My Last Visit | Arthritis Information
My last visit to RD, she was talking about switching me to Orencia. She still feels like the Remicade is the reason for my BP & Pulse problems, because of what my Remicade file shows of my vitals before starting and after starting remicade. She said she has been looking it over and over and comparing it to my regular chart vitals and they were all in the normal range and that was when I was in awful pain. She said she feels it is the Remicade.
I am starting to believe her. My RA does well after the Remicade infusion, but I just feel drained and tired all the time now. And my pulse has been up again since I started Remicade back. It was good when I went to her the 2 times before starting it back up. It was in the low 80's and even mid 70's. Then the next time I went to get my infusion it was 98 and I was still on Coreg CR and had been off Bystolic for a week. She almost did not give me my Remicade again. But she did anyways.
I guess... I will switch over to Orencia if she mentions it again this coming visit on the 18th. Besides after my up coming cardiologist appt, I might have to switch anyways.
It never stops does it?
Well maybe that could be a good thing?Listen Joonie I waS allergic to remicade and nothing else really worked and the side effects killed me. Well last Jan I started Orencia and let me tell you the side effect are nothing alttle headache and tired sometimes alittle itchy but otherwise nothing. By the time I started orencia I had 3 yrs of crazy pain and no sleep it was killing me. I really did not want anymore drugs but I tried Orencia it is a slow starter but about 4 mnths later I started to feel alittle better my blood work is gone from severe to moderate. Also I am finally down to 8 mg of predisone from 20 the whole 4 yrs. I still flare once in awhile and my pain is mostley from damage and by the 3rd wk I am ready for my treatment which tells me it is working.So I tell you give it a try I am glad I did........TeresaMy only complaint with the Orencia is the frequency.
Maybe the switch would be good.Joonie - I am reading old reports from 2000 out of England that RA had been "cured" with a drug that is called rituxan in America - but you can only get it after taking everything else. These claims out of England are very encouraging. Have you tried it, because I am under the impression from these reports that this drug in combo with two others "cures RA. Good luck, you deserve the cure.
Rituxan is not a cure its another biologic immuno suppressor that targets the B cells. Its prescribed generally after the abti TNF's have failed. Its approved for modereate to severe RA. Many people though are doing very well on the drug. My RA has stabalized on it. The infusions are 2- 2 weeks apart than the next cycle comes in 6 or more months depending on how you are doing.Thanks buck, I will go find these 2000 links and post them - perhaps it was just hype during the moment of the annoucement, but they were jumping up and down in England saying "cure". If your RA stabilized on it, then it really is something to have in your hip pocket, and frankly gives me a sense of security as my impression is that they all fail, eventually. Thank you. Why don't they give it to severe cases right of the bat?They probably were saying possible cure in 2000. :)
They don't give it to severe cases right off because many of those cases respond to to the other older biologics and there is more information out there on those. I suspect it may be used earlier if the continue to learn more positive things about it in real world use for RA
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