Morning
Hope that everyone is well and not suffering too much today or in recent days due to the cold weather. My consultant has suggested putting me on etancerept n the next few weeks and I wanted to see if anyone is taking this biologic and what their experience is with it? Thank you x
Yes, I’ve been taking Enbrel (the trade name for Etanercept) it for 18months now. It took nearly 3 months to work for me, so I was on the point of giving up as with some people it works within days.
It’s been very good, even my knuckles that I thought were permanently swollen have calmed right down. I’ve not had any lasting side effects, and not so much as a cold. The first couple of months I did get an allergic rhinitis, but it went. The injection is slightly more difficult than the MTX pen, but easy to get used to.
Did you ever get the original Enbrel.who is your supplier? Since Biosimilars can be very different in effect.?
People do get very confused with these different brand names and their different effects. I have understood that the original version still has the patent in USA and Canada and is still the most popular version of Enbrel.
Do you know when the Biosimilars for Enbrel came on the market?
Hi. No i was only told that i will be going on benepali. I didnt know that there is a difference. If so what is it?
Now this is just it the difference is really been tested on us. I know that usually people prefer the original one because it’s been more tested,a longer time.
I’m on benepali Ms-D and it made a big difference to me. It took a few weeks to work but like you I was scared to go on it but am very glad I did.
Thats a relief to know. Are the side effects similar to etancerept? I got the leaflet for that emailed my by rheumy nurse but she stated that benepali is what i will be on as i have latent tb.
I got the leaflet for etanercept too but I was told that I would be on benepali. The only side effect I had was a blocked up nose for awhile but that we wore off eventually and it wasn’t really troublesome anyway. No other side-effects and I’ve been on it about 18 months now. Good luck Ms-D.
Thank you so much. How long did you wait till you started taking it?
Sorry I’m not sure what you mean about waiting ?
I mean did you have to wait a while before starting the biologics? I was told it could take around a month as application needs to be done.
If you have latent TB then you will have to take antibiotics for 2-3 months. However I was allowed to start the biologic one month into the antibiotics.
(I was amazed my body coped, as still on triple therapy of MTX , hydroxy ans sulpha, plus the two TB antibiotics, and then with Enbrel too!)
Ive started taking isoniazid since november now.
I wish someone would clearly list the names of all the Biosimilars for a med and its original versions that people usually KNOW of and when they have come out on the market .
This is the list of approved biosimilars, and if you click on the name it will say what it is a biosimilar of.
ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/...
Good info on all the meds you are taking and mixing here are the forum. Worth looking into. Easier to ask questions of rheumies.
Etanercept is a trade name for Enbrel. It’s a biosimilar not the original what I understand(.??)
Other way round I think. Etanercept is the drug, and Enbrel is the trade name for that drug. And Benepali is the biosimilar.
Well anyways the original med was Enbrel and the others were Biosimilars. I think this was the real point.
It only seems to matter if you change from the original to a biosimilar. From what people say on here, if you are started on a biosimilar then it works just the same. It’s the changeover that causes problems.
When I started Enbrel, it worked very quickly for me and I saw a benefit within a couple of weeks. When I was changed to Benepali ( cheaper version of Enbrel) it took much much longer to work and only once I was prescribed Methotrexate as well.
Clemmie
Hopefully you get some relief soon. I am scared of taking biologics but have no choice. Are they quite painful to inject?
They really sting when you inject - take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before you inject because that helps and some people freeze the area that they want to inject because that can help. But the sting stops as soon as it’s finished injecting and that’s it. No problems!
Good luck. Hope it works well for you.
Clemmie
Morning
I’m on elerzi a bio similar of etanercept on my 4th week . First week I got burning in my legs and feet still get a little about 3 days after injection but getting less and less. My sinuses are playing up but not too bad have been told this will settle down. Injection stings a bit but is short lived ( stings less in the stomach than the leg). Although it’s early days have noticed improvement in stiffness and I’m sleeping better as I’m not so hot at night. I’m still getting very tired but tend to have more small spurts of energy. Hope I continue to improve. There has been improvement .. small steps 😁
Hi how are you? hope you feel better soon. I will keep you posted once i see the consultant and get an answer. I have to meet the pharmacist for training on injecting so that sounds like fun.
Good luck .. a little tip don’t use straight from the fridge.(it really hurts when cold) my nurse was brilliant she said leave it out at room temperature for a few hours and don’t use the alcohol wipes it makes it sting more. Today has been the first time in 12 months that I’ve been able to walk down the stairs properly not sideways one step at a time 🤞🤞🤞there’s more improvement to come. Helping fatigue is what I would like next.. good luck
you have been a huge help. thank you so much. i am glad that are feeling better today x
Hi
I’ve been on Enbrel since April 2014 and it has enabled me to stop all other meds. It took about three months to see any real changes. It was slow to work but I was in a very bad way and told myself it had a lot to sort out! The rheumatology nurse told me that it could take as long as a year to really benefit so encouraged me to keep positive. However bloods showed progress and it has given me mobility and hope ...... and I have learned patience!
The injections in stomach were virtually painless, but legs can be a bit stingy on occasions when I am not so relaxed. I was told never to use the alcohol wipes so I don’t. I was told to count to ten when the injection starts and I still do! Normally the syringe empties by the time I get to six, if not before! I had no perceivable side effects other than a bit of a rash around the injection site which again was slow to go away. Now I take a photo to remind me where I injected the week before!
Health wise I have kept relatively well other than a bit of sinus irritation sometimes. I will never walk for miles but Enbrel has been good.
Stay positive. Wish you all the best.
BG
Thank you so much for the message. All the people that have responded have said the same thing and not to use the wipes. I will take that on board. I should be able to handle this seeing as i was taking hormone implants in my stomach a few years before i had a hysterectomy. Thank you for all the support. I hope you are feeling better too. x
I started enbrel November 2012, I honestly felt it start working the following day. At my twelve week follow up appointment I was in remission and still am, I had one short lived flare in 2015 when I had to take pain relief. I do get the odd twinges here and there but nothing major that I need to take pain relief. I've had no side effects either.
I normally take mine out the fridge the day before injection day. I find it doesn't sting so much if I inject into my tum (I use a syringe, not the pen). Sometimes I dont feel a thing, sometimes it stings a little, but it's worth a few seconds of discomfort for being well again, I also take mtx with it, just had it reduced to 10mg.
I was on Etanercept for 5 years and I felt better within 2 weeks. I had no side effects. Unfortunately it stopped working for me after 5 years but I was so grateful it gave me my life back during that time. The advice you have already been given about taking it out of the fridge for a while before injecting is correct. It does sting a bit but grit your teeth and it's soon over. Good luck.
Oh dear not a nice Valentine's present! Hope it's quick. Good luck 😭😁
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