The BEST RA drug out there??..enbrel, humira, mtx, etc??

[Guest guest]

Hi folks..I have had RA for the past 6 yrs..am currently on 6 pils

(15mg) of MTX...only lately the med just does not seem to be doing the

trick.....are there any other more potent meds out there which you

folks swear by??...I am tired of taking pain pills and all other sorts

of stuff to make the pain bearable..

Also, any other alternative therapies work for you? Such as

acupuncture, glucosamine, etc etc??

Any replies would be much appreciated..

Tale care

Lindy (wishing for one pain free/stiffness free day..sigh)

[Guest guest]

Sorry to hear about your pain and stiffness, Lindy.

I am feeling it a bit myself today. I have been on prednisone, piroxicam and plaquenil for about 2 months. I tried to come off the prednisone over the last week and all of my pain and stiffness has come back. Booo!!! I guess that means the plaquenil is not working.

I am looking forward to hearing how folks reply to your e-mail. This is a very informative group!! I am sure someone will have some wisdom to offer.

)

----- Original Message -----

From: lem820

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Monday, May 17, 2004 11:12 AM

Subject: The BEST RA drug out there??..enbrel, humira, mtx, etc??

Hi folks..I have had RA for the past 6 yrs..am currently on 6 pils (15mg) of MTX...only lately the med just does not seem to be doing the trick.....are there any other more potent meds out there which you folks swear by??...I am tired of taking pain pills and all other sorts of stuff to make the pain bearable..Also, any other alternative therapies work for you? Such as acupuncture, glucosamine, etc etc??Any replies would be much appreciated..:)Tale careLindy (wishing for one pain free/stiffness free day..sigh)

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have been hurting more lately and tend to blame the weather. I am in

the south and we have had plenty rain lately. I pulled out the Minocin and

anti-inflammatory again. Antibiotic therapy did me more good than all other

drugs. See www.rheumatic.org

Have you ever tried changing diet??? Sugar is terrible for the human

body. I gave up milk, bread, fried food. It sounds tuff but it really did

help me.

I also got tired of all the drugs and still hurting. Was SO happy to get

off the prednisone... The diet thing may sound difficult but the joint pain

was a great incentive to persevere.

I have been fighting RA for 7 years now...been on prednisone, many

anti-inflammatories, MTX, Enbrel, Kineret, gold shots, Plaquenil. Enbrel

seemed fine at first but kept getting sinus infection. Got tired of that.

I had all amalgam fillings removed from my teeth also...

Good luck and God bless,

Kay

---- Original Message -----

From: " lem820 " <lem820@...>

<Rheumatoid Arthritis >

Sent: Monday, May 17, 2004 10:12 AM

Subject: The BEST RA drug out there??..enbrel,

humira, mtx, etc??

>

>

> Hi folks..I have had RA for the past 6 yrs..am currently on 6 pils

> (15mg) of MTX...only lately the med just does not seem to be doing the

> trick.....are there any other more potent meds out there which you

> folks swear by??...I am tired of taking pain pills and all other sorts

> of stuff to make the pain bearable..

>

> Also, any other alternative therapies work for you? Such as

> acupuncture, glucosamine, etc etc??

>

> Any replies would be much appreciated..

>

> Tale care

>

> Lindy (wishing for one pain free/stiffness free day..sigh)

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Lindy,

There's no one drug that's the BEST - it varies from person to

person and time to time. In general, the biologic agents (Remicade,

Enbrel, Humira and Kineret) are stronger and work 'better' than Mtx

or plaquenil. With many of them you continue to take Mtx though you

may be able to lower the dose. In addition, there's a medication

called Arava that comes in pill form that for some people works

better than Mtx. All of them (naturally) have the potential for

side effects.

Unfortunately, you have to go through a trial and error period to

find the right thing for you, and it may change over time. I had

wonderful relief from Enbrel for 2 years, then it just stopped

working for me. Next was Remicade, which took a long time to start

working,and then also stopped. I'm currently on Kineret, but also

Arava (a recent change - it had been Mtx), prednisone (which I hope

to get off), Vioxx and pain pills at times.

I went off Mtx about 3 weeks ago and started on the Arava. It took

awhile for one to leave the body and the other to build up, and I've

had some really awful days lately. However, today I feel better

than I have in the past 2 months.

My suggestion is to read up on the various drugs - they all have web

sites, or you can go to www.drugdigest.org to get information on

them. Then talk with your rheumy about what he or she thinks is the

best drug for you to try.

I haven't had success with glucosamine, but it's great for my dog's

osteoarthritis. For me diet doesn't make a difference - adding or

deleting any specific foods haven't helped. My doc said that some

of his patients have tried acupuncture and gotten temporary relief,

but it doesn't impact the overall disease mechanisms.

Good luck - I hope you can find the right thing for you!

Beth

--- In Rheumatoid Arthritis , " lem820 " <lem820@y...>

wrote:

>

>

> Hi folks..I have had RA for the past 6 yrs..am currently on 6 pils

> (15mg) of MTX...only lately the med just does not seem to be doing

the

> trick.....are there any other more potent meds out there which

you

> folks swear by??...I am tired of taking pain pills and all other

sorts

> of stuff to make the pain bearable..

>

> Also, any other alternative therapies work for you? Such as

> acupuncture, glucosamine, etc etc??

>

> Any replies would be much appreciated..

>

> Tale care

>

> Lindy (wishing for one pain free/stiffness free day..sigh)