hi,im new to this site i have just started enbrel.1st injection was fine but 6 days after 2nd injection the site went red and hot,so went to gp and was given antibiotics as she said it was infected.Ihad the next injection in other arm and this is now turned into a hot red area, even though im stil on the anti biotics.Has anyone else had this reaction, im worried i might have to come off enbrel, which i dont want to do as i feel so much better.
thx mad:)

Hi, I am on Humira injections which are a similar treatment to Enbrel. I didn't get any injection site reactions for about 8 months but now every time I inject I get a very hot red swelling on my arm that lasts for about 4 days. Showed it to my GP and he said it was my body fighting the injection and to make sure I injected at least 2 inches from the last injection site. He said it was nothing to worry about. It does look unpleasant though. Jane

hi thx for reply jane i have decided to alternate arms each week for injection am seeing how it goes for next couple of weeks if it continues i will see my specailist nurse

I also am on Humira and have never had an injection site reaction, but boy does the meds going in burn like crazy. Does this happen with you? I take my injections in the thigh, alternating each injection. I leave the meds out for at least an hour to get it to room temp., but still burns like crazy.

I too feel much better after starting the Humira.

I also had localized reactions to enbrel and now i am on humira. And have reactions to it also. I was told to take a benadryl 30 min. before inj. and apply a ice pack to inj. site before injecting.( You should alternate your injections sites.) It helps some, i still wear a mark on my arm for a few weeks. Good luck maybe you can try this and see if it helps. Call up the drs. office and ask the nurses to make sure it is ok with your dr.

hi
i was on humaria before i started enbrel and i agree the humaria injections are very painful,fortunatly the enbrel ones are almost painless.Icame off humaria because after flu jab last winter i had constant flareups was at hossy almost every month for steroid injections, finally they decided to change me to enbrel and feel much better only had a very bad shoulder for a day in the 3 weeks i been on enbrel.
mad:bouncing:

I have been on Embrel for almost a year now. I use the tops of my upper lags or some times my belly insted of my arms. I also alternate lags for each injection. The first time I took Embrel I had no reaction. After I gave myself the next weeks injection I noticed with in a day or two that at the site were I gave the injection the week before in the other lag turned red and hot. But I think that I remember reading in the patient hand out that this is one of the possable side efects and should stop happening over time. mine did. [Removed] Good luck and I hope you can stay on it. It has made a world of diffrents for me.

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Thank you

I'm going to be starting Enbrel later this week and I'm encouraged to hear that Enbrel is working well for some of you. I'm currently on Prednisone and Arava but they are no longer working and my morning and evening hours are very painful. I hope to have positive results with Enbrel and I'll let you all know.

Joanie

hi joanie
just wanted to wish you luck on enbrel and let me know how you get on its working well for me.
mad:)

Thanks mad! I will. And I hope you have continued relief with it yourself.

Joanie:)

Is anyone that is taking the Enbrel or Humira injections on any other meds? I am still on the Methotrexate and Arava along with the Humira injections. I am hoping that since the Humira is really working well that I can get off of the Methotrexate and Arava. Has anyone ever done this and did well without the other meds? I would really like to get off as much of the meds that I can. If I have to be on them I will. I am not about to go back to the pain I was in.

I'm curious about that myself. My Rheumy is going to keep me on the Prednisone and Arava I guess until he sees how I do on the Enbrel. I would like to only take ONE med for a change.:confused:

hi
when i went onto humaria injections couple of years ago i stooped methrotrexate because i felt so much better, but after flu jab i had continous flare ups.my specailist told me to take methhratrexate again because both enbrel and humaria work better alongside methrexate.Hope this helpfull too you.
mad:)

I promised to report back after starting Enbrel. Well, I've been on it since Aug. 3rd. I'm due to take my 3rd injection later today. I'm still nervous about doing it myself so I bring it to work and I have very encouraging co-workers who help me through it. I'm going to start using the auto-injector next month which should be less stressful. I'm still on Prednisone and Arava along with Enbrel. I, too, have injection site reactions. My doc gave me the first shot so I could see how it was done. That was 2 weeks ago and that leg has a small red hot area. The shot I gave myself last week resulted in a HUGE red hot area. It started as a small black and blue the day after the shot and then 6 days later it's spread. It doesn't really bother me except that I don't think it should be there.

Bottom line - I'm feeling SOOOOOOOO much better!! I'm practically pain free! I haven't felt this good in a very long time. So it's worth a little red patch on my thigh. Good luck to all with whatever medication works for you!:wave:

That is great Joanie58. I too am so happy with the Humira injections. It has made a world of difference, not only with the pain factor, but my energy level has increased alot. I try not to over do it, but when you feel better you just want to keep going. My rheumy is slowly weaning me off the Methotrexate. Once we see how I do without it then he said we would talk about reducing the Arava. An injection every two weeks and no other meds......it's been so long I can't imagine it.

One question, what is an auto-injector? My husband gives me my injections. I think that I could do it (needles don't really bother me), but it burns so bad that I am afraid that I would back off injecting when the burn starts. I did put an ice pack on my leg prior to injecting and that did help alot. Also I think the area you wipe with the alcohol pad, let it dry a little after cleaning with alcohol before injecting. I think we were wiping with alcohol and immediately injecting, causing some of the alcohol to get in and burn.

Anyway, glad you are better!!!!

I'm glad you have someone else to give you your shots. My hubby wasn't able to go to the doctor with me because of his work hours, so he couldn't get instruction. It's still so hard to inject a needle into my leg. When I did my shot the other day, my co-worker had to remind me to breathe. Apparently I was holding my breath and my hand was shaking! Once I had the area cleaned and the needle aimed, I closed my eyes and jabbed it in. I'm such a wimp! LOL I found that the longer I leave the needle out, the less it burns. My doc suggested leaving it out for an hour. It's much better.

Sorry I didn't explain about the auto-injector. It seems to only be available with Enbrel. I discovered it on their site and asked my doctor if I could get it, so he wrote up a prescription. It's like a clickable pen that you hold upright on your thigh, click the top and it automatically injects the medication. You never have to see the needle. I told him THAT's for me!

I wish you continued good luck with the Humira and hopefully getting off your other meds. Me too!

hi joanie
glad you feeling so much better its definately worth the reaction,i still get them but only last for a day or so now. you are so brave to inject yourself i couldnt do it, my partner does it for me bless him. hope to here how your getting on soon .
mad:bouncing:

I just got a tip from my pharmacy nurse. She said that she lets the medication sit out for about 1/2 hour to get to room temp. Then she takes the syringe/needle and places it in her bra, between her breasts for about 20 minutes. She said that gets it to her body temp. not just room temp. I am due for my next injection tomorrow. I think I will try this.

I have had psoriatic arthritis for over ten years. I have been on methotrexate and have had my doses increased over the years to the point where my stomache cannot tolerate the amounts.

My rheumy insists that I need to go on enbrel. I have looked into the side effects and these really concern me.

I am a teacher and am around sick children every day. Many of my co-workers get infections(bronchial, pneumonia, etc.) I would like to hear from anyone(teachers, nurses, healthcare workers) who maybe working in an at-risk health environment and who have been on enbrel for at least one year. I would also like to know what their experiences have been. For instance, are they picking up infections and getting sick more often.

Also, my mother had breast cancer and so I am concerned about the side effect-- cancer of the lymph-- from taking this drug?

I would appreciate any information I can get from people who are taking enbrel.:confused:

Hello,

Just wanted to respond to your post. I have only been on Enbrel for about a month but I also work in a public school system. I was told by my rheumatologist not to be too concerned about getting sick all the time that if I were to we would pull the Enbrel and go on antibiotics. He said the groups that should be concerned are at risk (elderly, diabetics). He also told me that the risk of lymphoma was listed as double for those on Enbrel because of its trial. 1 out of 2500 people with Rheumatoid Arthritis developed it is 1 in 5000 in the general population, I don't know about any link with breast cancer, but he also said that our studies results were somewhat skewed and mentioned that in Sweden Health records are kept in a Government database and show even less of an increase in lymphoma. By the way, the Enbrel seems to be working very well for me. God Bless.

kscott13

Hi! I have been using Enbrel for a couple years now, and it is working well. I inject in into my stomach, and have not had any injection site reactions. When I first started injecting, I was so nervous and had my husband do it! I think he did it for about a year, but now I do it myself. I also like the once a week injection, instead of twice a week (50 ml versus 25). I am on prednisone and Voltarin. Take care, Kera4

Hi KScott 13,
Do you think that you will be able to work full time now that you are taking enbrel? Do you know how enbrel effects your immune system in the short term and over time?

Also, You spoke of 1/2500 people who developed lymphoma in case studies. But I am not clear as to whether they developed it because they had rheumatoid arthritis or as a reaction to enbrel?

Thanks for taking the time, your information has been helpful! :)

Hi Kera4,

Do you get any reaction? Do you find that you cathch everything and that you
are sick more?

Why do you still take other drugs with the enbrel?

Thanks for you input. ;)

Hi! The prednisone and Voltarin I take is for my knees, which have orthopedic issues with kneecap alignment. My rheumatologist feels that my knee issues are not arthritis related. As far as the rest of my body, the Enbrel does help-especially my hands. Now I can play the piano and cook without pain, and I have no swelling. I have not noticed that I catch more colds or get more infections on Enbrel, but when I have had the flu it seems to last longer than most people in my family. I just really try to wash my hands a lot and get flu shots, etc. It is hard though, I have 4 kids who are always exposed at school to stuff. I do worry sometimes about long term use of Enbrel, as I think it has only been around for about 5 years. I wonder if there are effects that won't show up for a while, and is it worth the risk? What do you think? Kera4

Hello again Alisven,
My understanding is that people with Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis are both at higher risk for Lyphoma, in fact I beleive the FDA acknowledged this back in 2003 when the question was raised about Enbrel and Lymphoma. I looked back at my informational packet that came with the medication and the number it gives in the contolled clinical trials was 3 lymphomas in 4509 Enbrel treated patients. You might be able to find this study on the internet as well. It also says that the risk of lymphoma may be several fold higher in people with active Rheumatoid arthritis and Psoriasis. I have only been taking Enbrel for a little over a month now and am already seeing benefits, before I was starting to question whether I would be able to continue working or have to relocate to a less demanding job. Now I think I will be able to continue, as long as the current trend continues. I know that Enbrel effects your immune response and my Rheumatologist told me just to be safe if I showed any signs of infection he would put me on antibiotics and pull the Enbrel until the infection was gone. He said this isn't absolutely necessary but he just wanted to be careful. I will ask him next visit September 11 about the short term and long term effects on your immune system, but I beleive he said that your body adjusts over time (not sure). I too worry about long term effects of Enbrel but am happy to be stopping the Methotrexate. It made me sick.

Hope this Helps,
Kscott13

Hi Kera,

I think the long term effects are a concern. I have found that I have had to use more and more methotrexate as time goes on. I am concerned that with enbrel the same thing may happen. Also. I wonder if you can go off and back on the methotrexate if need be or if the methotrexate becomes too weak.

I understand how enbrel works but I don't know how this particular protein effects the immune system over time?

The company itself does not give you any information on what happens to people in 10 years or longer. I have been on methotrexate for at least 10 years. However, I cannot take a high enough dose because it makes me sick.

It is really hard to know what to do. All I know is that I have to do something. It is really getting hard to do my job.

I kid you not, when I say that I am surrounded by sick kids all the time at work. I am sick a lot over the school year and I am even on the enbrel.

Hi Kscott,
Thankyou for your reply. I certainly wish there was more information out there about enbrel. It sounds like you are having immediate success with the drug and that is reassuring. I will be visiting my rheumy and I will ask him about
going off and how long enbrel stays in your system. He seems to be very short of answers though. The boards have been more informative than my reumy.

Hello Alisven,

Glad to help if I can. I noticed that you said that the Methotrexate made you sick, but I didn't see how it had made you sick. If it is not liver problems or somehting serious like that and you are comfortable taking the Methotrexate maybe some of your problems could be resolved by upping your dose of Folic Acid. I'm not a big fan of mtx but it made me nauseated every time and caused vomiting as well, these were for the most part resolved by Folic Acid intake. Just a suggestion. It's hard to make the choice to move to Enbrel especially since it has only been around for a short time. (No long term studies) But it does work well for me. Make sure that your Rheumy takes the amount of time with you that makes you feel comfortable and answers all your questions to your satisfaction. One day I made mine chat with me for 2 hrs.

Good Luck

kscott13

Good Luck

Hi K Scott,

My Rheumy seems to always be in a hurry. He gets quite impatient with me. He thinks that I should just go on heavier and heavier drugs because there is no other choice. I have always been resistant to upping dosages. The methotrexate not only hurts my stomache it makes me feel like I have flu symptoms at a higher dose. I do feel badly about dragging my heels, but I am so unsure as to what would be the best thing to do. Most people that I read about in the forums have only been on enbrel for about two years or less. Many people say that it worked well, at first, but then stopped. Then, they had to go try other drugs. I wonder weather this is because their immune system is becoming more and more distressed from the constant drug infusions. I really am very concerned about my condition right now!:eek: :eek: