Guest guest Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 I'm 29 and hoping to be pregnant next year when my hubby comes home from his deployment. I've had RA for over 9 years and I will be starting Enbrel as soon as my health insurance allows. I have done a lot of research on the topic so if you want to talk... my email is dhunt74@... My rheumatologist thinks it's ok to use but the maternal fetal medicine doctor said " NO " . But Enbrel does not pass through the placenta, that I know. But because it's so new there are a lot of skeptics out there, including me! - > Hi..I'm new to this group.I've had ra since i was 16. I'm 23 now. > Just wondering if anyone has anyone ever used enbrel while pregnant? > Enbrel has been a miracle drug for me and I can't imagine being off > it. any help would be of great help!! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 Anne, I have no info about Enebrel, but I would be scared to take anything that might cause problems with the baby. I'm pregnant and an sulfasalazine and prednisone. Still had a flare, but just too scared to risk the baby's health for the unknown. What did your Doc recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 I have heard both that it is category B (relatively safe to use) and category C (not tested). I found a link that might explain both reports. God bless. Pregnancy (Category Developmental toxicity studies have been performed in rats and rabbits at doses ranging from 60- to 100-fold higher than the human dose and have revealed no evidence of har to the fetus due to ENBREL®. There are, however, no studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, this drug should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed. http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/etanercept_wcp.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: Anne Rheumatoid Arthritis Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2006 9:13 PM Subject: enbrel and pregnancy Hi everyone. I'm a new member to the group and have had rheumatoid arthritis for 12 years (diagnosed at age 11). I just recently got married and my husband and I are looking forward to starting a family very soon. I went to my doctor to talk to him about medications and what I should be on before and during pregnancy. He said that everything I am on is fine but that Enbrel has not been tested in pregnant women. I am VERY uneasy about this and am unsure whether to continue taking it. I called the Enbrel hotline and was told the same thing: there have been no studies done on pregnant women who take Enbrel, therefore there is no data. Does anyone have any information/stories to share regarding this topic? ANYTHING would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Hi Anne, What medications are you taking? When I got pregnant with my daughter I had stopped all medication but I was only taking prednisone and getting gold injections at that time. I stopped taking it all because I didnt have insurance at the time and I couldnt afford it anymore. Then before I knew it I was pregnant, something my husband and I had wanted for years. While I was pregnant I didnt take anything for my RA because I didnt need it , I felt the best I had felt in years. But after I gave birth my RA was the worse its ever been. So now I am on prednisone, gold, remicade and methotrexate plus my pain pills. I've heard from this group though that prednisone is ok to take and there have to be others to atleast try while trying to get pregnant. You might be lucky and find something that works for you so you can get pregnant. The MA at my docs office said there was another woman there that tried to stop all meds to get pregnant and she couldnt do it, I havent heard anything else. I am also new to this group and I LOVE IT so far. I want to go back to my doc with lots of questions, not just for me but for everybody LOL... Good Luck and keep us informed I'd like to hear what works for you. in MichiganAnne <margaritagirl216@...> wrote: Hi everyone. I'm a new member to the group and have had rheumatoid arthritis for 12 years (diagnosed at age 11). I just recently got married and my husband and I are looking forward to starting a family very soon. I went to my doctor to talk to him about medications and what I should be on before and during pregnancy. He said that everything I am on is fine but that Enbrel has not been tested in pregnant women. I am VERY uneasy about this and am unsure whether to continue taking it. I called the Enbrel hotline and was told the same thing: there have been no studies done on pregnant women who take Enbrel, therefore there is no data. Does anyone have any information/stories to share regarding this topic? ANYTHING would be appreciated. DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 5, 2006 Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 Hi Anne, I have been told by my Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist that I should remain on Humira, which is similar to Enbrel. The thought is that flaring RA can cause miscarriages so one does not want to have a flare during that time. You may want to see a Maternal Fetal Specialist since with RA you would probably be considered a high-risk pregnancy. Good luck, > > Hi everyone. I'm a new member to the group and have had rheumatoid > arthritis for 12 years (diagnosed at age 11). I just recently got > married and my husband and I are looking forward to starting a family > very soon. I went to my doctor to talk to him about medications and > what I should be on before and during pregnancy. He said that > everything I am on is fine but that Enbrel has not been tested in > pregnant women. I am VERY uneasy about this and am unsure whether to > continue taking it. I called the Enbrel hotline and was told the same > thing: there have been no studies done on pregnant women who take > Enbrel, therefore there is no data. Does anyone have any > information/stories to share regarding this topic? ANYTHING would be > appreciated. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2006 Report Share Posted January 10, 2006 Saw my rheumy yesterday and she took me off the sulfasalazine and upped my prednisone. she said since i've been flaring so badly, we can assume the sulfasalazine isn't helping. and though it's " safe " during pregnancy, why take something that isn't working. she said that if i get worse (I don't even want to think about this), that we can add it back, but that there is a 75% chance that I'll go into remission in my 2nd trimester. she is working very closely with my OB and is seeing me every 6 weeks. my OB specializes in high risk pregnancies (though he's not a perinatologist). i see him on the 19th and should know more then. prednisone is your friend during pregnancy!!! i am avoiding the thought of a terrible flare after the birth, but have heard stories about this. a friend of mine told me that a good friend of hers had never had any problems, but after the birth of her first child, immediately had severe RA. it's weird how the body works. i think we must all be pre-dispositioned and our environment brings it out (or doesn't, for the lucky ones). I believe that i was born with a weak link (predispositioned for RA) and the stress of my job brought it out. Had I chosen an different career path, i think I MIGHT have been spared. Oh well, nothing to do about it now other than look at it as an opportunity for growth as a person. sounds corny, but what how else can you look at it?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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