Have a Couple Orencia Questions | Arthritis Information

I had my first infusion this morning at 10AM. Everything went very well...no AE's during the 30 min. infusion. I'm thinking, "Hey!, this was a walk in the park". About 2 hours later, I started to feel lightheaded with some slight nausea while in a store. Had to go out to the car and sit for a bit before I could proceed home. It is now 5 hours later and I still feel yukky.

Anyone else experience these AE's when first starting Orencia? Anything I can do before or after the infusion to prevent them?

Thanks for your time.

Katalina, I have been on orencia for 2 yrs next month it can make you feel sick to your stomach and it gives me a bad headache. I try to eat right after and that helps. Good luck girl hope it works for you. I loved it the first year but as of Aug. last year I have been in a flare and can't seem to shake it. lauraKat - I'm going at 8:00 tomorrow for my first. I'll let you know......... I've been getting Orencia infusions for almost a year and have never had any side effects. The bad thing is, I can't tell the Orencia is making a difference either. When I was taking Remicade, I had a lot of the side effects but it was a great trade off because it worked so well.

Good Luck and I hope the Orencia works well for you. Be sure to tell your RD about your AEs.

The only issue I've had is additional fatigue for the hours after my infusion. This may not be an option for everyone, but I always plan to just sit around and relax, or even take a nap, afterwards. I wouldn't go out or plan to do anything because I just wouldn't be able to handle it with the fatigue. This usually only lasts a few hours (3-4) and then I'm back to my regular self (with my regular level of fatigue).

Definitely tell your RD and ask if they want you to pre-medicate with Benadryl (I happen to be allergic but that's what my nurse would recommend) or something else. Or they might give you Phenergan or something to help with the side effects after.