Re: Enbrel my Miracle Drug - HELP

[Guest guest]

Hi

Has the pain been gone since your first injection? I have been on Enbrel one

week now, and no major improvement in pain yet... although I am now off all

other meds. I am hoping - I wonder why it takes longer to work for some of us

than others? Also, do you work? I swear if I didn't have the stress of my job

it would make much more of a difference. Also, does anyone here know where to

get a picture of proper injection sites on the net? I have given all 3 shots in

my belly, and I would like to try the legs, but I want an illustration of

exactly where to give it. I could not find it on the website. where do you

give most of your injection?

Thanks!

In a message dated 7/31/03 11:48:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

monka825@... writes:

<< Enbrel is fantastic, it works for me, it's been only 2 weeks now and ALL

pain is gone the P is going away, my 2 sausage fingers are moving (slightly but

moving) again... I have my life back. :-D No side effect.

How amazing. I use to be on Prednisone, but no More, no more Tylenol, no

more ibuprofen :-) Just a shot of Enbrel ;-)

If Enbrel asks me for references... Maaaan I'll do a great job.

Cheers

Jean

>>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/1/03 2:59:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

jean_teneglio@... writes:

<< All the shots were done on my legs, very easy, there is a video that came

with my Enbrel started kit (did you get one, if not ask your doctor for one),

which is very good.

Hopefully Enbrel will do the work for you too.

>>

You are STILL on it, right? Just kind of made it sound like you no longer

take it. I am the director of a facility with about 40 employees. I too love my

job, but it still remains stressful. How long were you on Prednisone? What

happened that made you go on the Prednisone? How bad were you before that? I

know

you have probably told me ALL of this before, but please remind me. There are

so many people on here it gets confusing! How old are you, and how long have

you had PA? Maybe the Prednisone is what made the difference in yours working

so fast! Who knows! My PA is NOT bad, but man I would give anything for one

pain free day! I do have the video, I just haven't watched it in forever, and I

don't remember it showing me injection site spots, just how to give the

injection. I will watch again though.

Thanks for the info, and please keep me updated on your progress. Also, have

you noticed that the Enbrel plunger is tough to push down once you get it in

your skin? I have to push really hard to get the liquid into my body?

[Guest guest]

Hi

One more thing I wanted to add - one of the reasons that the Enbrel might not

be as fast to work for me, is because I immediately pulled myself off of the

Celebrex and Azulfidine that my body has become use to. Maybe I shold have

weaned, instead of stopping cold turkey? Who knows... I think I am going to

start

Azulfidine again, and just try to stay away from the Celebrex, since it was

increasing my blood pressure.

[Guest guest]

Hi

The pain was not bad before I started Enbrel because I was on Prednisone before,

but 24hours after my first shot of Enbrel I was 95% pain free without

Prednisone.

48 hours after, I was pain free.

I do work, in a " stressful " job, although I like it, it is stressful, I'm a

Project leader in a Software company, a small company, very small company :-)

in Boston Mass.

All the shots were done on my legs, very easy, there is a video that came with

my Enbrel started kit (did you get one, if not ask your doctor for one), which

is very good.

Hopefully Enbrel will do the work for you too.

Jean

[Ed. Note: It's a good thing you put in the qualifier about it being a " *very*

small company " because with the unemployment rates among computer

programmers these day, you would otherwise have likely been deluged with

resumés! ;-) Ron]

Re: [ ] Enbrel my Miracle Drug - HELP

Hi

Has the pain been gone since your first injection? I have been on Enbrel one

week now, and no major improvement in pain yet... although I am now off all

other meds. I am hoping - I wonder why it takes longer to work for some of us

than others? Also, do you work? I swear if I didn't have the stress of my job

it would make much more of a difference. Also, does anyone here know where to

get a picture of proper injection sites on the net? I have given all 3 shots in

my belly, and I would like to try the legs, but I want an illustration of

exactly where to give it. I could not find it on the website. where do you

give most of your injection?

Thanks!

In a message dated 7/31/03 11:48:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

monka825@... writes:

<< Enbrel is fantastic, it works for me, it's been only 2 weeks now and ALL

pain is gone the P is going away, my 2 sausage fingers are moving (slightly but

moving) again... I have my life back. :-D No side effect.

How amazing. I use to be on Prednisone, but no More, no more Tylenol, no

more ibuprofen :-) Just a shot of Enbrel ;-)

If Enbrel asks me for references... Maaaan I'll do a great job.

Cheers

Jean

>>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

You shouldn't be taking yourself off medications with out the direction of

your doc. I think it would be a good idea to only change one thing at a

time so then you know what is making a difference. Anne

Re: [ ] Enbrel my Miracle Drug - HELP

Hi

One more thing I wanted to add - one of the reasons that the Enbrel might

not

be as fast to work for me, is because I immediately pulled myself off of the

Celebrex and Azulfidine that my body has become use to. Maybe I shold have

weaned, instead of stopping cold turkey? Who knows... I think I am going to

start

Azulfidine again, and just try to stay away from the Celebrex, since it was

increasing my blood pressure.

Please visit our Psoriatic Arthritis Group's informational web page at:

http://www.wpunj.edu/pa/ -- created and edited by list member

aka(raharris@...).

Also,in August 2001,list member Jack aka Cornishpro@... began

to conduct extensive research which he publishes as the " Psoriatic Arthritis

Research Newsletter " , monthly in our email and digest format. Many thanks to

Jack. Back issues of the newsletter are stored on our PA webpage as well as

the archives of the list.

Don't forget that the list archives comprise a tremendous amount of

information (Over three years of messages and answers).Feel free to browse

them at your convenience.

LET'S HEAR FROM SOME OF YOU LURKERS out there! If you have a comment or

question, chances are there is a person who has been around a while who can

help you out with AT LEAST an educated guess for an answer! If not,we can

steer you in the right direction with a good website to go to,

Blessings and Peace,

Atwood-Stack, Founder

Alan , Web & List Editor

Jack , Newsletter Editor

Pat Bias, List Editor

Ron Dotson, List Editor

Orin, List Editor

, List Editor

and any others who help in any way (thank you!)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/3/03 2:44:37 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

makeitquit@... writes:

<< You should at least stay on the Azulfidine. Are you taking 1500 mg (3 -

500mg)?

>>

Nope - Just 2 (500mg's), so 1000mg's per day.

[Guest guest]

I am going to SAVE this e-mail, so I won't ask you the same things over and

over! You said it started at 23, just curious how your PA started. Mine was

with 2 sausage fingers that would not bend. You have some of those, right? Then

it went into a " flu like " stage where I just had body aches every morning. It

actually went away around 26 for year when I started Celebrex. Even my fingers

went back to normal (and still are normal). I handle pain well too, which is

why I had a real problem deciding to start Enbrel. I was on Azulfidine, which

is a pretty mild drug... and I just started it last Oct. I started it because

more joints were starting to be affected, in specific my left ankle and left

shoulder, and that scared me. So, if you don't mind, I would be interested in

what hurt when your PA first started. I think you and I are really at the same

part of this PA game, so it's good to see where we are going with this!

In a message dated 8/2/03 3:23:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

UnknownSender@UnknownDomain writes:

<< My PA is not bad either, here a list of what use to hurt... 2 fingers on 1

hand, the left knee, the right leg, the 2 feet and the right shoulder. All of

these happen the last year, but my PA started when I was 23 I'm now 34

now on Enbrel is the same list: ......... NONE :-)

Still hoping that it works for you

>>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/5/03 1:47:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

makeitquit@... writes:

<< My Rheumy told me that Azulfidine is not anything that you should feel

relief from. It is a long term drug, that helps keep the cartilege that you have

left. >>

Not at all what I have read or what the Rheumy at Duke told me. He said about

1/3rd of people that take it get some relief from it, however it does not

" knock it out " like Enbrel & MTX tend to do in some people. It's not strong

enough for that for MOST people. I have no cartilege damage. It DID make a

difference in my pain level while taking it, even at such a small dose, AND it

brought

my bloodwork down from a SED rate of 320 to a normal rate of 17. It also

brought all blood counts back down to normal. My pain was still there, but not

as

bad. I just want a remission, hence why I am on something stronger... Enbrel.

Hoping that it actually knocks the PA out for awhile, since I am a pretty mild

case. Also wanted to get off of Celebrex, and Azulfidine was not doing the

job of the Celebrex, whereas Enbrel seems to cover both right now!

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/5/03 1:44:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

janekarsten@... writes:

<< , each box of Enbrel I get has two packets of

information in it, one for drug interactions, etc.,

and another that explains how to mix it and shows

injections sites on a diagram. Hope this helps.

Jane >>

Unfortunately I think I did away with this information when I realized I

wasn't going to use the Enbrel. Now that I am using it, of course I wish I had

the

info! I will get it again in a new shipment.

[Guest guest]

At 05:59 PM 8/4/03 -0700, Mickie wrote:

>My Rheumy told me that Azulfidine is not anything that you should feel

>relief from. It is a long term drug, that helps keep the cartilege that

>you have left.

My RD has given me Azulfidine in addition to methotrexate because I can't

take more methotrexate without adverse side effects, but he said that

Azulfidine can help provide relief in the same way that methotrexate does.

That is to say that it's not a pain relieving medication, but it helps to

slow the progress of the disease and even put it into remission like

methotrexate can. So I suppose it depends on what you mean by " relief " . But

my RD definitely is hoping that Azulfidine will improve my symptoms and

provide relief that way. I've been on it for six weeks now and he says I

should notice an improvement of my symptoms after being on it for 8-12 weeks.

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[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/5/2003 5:13:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

pookiegut@... writes:

> Unfortunately I think I did away with this information when I realized I

> wasn't going to use the Enbrel. Now that I am using it, of course I wish I

> had the

> info! I will get it again in a new shipment.

>

>

I have plenty of inserts. If you want to send me your address, I will gladly

mail you one.

Janet

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/6/03 12:23:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time, fam24@...

writes:

<< I have plenty of inserts. If you want to send me your address, I will

gladly

mail you one.

Janet >>

Thank you Janet. I watched the video again, and it did show me areas to

inject. Unfortunately my first leg injection did not go too well. I had a lump

under my skin for the whole day yesterday, and now I have a HUGE bruise. This

did

not happen in my belly.. ugh! On a better note - my PS is looking a lot

better!