Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives Anti TNF and other biological medications Who's on Enbrel

Hi, Mandy,

I'm still on the Enbrel. I'll finish out the clinical trials, if at all possible. What's happening now may just be a flare. I had almost 11 months virtually flare-free. Nothing to sneeze at. I'll not be switching to any other drugs; finances won't allow it. After the study, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm still weighing my options. The one thing I do want is pain control.

My hubby gives me my shots. I still don't have the nerve to do it myself. The one time I tried, it was dangerous. I started out by bending the needle and leaving a gash on my thigh. All that before I managed to get it right. It is true, I'm a big wimp.

Hugs,

Cindy

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Hi All,

I received a letter from Enbrel(etanercept)....They are pleased to announce that there is no longer a need for the Enbrel Enrollment Program. Because the FDA has approved the Enbrel manufacturing facility in Rhode Island.
This means that Enbrel does not have to give out an Enrollment card number to have your prescription filled.
Prescription get filled just as with any other prescription.
I was hoping this would mean that Enbrel would be given out free for people who needed it..........Oh well.... The letter didn't tell me anything I wanted to hear. Just thought I wrote this out for the info.....

Dan



Kiss My Little AS pain

Cindy......Anyone...

Just wondering. I have been on Enbrel since this past Nov. I have not seen my rhumey. Do I need some type of blood work to see if everything is going well inside me?...I was suppose to see my rhuemy in January but I switched insurance and lost him. Now I have to wait until Feb 20 to see a new one. Just wanted to ask if blood work is necessary this far into the shots?>>..Please reply...

Dan


Kiss My Little AS pain

Hi Cindy,

What about Humira? I know it's relatively new (recently approved by FDA for RA) and it works like Enbrel and Remicade.

For Humira, only one shot is needed for every two weeks (sounds good, isn't it?), and it tries to be competitive with Enbrel (a little bit over $1,100 a month).

My husband has not tried on Humira, so I can't tell you how effective this medication is. I just learned the news from Associated Press.

Later,
Mandy

Yup! My husband got that letter too!

Just wondering if you have joined the Enliven services... I called the customer services for joining (on behalf of my husband), but so far we got nothing (like free sharps containers, newsletter series, travel cooler, etc.)

I think I will fill up the postcard enclosed with the letter and mail it back.

Later,
Mandy

Dan,

Because I'm in a study, I'm checked to the extreme. Every two weeks the first month, then once a month for over a year, then every 3 months. So far, my labs have been fine, and I have felt fine. But it wasn't that way for sulfasalazine and methotrexate. Not only were my labs bad, I felt downright awful. But you can't count on everything being ok without being checked. It's probably a good idea to have some blood tests done soon. I'm not sure what to ask for. Maybe someone else would have an idea. Your regular doctor could order them. You don't have long to wait for your rheumy appt, surely he would do labs. Good luck, hope this stuff keeps working for you.

Hugs,

Cindy

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

I'll finish out this study, then probably just opt for pain control. As expensive as these drugs are, they have to be better than they are for me to pay to stay on them. Enbrel has been wonderful, but I've still not been able to go back to work. I just can't burden my family any more. My insurance has a $2,000/yr cap on prescriptions; and out-of-pocket is not an option.

But the idea of fewer shots is definately appealing. Maybe I'll just wait until they develop a pill.

Hugs,

Cindy

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Cindy,

Hope you can find another study for a different med. I currently trying to do this.

Pill vs shot? The reason that Enbrel has to be a shot is the fact that it is made up of a protein. Something about if we swallow the pill, the protein in it would not be used corrently.

Betty

Mandy,
Hi, I received all the goodies when I joined a while back. Igloo travel cooler, sharp container holders, magnets etc. The Igloo holds about one month of shots supplies. Go ahead and get the services. Very informative new letters. Good Luck.

Dan


I'm a little Pain on the AS

Cindy,
Thanks....the reason I asked was my sides where hurting. I didn't know if it was my kidneys. But I guess I have to make an appointment with my regular doctor and get some blood drawn.... I hate going to the doctor....... Thanks for the info. I was thinking of just stopping the shots until I saw the other rhuemy, but I am not. The shots have had good results. I still feel all the bumps on the road but I feel alot better. I am having problems at night going to sleep. My hip bones are starting to hurt again. Not the big painful hurt just an uncomfortable pain....It's taking me some time to go to sleep.
Thanks again.... Have a beautiful week.
Dan


I'm a little Pain on the AS