How long did you get out of your 1st DMARD? | Arthritis Information

Forgive me if I've asked this question before but how long have you had RA and once you gained control with meds how long did that treatment relief last? I have had it for 16 months and I am pretty sure MTX alone is not cutting it anymore. Being on the max oral dose and 10 mgs. of prednisone I should be feeling a heck of a lot better than I am.
Somehow I thought I would have gotten more time out of it.
WTBRF: I was on MTX for 18 months, Pred for the first five. Nothing, nothing at all. Plaquenil worked for about a year, then I got a very bad headcold and it just shut off. Then for the next 8months, I was in a flare that made me need help dressing, eating, everything.

Mtx was started and after months, finally kicked in so I gradually improved. It took about a year of that until I reached the point I'm at now. So, I've been on it 3 years, it's been effective for over 2 years. I'm not great, but those years before I started the Plaquenil then the year after it, were so much worse, that I consider the Mtx to be still working, at an ok level.

I seem to have caught a headcold now and my husband and I are watching to see what happens. We desperately hope it doesn't shut off the Mtx!

CathyMarie

I swore I answered this..... duh! LOL

Anyway.. I took MTX from Oct to May 2008.....then added enbrel til present....

I am interested to know if others reading this thread feel that maybe, the meds that took so long to kick in, may not have worked at all and it was just the RA taking a break like it is known to do? I read so many differing stories of length of time for something to work, it does work for one, not another etc.

I am starting to wonder if even Pred is not so much a wonder drug because why is it some people take huge dosages before relief and it took only 10 mg for me. I know that my first flare was horrendous, couldnt walk, comb hair etc yet the Pred worked for me. Others who cannot walk, comb hair, brush teeth et al but need up to 80/100 mgs for it MAYBE to work.

Hmmmmm.

OK, Im thinking out loud here!!

I don't know what to think. As much as I say I don't feel good- I could feel a lot worse. Like onset worse. This makes me reluctant to add another drug at this time if it may only get me where I want to be for a short period and then lose it's effectiveness.
I guess I should go with my gut and wait this out until my next appointment. If the blood numbers look good - I stick. If they are not good it's time to move up.
I started on plaquinel with no result.. then went to MTX alone, with no result. then I went to Enbrel with MTX and had GREAT results.. for 16 weeks.

then switched to MTX and Humira and had pretty good results.. for 16 weeks.

then switched to Remicade with MTX and had varrying results.. pretty good mostly to pretty much nothing the past 4 months.. was on that for 3 1/2 years.

off remicade waiting to decide what to do now.

I started with just Plaquenil and added Relafen a few months later. I did really well with those for about 2 years.
I started MTX and Plaquinil in June '08 and Feb. '09 Started Enbral because the other two weren't doing enough.
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