Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 I also take Bextra. I couldn't take methotrexate along with the Enbrel because of a low white blood cell count. I took prednisone along with methotrexate for a while but got off of it as soon as I could. Still, I have osteopenia, so I take calcium with D and also Evista. Prednisone can be very bad for your bones. Enbrel and Bextra have my RA under control. I count my blessings every day. I hope that the Enbrel helps you as much as it helps me. Sue On Monday, June 28, 2004, at 08:59 PM, renate dorsey wrote: > I just recently started with Enbrel. Do you not take anything else now > except the enbrel. I have only had 2 shots but am still taking > prednisone and methotrexate. I am hoping to do away with both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Thank you. I hope so too. I am glad that it works for you. I go to the rheumy the end of July maybe I can get good news then. Hope you continue to do well. Renate Re: [ ] Sue (Enbrel) > I also take Bextra. I couldn't take methotrexate along with the Enbrel > because of a low white blood cell count. I took prednisone along with > methotrexate for a while but got off of it as soon as I could. Still, I > have osteopenia, so I take calcium with D and also Evista. Prednisone > can be very bad for your bones. > > Enbrel and Bextra have my RA under control. I count my blessings every > day. I hope that the Enbrel helps you as much as it helps me. > > Sue > > On Monday, June 28, 2004, at 08:59 PM, renate dorsey wrote: > > > I just recently started with Enbrel. Do you not take anything else now > > except the enbrel. I have only had 2 shots but am still taking > > prednisone and methotrexate. I am hoping to do away with both. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Renate, you may want to consider keeping the MTX. There is good evidence that the combination of Enbrel plus MTX works better than either alone. Here's one recent study: Lancet. 2004 Feb 28;363(9410):675-81. Therapeutic effect of the combination of etanercept and methotrexate compared with each treatment alone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: double-blind randomised controlled trial. Klareskog L, van der Heijde D, de Jager JP, Gough A, Kalden J, Malaise M, Mola E, Pavelka K, Sany J, Settas L, Wajdula J, Pedersen R, Fatenejad S, Sanda M; TEMPO (Trial of Etanercept and Methotrexate with Radiographic Patient Outcomes) study investigators. Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute/Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm 17176, Sweden. Lars.Klareskog@... BACKGROUND: Etanercept and methotrexate are effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis but no data exist on concurrent initiation or use of the combination compared with either drug alone. We aimed to assess combination treatment with etanercept and methotrexate versus the monotherapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: In a double-blind, randomised, clinical efficacy, safety, and radiographic study, 686 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis were randomly allocated to treatment with etanercept 25 mg (subcutaneously twice a week), oral methotrexate (up to 20 mg every week), or the combination. Clinical response was assessed by criteria of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The primary efficacy endpoint was the numeric index of the ACR response (ACR-N) area under the curve (AUC) over the first 24 weeks. The primary radiographic endpoint was change from baseline to week 52 in total joint damage and was assessed with the modified Sharp score. Analysis was by intention to treat. FINDINGS: Four patients did not receive any drug; thus 682 were studied. ACR-N AUC at 24 weeks was greater for the combination group compared with etanercept alone and methotrexate alone (18.3%-years [95% CI 17.1-19.6] vs 14.7%-years [13.5-16.0], p<0.0001, and 12.2%-years [11.0-13.4], p<0.0001; respectively). The mean difference in ACR-N AUC between combination and methotrexate alone was 6.1 (95% CI 4.5-7.8, p<0.0001) and between etanercept and methotrexate was 2.5 (0.8-4.2, p=0.0034). The combination was more efficacious than methotrexate or etanercept alone in retardation of joint damage (mean total Sharp score -0.54 [95% CI -1.00 to -0.07] vs 2.80 [1.08 to 4.51], p<0.0001, and 0.52 [-0.10 to 1.15], p=0.0006; respectively). The mean difference in total Sharp score between combination and methotrexate alone was -3.34 (95% CI -4.86 to -1.81, p<0.0001) and between etanercept and methotrexate was -27 (-3.81 to -0.74, p=0.0469). The number of patients reporting infections or adverse events was similar in all groups. INTERPRETATION: The combination of etanercept and methotrexate was significantly better in reduction of disease activity, improvement of functional disability, and retardation of radiographic progression compared with methotrexate or etanercept alone. These findings bring us closer to achievement of remission and repair of structural damage in rheumatoid arthritis. PMID: 15001324 I'll tell you where to go! Mayo Clinic in Rochester http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester s Hopkins Medicine http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org [ ] Sue (Enbrel) > I just recently started with Enbrel. Do you not take anything else now except the enbrel. I have only had 2 shots but am still taking prednisone and methotrexate. I am hoping to do away with both. > > Renate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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