Remicade vs. Enbrel

By sunshinegal43oh Wednesday, August 25, 2010

- A
- A
- A

I visited my Rheumy last week and got some very, very interesting information from her! I'd been flaring the previous week, in fact right thru Tuesday. Saw the Rheumy on Wed. and of course no symptoms present!

I was telling her how it seemed like Enbrel worked great at first but recently seemed to be turning off and on! To quote my Rheumy, "Enbrel is a one-size-fits-all biologic." WTF????? So I asked her to enlighten me. She told me that Enbrel doses are not based on age, weight, or height. She then threw out the name "Remicade". She then proceeded to tell me that Remicade is also a biologic but that dosing is calculated based on age, weight and height. My Rheumy said if Enbrel is fading in and out like it has, that it's not working correctly. She gave me one more script for Enbrel, but said if it keeps up with its off and on thing, to give her a call and she'd get me switched over to the Remicade.

Unfortunately, Remicade is not a self-injectable medication. I have to go to the doctor's office and have it "infused" through an IV over a period of two hours. I did a little research on Remicade and it looks like you do an infusion, then wait two weeks and do another infusion. After that it's one infusion every 8 weeks.

I'm a bit enthused to know about this medication and quite anxious to try it as the Enbrel really isn't keeping my RA symptoms at bay like it once did.

I just wanted to share this information in case someone else out there is in the same boat I am!

CRP of 11.2

Comments (6) | Add comment

V, Health Guide

8/25/10 7:34pm

Hi, Sunshine. I think more than one person on this site gets Remicade infusions. I have only heard good things about it in my reading so far. Very interesint info on the Humira. Hang in there. As Lene always says, you have to keep going to the doctor til they find the right drug combination and when they find it, things will be so much better. Peace, V

sunshinegal43oh

8/25/10 8:37pm

You are SO right (as is Lene!)!!! Everyone is different, and medications affect all of us differently. What you'd think would be rocket science (treating RA) isn't really rocket science but rather a crap shoot! LOL

ronie

8/26/10 1:58am

What do you mean that Enbrel is fading in and out. I was on Enbrel for 6 years and love to sing it's praises. However, I do read mixed reviews as with all our meds.

Enbrel worked like magic to get be back into a normal grove I had not had for more years than I cared to remember. It took a while to work since my RA had gone unsuppressed from age 15 to 27. I was not put on Enbrel until I was 29.

After 6 years of wonder, being normal, working and even playing certain sports, the glory sloooooooowly wore off. It took about 9 months. During this entire time, I was never diagnosed or reviewed as to have gone into a remission. My RA counts still climbed but everything thing else stayed even.

Anywho... There were definitely times when a flare up would kick in and I would feel like Enbrel was not working. However, I don't recall it feeling like it faded in and out. I must remind you though that this was during the time when Enbrel was a twice a week shot (i also injected 20ml of mtx once a week). With twice a week shots, you don't get the slow down or the fatigued feeling when it is due. When the shot formula went to once a week, by day 4 or 5 I could feel it was time for a dose. Then they started every 2 weeks and then were talking about once a month. The every 2 week dose, was a big change and I never got to see whether it went to once a month.

So, What is your dose regulation? I do believe you said you were keeping a journal but do you have any regular patterns or see a system of flares with this "fading."

I am just saying, ya know. A lot of people get the infusions and they do their job. But heck ya know if there is another choice you have not explored......

sunshinegal43oh

8/26/10 7:08am

I started Enbrel back in January of this year. After the second injection I started feeling SO much better! My symptoms went completely away, and I felt human again!

But after 8 weeks of being on the Enbrel (along with 20mgs of Methotrexate), I had a flare. The flare lasted a week. But I didn't give up since my Rheumy said that Enbrel can take up to 3 months to become effective.

After the flare I didn't seem to have any trouble and the Enbrel seemed to be working.

But at the beginning of June I had another flare. And since then it seems like every other week I'm having a flare. I can tell when it's time for a dose of Enbrel- my symptoms all come back. Stiffness and swelling in the mornings. I wake up and my hands are like two chunks of rock. After the Enbrel injection, the symptoms seem to go away for a couple of days, but come back again toward the end of the week. This is what I meant by Enbrel turning off and on, or fading in and out.

I heard of people on this site who do two Enbrel injections per week. So when I saw my Rheumy last week I planned to ask her about increasing it. But when I told her I was having more flares and that my symptoms seemed less controlled lately, she said she felt it was time to switch to another biologic, and then she told me about Remicade.

I think it's a good thing all around. I wasn't going to be able to continue the Enbrel after December of this year. My co-pay assistance will run out then, and I don't have $350/month extra to pay for Enbrel until I reach my out of pocket maximum of $2000.00 for the drug.

Since Remicade is infused in the doctor's office, I should be able to afford it since the infusion would count as a doctor visit and my insurance pays 85% of that.

I get a new shipment of Enbrel next Thursday, and my doc wants me to use up that Enbrel and see how I do with it. If my symptoms are still present or I'm in a flare most of the week between injections, then I have to call my Rheumy to make arrangements to start the Remicade.

Thanks for your comments and insight!

Amy

ronie

8/26/10 12:38pm

sounds like a plan.

I understand about the enbrel payment and insurance. have been there done that. a little heads up, check your insurance about office administered meds. I have received a separate bill from BCBS for all the IV meds I have received both in office or in hospital. It is all part of my outa pocket and deductibles blah blah. It the past office administered meds where covered. When Medco prescription company came into existence all heck changed with what is covered and not cuz they poked their nose in the mix.

But that is all my hell in a hand basket.

Hope you feel better soon tho.

Lene Andersen, Health Guide

8/31/10 12:26pm

As far as I know, there is indeed a recommended dose of Enbrel that is a sort of one-size-fits-all. However, as Enbrel has now been around for a long time, it is becoming more evident that some people need more of the drug and some rheumatologists therefore tell the patient to take it more often or in larger doses. Remicade is very similar to Enbrel, but as you said, administered slightly differently and hopefully it will work for you. If it doesn't, there are number of other Biologics on the market, many of them administered by self injection, e.g., Humira.

Remicade vs. Enbrel

Ask a Question