humira vs enbrel for ra

I’ve been taking Enbrel for the past 15 years or so with HUGE success! I have since Retired from work last month and now have a limited income. I signed up to Medicare/AARP for my post retirement healthcare requirement. During employment my Co-Pay was 25 dollars for a month supply. Now, Medicare and AARP collective insurance leaves me with 1,000 dollars for a month supply. Retail? $4600-$5500 for a 4 doses (month supply) Is there ANYTHING else that works as well as this?

Just started seeing an ENT specialist to try to get to the bottom of it. The Enbrel works for my RA when I can stay on it, but then I get sinus infection and have to go back off... it's a constant cycle. Constant headache behind my eyes and sinus congestion. I take Allegra D for sinus and Bultalbital (prescribed) for the headaches, but it barely takes the edge off. Been dealing with this for years... hopefully the ENT will have some answers I can share. Good luck to you all!

s like RA, just not quite as deforming) and used Enbrel for four years 3X a week plus one injection of metho. For me it was a miracle drug! I felt like a spring chicken again! I could go up and down stairs, I could squat, I could get in and out of chairs or off the toilet without help.............I felt normal for the first time in years. I stopped taking it last August, almost a year ago, and it's been a nightmare.

Remicade is a biologic injection, in the same class of drugs as Humira, Enbrel and Orencia. I have been taking Humira for rhematoid arthritis and it seems to be doing it's job as my rheumy says. It keeps me out of the emergency room with serious flares which had become a habit for me. These drugs are usually reserved for "rheumatoid" type arthritis and getting insurance companies to approve them is not normally easy.

Lulu--I used to take humira, which is a TNF inhibitor like Enbrel. One of the rare side effects of both humira and enbrel is the development of MS or MS-like symptoms. I didn't pay enough attention to the warning because it seemed so remote and happened so rarely. However, it happened to me. If what I have is MS, the doctor isn't sure whether the humira caused it, or if I would've gotten MS anyway, but the humira hurried the process along.

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..

I've been injecting methotrexate since January for RA. I'm at .8 - which I think is 20mg. I also take plaquenil. I still have pain migrating from joint to joint and I don't feel any improvement and my CRP keeps climbing. The joints that are bothering me burn and ache so badly I can't sleep or sit still. My question is how long do you give this stuff a chance before trying infusions?

now need to decide on a medication and have been giving the chose between the infusion and giving myself shots. My doctors seems to be leaning toward Humira shots. The idea of giving myself shots for the rest of my life is very overwhelming. My mother gives herself shots, and wants the infusion, but cannot because she would have to change medicines and her Embrel is working so the Dr. wont switch her. Does anybody have any insight to which is better.

I have my monthly appt next week and I will be speaking with my Rhuemy on this, I am just looking to see what others have exp. I do take Humira for RA, it just seems that my joints have gone into overdrive and are trying to outdo each other in swelling. I have also had site reactions to the injection both times, rash. So I will probably ask him to give me something else, but I am not too keen on trying any of the other TNF blockers.

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.

Hi. I've had RA for 17 years, on Enbrel for the last 8.5. I never wanted to go on MTX because the side effects scare me, and I enjoy a few drinks with friends. A new doctor has put me on it in conjunction with Enbrel because I have couple joints which have been causing me problems. Otherwise, I've been great on Enbrel. I am now in my 3rd week on MTX, and seveal joints are really flaring. I find this very depressing.

I am a long term RA patient who is now seeing a pulmonologist for shortness of breath. All cardiac tests were normal. Several ground glass opacities in my right lung showed up on a CT scan in July 2011. Enbrel was discontinued and coincidentally I took a regime of prednisone for an allergy problem - 60 mg for one week, then with a weekly taper.

I do get muscle twitches, not as often now as before MTX, but they are there. Had my dr appt last week and have put off Humira/Enbrel for another 8 weeks. It's looming out there, but so far I am avoiding them. MTX is enough!

what is treatment for RA positive? I am 46 years old, I am suffering pain in all joins(particular fingers). I test my blood in 22 august 2008. Result is RA positive 121ml. please guidance.

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.

What are your opinions of taking Remicade along with methotrexate for RA? 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?

Granted, we have different types of arthritis, mine being psoriatic arthritis, but I can tell you that I was on Enbrel alone for atleast three years and I had great results with no side effects. For me it was a wonder drug. You may wonder why I would go off something so great...it was a dollars and cents issue. My husband retired and my lifelong coverage of medication was reduced to $100,000. On a medication like Enbrel, I would go through that within 4 to 5 years.

ve been checked for Lupus, Lyme Disease, RA blah blah blah and for the most part all blood work has always come back normal/neg. And from having to switch Drs. etc. I always had to start over... Very nerve racking... Anyhow. Earlier this year my symptoms became unbearable and we started up the blood work once again. I don't have my results in front of me to give you exact tests etc. but once again Lupus, RA and Lyme were all neg. but my inflammation lvl was fairly high.

I have RA and I understand being concerned about going on Humira or Enbrel, but sometimes what you gain is worth giving it a chance. Since he is not having success with the other treatments, I would encourage him to try Humira or Enbrel. Many in this community swear by them and have had their quality of life significantly improved. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help. Ada and I are here for both of you as are many other members here.

Hi, I also have AS, diagnosed in 2007 and have taken both Enbrel and Humira. Neither did the trick for me. Enbrel did nothing Humira gave minimal relief, it did help with my eye symptoms. I have also been on celebrex and several other medications. I was unable to get much relief with any of them, my lower back and hip would just kill me. About 9 months ago I completely stopped taking everything because they just werent helping and I just felt terrible.

I have been on Humira for about 1 1/2 years. An injection every other week for about a year and my DR. up my dosage to once a week for the past 4 months or so. I'm still in pain though.

I went to my doctor the next day and he prescribed a pregnisone pack which took away the pain and swelling, but once it ran out, everything came back with a vengance. I was sent to a Rheumatologist and they ran tests for lyme, HIV, RA, sed rate, etc. everything came back negative? I was basically diagnosed as having somekind of sudden onset of arthritis, probably RA, given vioxx and pregnisone and sent on my way.

Wondering if there is anyone out there with undifferentiated arthritis being treated with humira and other similar meds? Most folks on humira seem to have RA or another definitive type of inflammatory arthritis....sure hope someone will figure out whether I have seronegative RA, SLE, or another form of inflammatory arthritis some day...it's difficult to find a support group for undifferentiated arthritis, especially the moderate to severe form I have been experiencing over the past year!

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. I SEEM MY RA DOCTOR THE OTHER DAY AND ADVISED HIM I'M GOING TO GET OFF OF THE ENBREL AND SEE IF MY THROAT CONDITION IMPROVES. HE DID NOT THINK THAT WAS THE PROBLEM.

I changed to Humira recently and was wondering if anybody has had success with humira who has ankylosing spondylitis. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Humira vs enbrel for ra

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