Re: Early Treatment Benefits Patients to Sue

[Guest guest]

Hi Sue

could you tell me more about Enbrel, I have never heard of it.

Sue <marysue@...> wrote:

I was lucky in this respect. Even though my rheumatologist made the

wrong diagnosis initially, it didn't take him long to realize his

mistake. It took only 2-3 months from the time I went to him to get the

correct diagnosis.

That's why I think I'm doing so well now on Enbrel and Celebrex. I

don't think I've sustained any serious joint damage. I consider myself

very lucky.

Sue

On Wednesday, November 16, 2005, at 12:52 AM, mike nelson wrote:

> dear paula this would be great if there was more G.P.s out there

> that knew about R.A. and could dx it . like in my case i went 4 years

> before i was dx with R.A. so i and others like me . pay dearly for

> it. it is a sad thing. thank you mike

[Guest guest]

,

Enbrel is the oldest of the DMARDs for RA called biologics. The others

are Remicade, Humira, and Kineret. Here is a paragraph from the Enbrel

site:

" ENBREL is a type of protein called a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)

blocker that blocks the action of a substance your body's immune system

makes called TNF. People with an immune disease, such as rheumatoid

arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis,

have too much TNF in their bodies. ENBREL can reduce the amount of TNF

in the body to normal levels, helping to treat your disease. But, in

doing so, ENBREL can also lower the ability of your immune system to

fight infections. "

Enbrel is given by injection. It comes in 25mg twice-weekly and 50mg

once-weekly. I tried the 50mg and didn't think it lasted the entire

week, so I use the 25mg.

All of the biologics are very expensive, over $13,000 a year. My co-pay

is $50 a month. Insurance companies I'm sure don't like to pay for it,

but they have to in most cases. I guess you have to have good insurance

in order not to have a big co-payment.

It has worked very well for me for two years and eight months, and I

hope it continues to be effective. If you have any other questions,

just ask.

Sue

On Thursday, November 17, 2005, at 06:45 AM, Leviston wrote:

> Hi Sue

> could you tell me more about Enbrel, I have never heard of it.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sue

thankyou for that information, I am on methotrexate,arava and celebrex and I

have never heard of Enbrel until I joined the group.

Thanks

Sue <marysue@...> wrote:

,

Enbrel is the oldest of the DMARDs for RA called biologics. The others

are Remicade, Humira, and Kineret. Here is a paragraph from the Enbrel

site:

" ENBREL is a type of protein called a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)

blocker that blocks the action of a substance your body's immune system

makes called TNF. People with an immune disease, such as rheumatoid

arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis,

have too much TNF in their bodies. ENBREL can reduce the amount of TNF

in the body to normal levels, helping to treat your disease. But, in

doing so, ENBREL can also lower the ability of your immune system to

fight infections. "

Enbrel is given by injection. It comes in 25mg twice-weekly and 50mg

once-weekly. I tried the 50mg and didn't think it lasted the entire

week, so I use the 25mg.

All of the biologics are very expensive, over $13,000 a year. My co-pay

is $50 a month. Insurance companies I'm sure don't like to pay for it,

but they have to in most cases. I guess you have to have good insurance

in order not to have a big co-payment.

It has worked very well for me for two years and eight months, and I

hope it continues to be effective. If you have any other questions,

just ask.

Sue

On Thursday, November 17, 2005, at 06:45 AM, Leviston wrote:

> Hi Sue

> could you tell me more about Enbrel, I have never heard of it.

>