Having recently moved house my wife has been offered anti-TNF treatment. 
(Maybe there is a postcode lottery;  maybe we've won for once!)  She was 
diagnosed with RA in 1992 and the disease is still active.  She would be 
glad of any personal experiences of the therapy.

Please reply either here, or edit the reply-to address.

TIA

John 




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On Dec 7, 3:17 am, "John Nice" <johnDOTniceATbtinternetDOTcom> wrote:
> Having recently moved house my wife has been offered anti-TNF treatment.
> (Maybe there is a postcode lottery;  maybe we've won for once!)  She was
> diagnosed with RA in 1992 and the disease is still active.  She would be
> glad of any personal experiences of the therapy.
>
> Please reply either here, or edit the reply-to address.
>
> TIA
>
> John
>
> ---
> avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean.
> Virus Database (VPS): 071206-0, 06/12/2007
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Well, I don't have RA, but I do have AS which is a different, but
similiar auto immune arthritis. I am on Enbrel and it has worked very
well for me. One thing about these types of arthritis is that they can
be very, very aggressive and cause damage that once done, cannot be
undone. The various medications (DMARDS) available up until recently
often did not slow down the disease very much. Many have tried one or
more DMARDS (disease modifying agents) but have had to stop them due
to nasty side affects, allergic reactions and/or they just plain
didn't work. Since the advent of the anti-tnf meds many people have
finally found some relief. However, the side effects of these drugs
(biologics) can be very serious or even, in some cases, fatal. Also,
even these drugs sometimes do not work for people. Sometimes they are
combined with one or more DMARDS or NSAIDS (non steroidal anti
inflammatories) with better results. I, myself, am on a 'cocktail' of
Enbrel, with methotrexate and sulfasalazine (both DMARDS) and an NSAID
as well. The biologics have been a miracle for many, giving them their
lives back. There are also many who have had reactions or side effects
and have had to discontinue these therapies.
 IT all comes down to the fact that it is a very personal decision to
make. I looked at it this way: Many (not all) side effects of many of
the DMARDS and the biologics will stop once the drug is discontinued.
Joint damage from untreated RA or undertreated RA cannot (in most
cases) be reversed. I would say to learn all you can and then make an
informed decision.
Good luck to you both-
Char

"John Nice" <johnDOTniceATbtinternetDOTcom> wrote in message 
news:sZGdnVFST6gZnMTanZ2dnUVZ8taknZ2d@bt.com...
> Having recently moved house my wife has been offered anti-TNF treatment. 
> (Maybe there is a postcode lottery;  maybe we've won for once!)  She was 
> diagnosed with RA in 1992 and the disease is still active.  She would be 
> glad of any personal experiences of the therapy.
>
> Please reply either here, or edit the reply-to address.
>
> TIA
>
> John
Hi John

I've been taking one anti-tnf treatment (Enbrel) for over 4 years now.  Just 
one little injection a week which is quite simple.  It has changed my life 
(I know that sounds corny, but its true).  I recently had to endure 4 weeks 
without it because of surgery, and by the end of the 4 weeks I was desperate 
to get back to it.

Which treatment has your wife been offered?

Jayne

On 7 Dec, 20:54, "Jayne"  wrote:
> "John Nice" <johnDOTniceATbtinternetDOTcom> wrote in message
>
> news:sZGdnVFST6gZnMTanZ2dnUVZ8taknZ2d@bt.com...> Having recently moved house my wife has been offered anti-TNF treatment.
> > (Maybe there is a postcode lottery;  maybe we've won for once!)  She was
> > diagnosed with RA in 1992 and the disease is still active.  She would be
> > glad of any personal experiences of the therapy.
>
> > Please reply either here, or edit the reply-to address.
>
> > TIA
>
> > John
>
> Hi John
>
> I've been taking one anti-tnf treatment (Enbrel) for over 4 years now.  Just
> one little injection a week which is quite simple.  It has changed my life
> (I know that sounds corny, but its true).  I recently had to endure 4 weeks
> without it because of surgery, and by the end of the 4 weeks I was desperate
> to get back to it.
>
> Which treatment has your wife been offered?
>
> Jayne


John

Like Jayne, I have been taking enbrel for four years. It has certainly
made a difference to the way I feel and to my pain level. My
impression is that it works better for people who have had RA for a
shorter time. That would be a comparative estimate. I have had RA for
30 years and am aware that for may people enbrel has given greater
relief than I have experienced. On the other hand, so far so good. I
don't seem to have experienced any serious side effects.

Peter

"John Nice" <johnDOTniceATbtinternetDOTcom> wrote in message 
news:sZGdnVFST6gZnMTanZ2dnUVZ8taknZ2d@bt.com...
> Having recently moved house my wife has been offered anti-TNF treatment. 
> (Maybe there is a postcode lottery;  maybe we've won for once!)  She was 
> diagnosed with RA in 1992 and the disease is still active.  She would be 
> glad of any personal experiences of the therapy.
>
> Please reply either here, or edit the reply-to address.
>
> TIA>>

 I'm on Enbrel and MTX and it has made a difference.:)
 Alison
>
> John
>
>
>
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> http://www.avast.com
>
>
>