Wish me luck! | Arthritis Information

 

Hey everyone,

I'm off to the doctor today to start whatever treatment she comes up with.
I'm a little nervous about starting new medicine, but anxious to get on
with it. Wish me luck!

LeeGood luck Fiona!!! I hope you get the right combination to get you some relief. Let us know how it goes.Good luck, Fiona.  Let us know how it goes.  I hope you find the 'right' stuff.  :)

Good Luck Fiona~

Please let us hear from you when you get back. We'll be anxious to hear how it goes.

Good luck! Let us know wha tyou find out!Good Luck, Fiona!Thanks everyone. I'm back. My rheumy is putting me on Humira. Now, we
have to clear it with the insurance company - which the pharmacist is
trying to do. It's a relief to know we're doing something. I'm less afraid of
the injections than I am of the Methotrexate - can't say exactly why. She
said MTX isn't going to work for me anyway, because the RA is moving so
fast. Getting this first injection is kind of like a first date - only without
the dress & flowers.

They aren't going to use Humira and MTX together? I think it's strange that they say it's so "fast moving" and yet they are going to just use Humira alone.

Hopefully that will do the trick for you....but it's known to work best in conjunction with MTX. I guess you've got that option later if you do infact need it.

Good Luck. Let me know if I can help in anyway. I've been on Humira since Dec. of 2004. After six months I started taking it weekly verses bi-weekly. (I also take MTX and really believe it's pulling all the weight)

Fiona

Good luck with the treatment. Keep in mind that sometimes it takes 2-3 or more tries until the right one for you is found. 

I didn't understand until later (1 year after diagnosis +) that there seems to be a protocol for the sequence in which the different therapies are tried and sometimes it seems that the insurance companies are governing that protocol so that they are not called upon to pay more than they have to! I had heard that in order to approve Enbrel, for example, the doctor had to be able to show that mtx and other less potent treatments had been tried without success.

Good luck with the one you start on. It takes some time to determine if different drugs are working, but don't let the 'waiting time' go on too long if you don't see results. It seems we must be totally proactive and the more we each know about what's available, the better off we are.

I agree that many of the newer drugs are often most successful when given along with the mtx but your doctor would be the one to explain why he chose just the Humira for you. 

I think if I was an insurance provider I'd be of the same sort of mind. Try a less expensive treatment to see what sort of results you can get. Humira cost about 00 a month for me to take. It would surprise me if some companies don't want to offer this as the first form of treatment.

I do think it's a good one...but I could understand if they were to hesitate.

 

I don't know why she just prescribed Humira. I didn't know you usually
took it with MTX. She seems to think if we hit it with this in the
beginning, I might be weaned down to a dose every 3 months or so after
the first couple of years. She thinks we're catching it so early...beyond
that, I don't have a clue. I'm too new to all of this.

This doctor seems very young - maybe that has something to do with it?
Or maybe this is just something she's had a lot of luck with? Anyway, if all
goes well, I'll have the Humira by Monday. I have to go back to the doctor,
& they teach me how to inject it. So I'm not there yet.Hey, good luck with it, no matter the rhyme or reason.  I am glad you are getting help and have someone caring for you.  I was a lost mess before I had a rheumatologist.  I wish you well on your medication journey.  I am right at the beginning with you.  Good luck.  Let us know how it works.  I learn so much from you all. Hi Fiona, Good luck with the Humira. I'm on Enbrel and learned to give myself the shots. It's no big deal and you get used to it. Glad you finally got a rheumatologist, Linda

Glad to hear it went well for you Fiona. When you go back to the docs office ask about the MTX in conjunction with the Humira. It doesnt hurt to ask why a certain choice was made.

I take MTX alone and have been on it for 4 weeks now. I have been doing alot better but I dont know if it is the meds or a coincidence. I am always the cynical one so I wont admit to anything for a while. I give myself the injections.  I am a nurse so I know how to give shots, but it is different when it is on yourself. The first one I did, I went to slow and I pricked the skin before finally doing it. Duh--I hurt myself twice 'cause I hesitated. The second time I did it, I pinched up the fat and positiond the needle about a 1/4 in from the skin and then did what my husband taught me to do when I shoot the gun at the gun range--take a deep breath in and let it all the way out---and then BANG! or in this case STING!  I laughed at my self both times. Once for hesitating and the next time for going through such a big production.  Now I just do it, quick, and be done with it. Less then 5 min. out of my week and then time to move on with my life. I like it that way the best.

You will get the hang of. Consider it a character building experience.
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