Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
I'm just going into my 5th week of Actemra - 3 injections so far, and I take 5 mg prednisone daily. I definitely feel some relief, still pain in hands, but much less swelling and stiffness. My rheumy appt is June 8th and she told me at our last visit a month ago, that I should feel 25% better when I see her next. I do feel 25% better, but am wondering if that's all I can hope for or if I should continue to feel more relief from here. Don't get me wrong - very happy for the improvement, but would love to live pain free again at some point. Anyone have experience with Actemra and how long did it take to feel full effect?
I started to notice a more significant different about 2 months in. I was worried though that the addition of prednisone was making me feel better so that is why I've been trying to ween myself off of it so I can really tell if the Actemra is doing anything. While being on the 2.5mg of prednisone, I still feel good! I still have morning stiffness and the occasional swelling in my wrists and fingers but it goes away throughout the day and they still function properly.
I was hoping that at 4 months in I would be feeling zero pain and sadly that's not the case. I'm definitely not giving up on Actemra though because it's the best drug I've been on in years.
Give your injections some more time! My doctor told me that Actemra was a fast acting drug but that might only be true for some people, it's taken some time for me.
Good luck! :)