I was diagnosed about a year ago with RA and have been on methotrexate ever since. However, the methotrexate wasn't enough and at first i was on enbrel but recently switched over to humira. The methotrexate did nothing for my condition and i am curious as to why my rheumatologist is keeping me on it while im on humira too if it doesn't help me. Is it possible for me to come off of methotrexate?
Doctors feel methotrexate makes TNF inhibitors (Enbrel, Humira, Simponi, etc) work better.
It took me a year to convince my doc that MTX just wasn't doing anything for me, I switched to Plaquenil as my "secondary" DMARD. (I'm on Enbrel currently, waiting for Actemra to come out in January)
It's also a case of your blood work may look better on MTX but you don't necessarily feel any better so the doc keeps you on both hoping to get good blood work and you feeling better. MTX controls my inflammatory markers in my blood better than Orencia(the biologic I'm on)but I feel so much better on Orencia and I have better symptom control.
YOu doc may opt to try taking you off MTX if Humira works as mine has done...then put it back after a while to increase the effect of the drug. As AuntieLeela said, they do seem to complement each other.
AuntieLeela.....I was just reading an article on Actemra and the death rate in initial tests. Doesn't look good but they said it's about the same as comparable drugs. Looks like it's another every 4 week IV like Orencia. Won't it be neat when someday they will discover you have RA and can then test you immediately for the "variety"....TNF activated, Interleukin 6 activated.....whatever. They can test you for the cytokine that is causing the inflammation and start you on targeted therapy from the onset. I don't know about you, but I get tired of them throwing darts at you trying to find the "one" that will work. Someday....huh?
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