Have Ra and my doctor has told me to keep taking Enbrel
My Rheumatologist has me on Enbrel but a few months ago I came down with a bad infections in my lungs. Now my family doctor has taken me off Enbrel because of my lungs. He is total against me going back on Enbrel. My pain is all I have now but a few years ago did x-rays and found that arthritis and done a extra amount of damage to my elbows and the doctors all believe I needed a replacemet, so far doing very well. My question is: Do I need to go back on Enbrel or follow the advice of my family doctor and take Ultram. The only place it hurts now is in my arms and hands. Before it hurt all over and had lots of swelling in knees. Also found rubbing BioFreeze helps a lot.
Normally, when people ask me about biologic drugs, I say that for big problems, you need big solutions and with solutions, come big risks. One of those risks is lung problems, infections, etc., and when those kinds of side effects crop up, I would think that the guideline would be needing a really good reason to continue taking the risk. So the question as whether or you have a really good reason. Are you in a flare? How likely is it that your RA will cause further damage in your joints? How much does the pain affect your ability to lead your life? How comfortable are you being on an opiate long-term? How comfortable is your doctor in continuing to prescribe you the amount of this drug that you need? Would another biologic medication carry the same amount of risk as Enbrel does? How big is that risk?
Whether you want to continue taking the risks involved in being on Enbrel is a decision only you can make. I would suggest that you speak to your rheumatologist, as well - your medical team consists of your family doctor, your specialists, various physiotherapist, occupational therapist, massage therapist, etc. and depending on the decision you need to make, you consult different members of your team. In this particular case, consult the physicians, get their opinions, their reasons behind those opinions, ask for a more detailed assessment of the risk, go home and do a lot of thinking. You need to do a cost-benefit analysis and what you have all the information, decide which way you want to go. If your RA is in remission, you may decide to go into a holding pattern, supported and closely monitored by your family doctor and rheumatologist. If the RA is still active in medium to lower levels, you could perhaps supplement your opiate painkiller (which just reduces the pain, not the RA) with a milder form of disease modifying medication and/or prednisone. I'm sure there are a number of other options open to you - your rheumatologist would be able to take you through that information.
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