. the doctor should prescribe this for you but if they don't, ask for it as MTX will lower your folic acid levels. I recommend going on the injectable form of MTX as it has fewer side effects.

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.

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.

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.

Enbrel without methotrexate

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