problem? I have just heard about astaxanthin and has anyone else taken this while on enbrel injections. I am pretty limited to walking a distance and stairs are a joke. It's really nice to find this site I've been feeling alone trying to get use to this disease. Really have no one to talk to that can really understand. Thank god I have a wonderful husband. It's been about a 1year since I was told I had ra. How long does it take for this medicine to really start working and you can start doing things you did before?
Q: Have had ra for one year and thank god for this site. Kindly of scary and lonely out there.
Answers (2)
3/26/11 9:04am
Hello, Roberta. Happy to have you in our community. Sorry you have RA, though. People with RA have a lot more choices in medications that they used to have, so that is a wonderful thing. You are definitely not alone. Come here anytime you have a question, want to share, or just need to vent. We all understand. 
I don't take Embrel and I don't know about astaxanthin, either, but other members who have had experience w/these drugs will probably stop by and answer your post. There are several people on this site who take Embrel.
I do know that it takes some time to get the drug combo right for each person. it is a kind of trial and error process for each patient.
I don't have RA. I have a form of inflammatory osteoarthritis that is not very common. I can relate to the stairs, though. I don't walk up the staris to my bedroom anymore. I just kind of crawl up them, but that is okay. I get there a lot faster and w/much less pain. I am looking into getting a chair lift for my stairs, because my knees are pretty bad and I just found out I have hip dysplasia.
Again, welcome to our community.
Blessings,
V
4/ 4/11 9:17pm
Hello and welcome to this wonderful community! You will find many nice and supportive new friends here. I am sorry to hear you have RA but be encouraged when you find what works for you it is a lot easier to function. I can now do many more things with more energy than when I was first diagnosed a little less than a year ago.
I am very thankful for you to have such a supportive husband as I do not and know that it would be a blessing if he were. There are many kinds of treatments now for RA, I have finally found something that works quite well for me and I work a full-time job. I have also found that vit b has helped with my energy level.
I do still have pain and must get my rest as I can, but things are more controlled.
Please feel free to ask away with the questions and vent anytime you need. I am here as well as everyone else to listen and answer as we can.
Hugs~
Kim
4/ 4/11 8:00pm
sorry to hear that you've joined the RA club. The first year is especially hard and I suggest you check out my post for people who are new to RA for links to posts in our archives on many different aspects of living well with RA. And yes, it is indeed possible to live well with this disease - I've had it for over 40 years, so you can trust me on that.
I'm glad to hear that you have a supportive spouse - it's such an important thing. And I'm also glad that you've found this site. We'll do our best to help you through it. If you haven't yet, please consider writing a SharePost introducing yourself to the community - tell us a little about yourself!
Enbrel can start to kick in within days, but more often, it takes a couple of months. If it is working to some extent, it may work better by adding one or more other DMARDs - methotrexate is often given with Enbrel - and you may also benefit from a small dose of steroids. if you have taken Enbrel for over two months and it isn't working at all, call your rheumatologist to discuss treatment options. You may want to try another of the Biologics like e.g., Humira.
I hadn't heard of astaxanthin, so I looked up. It appears to be an antioxidant and to my knowledge, they may have some beneficial impact when you have inflammation. However, I would recommend that you consult an expert on this, such as a naturopathic doctor, to make sure that it wouldn't interact with the medication you're already on.
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By roberta menteer— Last Modified: 04/04/11, First Published: 03/25/11
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Thank you so much for taking time to answer I really appreciate it more than you know.