What impact have Biologic Drugs had on you and your rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?

[Daniela-NRAS]

How has biologic therapy impacted upon your life? Has your biologic enabled you to do more? For example, have you been able to remain working, get back to work, or been able to do more socially and in terms of leisure/hobbies? How was your quality of life before biologics, were you struggling day to day and how was this impacting on your family life/relationships? How easily were you able to access your biologic? Did you have to wait a long time to get it or once you were eligible did you get started on it quickly? Whether biologics have transformed your life or had disappointingly little positive effect, we want to hear your story.

If you have any experiences that you would like to tell us about, please do get in touch at [e-mail].

NRAS is keen to hear your stories and build a bank of case studies around this area.

Thank you!

[Hidden]

Hello

I get severe contraindications with them, now on a 10mg dose of injected Methotrexate and I am suffering badly with them

[claireyj]

I have e mailed you Daniela

[skinnycappuccino]

Well, basically thanks to Simponi I have my life back: I am in remission and have a CRP of 0.3! It worked freakishly fast too: within 5 days almost all symptoms were gone. Before I got biologics, no drugs worked and I had to give up my work and return to Switzerland as I could barely function with severe active RA. I am now working and am able to do lots of exercise again. I am not sure if you are looking for UK stories only? I lived in Belfast when I got diagnosed, if that helps Christine

[Hidden]

Hi, had 2 tripsmdown the biological route, one with emrel when I was encouraged to continue despite contra indications and ended up with terrible infections including ear infection which left me with permanent 20% hearing when I eventually came off, second was with etanercept and after 2nd dose I spent 2 weeks too ill to even get out of bed and took myself off it, no matter how bad (and they are bad) my symptoms get I will deal with them with pain releif, nothing would presuade me to try another biological therapy.

[Jeanabelle60]

i had to wait for nine months to get my first biological as the cost had to be approved by the health trust, Humira. it worked almost over night. however after two injections i had a bout of projectile vomiting and was stopped from taking anymore. after 6 weeks i was put on Enbrel which brought me out in a body rach. so another six weeks off before starting on infusions of toccillamub which just didn't work for me. i was then put on infusions of Abatacept and am now on self injection. it has been a wonderful drug for me. more or less have my life back to normal. i can drive again, shop, walk the dogs, out for dinner and a few drinks. i forgot to say that i don't take mtx as it effects my liver. hope this all helps.

[RichardG]

Was just hovering around acceptable pain to non acceptable pain on Mtx and plaqunil but had eye problems with plaqunil after about a year, and sulphazaline I could not tolerate due to lots of stomach pain and heartburn.

Humeria has been fantastic for me taken with a lower 15 mg dose of MTX and I am back to about 95 % and much more stable than on the other drugs. Still get side affects with oral mtx for about 36 hours but sort of got used to it.

[Daniela-NRAS]

Hi,

Thank you to everyone who has posted. Do make sure you send these stories to [e-mail] too so that we can get in touch with you.

Thanks again,

Daniela