i had the exact same reaction. all of the sites started itching at the same time. I had six or seven areas red and itching simutaneously. I used cortizone10 cream to help per my rheumy.

that was crazy

Linzsey were you able to stay on enbrel did the injection site reactions stop? Did enbrel work for you?

YOu might want to talk to your rheumatologist about taking Benadryl before the injection?????

Unfortunately, I did not stay connected to the Enbrel, because I was getting painful boils along with the site reactions. My rheumy believed at that time that maybe I should change biologics. But in hindsight, I know that the boils were NOT caused by the Enbrel, because I had an episode of boils years before I even knew I had RA and they didn't even have biologics on the market yet.

Like Lynn says, you absolutely should talk to your doc about your reaction to the med. It is very common - and then some of us RA patients have sensitive skin, nodules, rashes hives, psoriasis, as part of the rheumatoid package.

I really did like the Enbrel, and I think it would have worked for me if I had more patience. I think I gave up too soon on most of the biologics. I think you have to give it a chance to work - and not expect it to take the RA completely away with no signs of it or never getting a flare from time to time.

I hope you try to stick with it and give it time to build up in your system. I sometimes forget the self care part my therapy. (moisturize and don't scratch) and try to remember, spring is here and we should feel better as the weather warms up and we get out and do more outdoor stuff.

California Lynn I did take benadryl before the last 2 injections same result. Rheumy won't be in till Tuesday so I will talk to him then. Was just wondering if injection site reactions just stop after your body gets use to enbrel or if I will have to try something else. This stupid disease is so frustrating!

When I was on Kineret, a daily needle, from 2005-2010, I had injection site reactions every day for the first year. My legs and belly were covered in itchy welts, and there was always another one. Benedryl didn’t help much.

Anyway, Kineret and mthx were working 100% and I decided I would rather suffer injection site reactions than the pain and deformities of RA. So I sucked it up. Then, suddenly, after a year, they just totally stopped. I did stop injecting in my belly, but I think that made no difference.

Do contact your doctor, but seriously, if the Enbrel works, just suck up the injection site reactions. They won’t kill you! At least, that is what worked for me!

Marlenej my question was if you keep having injection site reactions does that mean the enbrel isn't working? I have no problem sucking it up if its working but I don't want to keep taking enbrel if its not going to help I would rather move onto another medicine. The first 2 weeks without the reaction I felt somewhat better but now after the 3rd reaction I'm feeling the pain slowly creeping back I have no experience with these drugs that's why I'm asking here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

There are lots of meds that actually work against the disease or condition prescribed for, but cause injection site reactions.

I suspect it's working.

All of my autoinjectors over the years made me feel itchy, but Enbrel was the worst autoinjector by far, in my opinion, not only because of the site reaction, but because it was painful and unreliable. I had the needle misfire more than once, resulting in waste of the medicine. Other times I've had to push down so hard to get the needle to come out that it left a bruise all on its own. It was a relief to finally change to Simponi. I still had a bit of an itch, but no swelling and more importantly, no pain. Before that I had been on Humira, and that falls somewhere in between.

Spoke to rheumy this morning he wants me to switch to humira. Hopefully this one will be the right one!!! Thanks everyone for the advice!

I take Humira weekly. I get welts when it is in my legs, but they don't stick around long. My stomach doesn't usually react. And it has gotten better the longer I am on it.

I know you have moved on to a new med, but just to note that I was 100% on Kineret and mthx, almost from Day 1. So, whether I had injection site reactions or not, the drug worked really well.

Unfortunately, my liver could not tolerate the mthx, so I had to go off of it, after 5 years. (I did get another 8 months on Kineret with Sulfasalazine, before I became allergic to it!) Then after 7 years, my new rheumatologist revisted mthx, and I have been taking it for 1 1/2 years, but lower doses.

A combo is really best. The drugs work synergistically so that the result is better than each drug added together as individual drugs.

Well, I hope the new biologic works for you. Don’t give up hope! Oh, and the way I knew the injection site reactions had nothing to do with whether the drug worked or not, was because it was 100% with the reactions, and 100% when they stopped. Although, different med, different person - your situation might have been different.

i've been on almost all of the injectables and I asked the rheumatologist to script for the pre filled syringe (or you can ask your rheumaotologist if his/her med office fridge has a free sample - so you can try it to see if it is a big deal - which is is, not laughing).

the pre filled syringe rather than the whoooooooooooooosh mega hurt and welt auto injector is slow and easy. the needle is smaller and the meds go in slower. less chance of you jerking the thing out cause you don't like the feeling.

i think they get way more money from the auto injectors - big rheumo pharma cause the pre filled syringes are just not advertised all that much (unless you read the 1000 pages of small print in your disclaimer).

Has to be discussed and scripted from your rheumatologist - you can not ask your specialty pharmacy to dispense as pre filled syringe - you have to ask your rheumatologist to script, that way.

no more needle misfires.

Depot per your suggestion I was using the prefilled syringe. I could have handled the welt and the itching but with each injection the site was getting bigger and then my tongue was burning like the sensation you get after eating hot cinnamon candies. After that the doc told me he wants me to stop and try humira.

I had reactions like that but they did subside. I didn't get great results with Enbrel. Maybe one week where I felt normal. I also had weird skin rashes with it. Had to quit.