With Rheumatoid arthritis everything you do in life is measured against the disease. As the years run into each other, it becomes even more so. What will be the consequences to me if I take that long plane trip, knowing how the fluctuation of cabin pressure will squeeze my body back and forth like a badly played accordion for four hours? And how about going to that alumni football game in October? If the weather is bad, do I eat the price of my ticket or tough it out on a rainy cold day, prepared to spend the next two days lying on the couch watching CNN, too tired to make anything but a peanut butter sandwich? How often do you look on the bright side, giving thanks for the banana, that perfect, no hassle food you happen to love? You realize how much you’ve scaled back your life in order to find satisfaction with the smallest of pleasures, like an uninterrupted nap. And you realize how thankful you are for Enbrel, the drug treatment that’s allowed you to stay in the game at all.
Approved by the FDA on November 2, 1998, Enbrel (Etanercept), according the web site www.enbrel.com, “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.” Although detailed descriptions of the drug can be found on the above web site, real life experience with the drug carries just as much weight. Check search engines for testimony regarding the drug, both pro and con. Here are the “pros” I am pleased to verify from eight plus years use of the drug.
Fortunate to have an excellent rheumatoligist, I was one of the first groups of patients to start taking Enbrel following its approval in 1998. For 14 years prior, my treatment had run the gamut from mega doses of coated aspirin to plaquinel to antibiotics, gold injections, steroids and methotrexate. While these treatments undoubtedly alleviated the inflammation of arthritis, none halted the damage being done to my joints, nor did any of them take away enough of the pain in order to allow me to sleep in comfort. Additionally, potential side affects made it necessary to have monthly blood tests to make sure the drugs weren’t doing more damage than the RA. Fun stuff. The final frustration for vain me was having half of my hair fall out when I took methotrexate (an anti-cancer drug) along with prednisone (a steroid).
Although the literature advised that relief from Enbrel could take three to eight weeks to become evident, I happily responded to it after the first injection. Don’t be frightened by that word “injection.” Yes, Enbrel is administered by self-injection, but the needle is ultra-thin and the process has never bothered me or caused me pain. Particularly in women, whom most RA suffers are, let’s face it, a nice inch of fat to pinch isn’t that tough.
Because I sustained joint damage in my hands before taking Enbrel, I have had three corrective join-replacement surgeries. Because of Enbrel, however, further joint damage continues to be held at bay, as does much of the pain. I personally tolerate the drug very well. To my knowledge I have suffered no ill side affects. And I swear, my complexion has never been as healthy since I began taking Enbrel; I don’t believe there is any scientific proof to support my claim, but I’ll take it as a happy coincidence just the same.
As with all drugs, it is urgent to investigate all claims. Both the plus side and down side of Enbrel (Amgen/Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) are clearly explained on the web site which is, once again, www.enbrel.com. All the reputable medical sites have ample detail provided on the drug as well. If you or someone you cherish is afflicted with RA I wish you patience and understanding. Too often the pain and fatigue of RA are not evident to others, but they are always present in a patient in times of extreme fatigue and stress. That’s just the way it is. With a great breakthrough like Enbrel, however, this patient at least has continued to work full time, remain physically active and do most anything except open a jar of pickles without help. And those things that are shrink-wrapped? They gotta go.
Reference:
- The Arthritis Foundation, www.arthritis.org Official Enbrel web site www.enbrel.com
