Looking for information...

[Guest guest]

My father-in-law has RA. He has been told they will start him on

Remicade in the near future. I have read a little bit about it and

have some concerns. He was also told that he has rheumatoid lung

disease. Does anyone here have any experience with that? He has to

clear that up before he can start the remicade infusions. They did

not do a TB test. It seems that should be done before starting

remicade. I would like to hear from all who have any experience with

Remicade...both positive and negative. My FIL is in very bad shape

and we want relief for him, but we want the best treatment possible.

Are there any alternative treatments that are effective? Please give

me as much info as possible. It's heartbreaking to see him in so much

pain. Thanks.

[Guest guest]

I'm 76 years old and have had RA since 12/2001. I was a smoker for 57 years so my lungs are not in too good shape but I don't have rheumatoid lung disease or emphysema. I've been on Remicade since 6/02 and have had very good results when we finally got to 6 mg/kg (about 8 months after starting it.) I do think that the TB test should be given before starting Remicade.

When I first got RA I had what seemed like mild flu that kept getting worse and finally I was bedridden and had trouble breathing. They took me to the hospital and started me on about 40 mg Prednisone and probably some other stuff and within a week I was able to hobble around. I was started on Arava because Methotrexate is supposed to be harder on the lungs than Arava, but when the Arava didn't work after a few months we switched to Methotrexate and that didn't work either. That's when we added Remicade and I'm still on Remicade and Methotrexate but I've finally got off Prednisone except for special needs.

Prednisone is a strong anti inflammatory that usually works rapidly to help the symptoms of RA but does nothing to stop the long-term joint damage. It also has some bad side effects, especially when taken at high doses for a long time. It is often given for a quick fix of symptoms but it should be replaced as soon as possible with a DMARD (Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug) like Methotrexate or Remicade. Remicade is one of a class of DMARDs known as biologics that is the newest class of DMARD and they are much more expensive than the other DMARDs but often work better. Usually a patient is stated on one of the older DMARDs and if they don't work then a more expensive one is tried, finally getting to the biologics. Most DMARDs take several weeks to months to become effective so patience is needed in treating RA. Good luck and God bless.

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

From: crash879987

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2004 7:41 PM

Subject: Looking for information...

My father-in-law has RA. He has been told they will start him on Remicade in the near future. I have read a little bit about it and have some concerns. He was also told that he has rheumatoid lung disease. Does anyone here have any experience with that? He has to clear that up before he can start the remicade infusions. They did not do a TB test. It seems that should be done before starting remicade. I would like to hear from all who have any experience with Remicade...both positive and negative. My FIL is in very bad shape and we want relief for him, but we want the best treatment possible. Are there any alternative treatments that are effective? Please give me as much info as possible. It's heartbreaking to see him in so much pain. Thanks.