First off, welcome. Glad you found us, sorry you had to.

If you are like most of us, your insurance company will tell you whether you will first be trying Enbrel or Humira. They use a highly complex formula involving who at the insurance company golfs with whom from the pharmaceutical industry. They then multiply the day of the week by your month of birth, and come up with an answer on which they will cover.

The two drugs are pretty similar unless you are a micro-bio-immunologic-chemist. Both target TNF, both are taken by injection, both are insanely expensive, both are well-accepted and commonly used first-line biologics. Enbrel is usually taken once a week, Humira every two weeks. Phil Mickelson shills for Enbrel; the lady building the playground or Doll House Dad are the flacks for Humira. Which commercials would you rather help pay for?

I'm not sure why rheumatologists ask patients, especially newbies, to make this choice.

Here's one choice you should have a voice in: auto-injectors or regular syringes. If you are freaking out about the whole injection process, the auto-injector pens will do it for you. At a price: they hurt a lot more. I prefer the syringe, where I can see what I'm doing and have some control over what's going on. I think the majority of us would agree.

Now, about that sleep thing . . . Let us know if you figure it out.

Both drugs are excellent and with a little good luck, you may not need that leave of absence very long! For some, it works in two weeks or less, but certainly in several months!
There's a chance it won't be right for you but have hope!

Also, you might see about changing from regular prednisone to a different steroid to help you. There are other choices that may be much less difficult on you.

I wish you all the best. I'm on Enbrel for the second time. First worked so fast - this round is slower but I am no longer on methotrexate. My liver didn't like it.

I absolutely hated the Humira auto-injector pen. I could not bring myself to do it, so hubby did it for me. And dang it stung! However, it was the first, and so far only biologic to get me into a "medical remission". But alas, that did end.

My RA doc at the time, chose Humira for me rather than the Enbrel as the Humira was every 2 weeks, with Enbrel being weekly. I hope you have success in which ever you choose.

My first biologic is my only biologic so far and it is Humira. I take it weekly as the every two weeks was not enough for me. I could feel it ware off at about day 9. Once I started taking it weekly it has been great for me. Only side effect is some frequent bathroom trips the day after I take it but it is not bad.

I also use the prefilled syringes. I hate the auto-injector and agree that it hurts much worse than the syringe. I also allow the syringe to sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before injecting as that seems to help with the burning.

I am also on methotrexate which was killing me with the fatigue before I started taking it on the same day as my Humira. Some how the Humira counteracts the fatigue from the methotrexate and it is amazing!

We are all different and works for one may well be useless for another but this has been my experience. I found the biologic to be a huge blessing!

Good luck to you.~Lori

Hello, I have been on both Humira and Enbrel. As pointed out, my insurance company more or less said which i could use/ do, and in which order. I did notice a big improvement in less than a week after my first injection. Dr didn't think I had improved enough, so he put me on the next one. I did not notice any real difference between the two. Both did a lot, but again, not as much as my Dr wanted. But, which ever you pick, what I did notice was injecting into the stomach was less painful than in the thigh.

I am on biologic #6. So far. good results with this one.

Sleeping is not something I do very well. I have never been on prednisone, so that is not something I can blame.

Thanks for everyone's help! I go see the doctor in an hour. I found out my insurance will cover either Enbrel or Humira. I skipped prednisone now for a couple days and I'm stiff but ten times more relaxed. What it basically did to me over time was make me manic. I know I can use it for short term use and it's great but long term causes mania and I don't feel like taking another med to stop that. I'll look into prednisone alternatives but hopefully I won't need one. Let's say I get the prednisone out of my system, will I be able to use prednisone as needed say for 5 days or less? Not sure if it works that way and I'd probably have to use a higher dose than 2.5 mgs. Thanks again!

Yes, you can use it short term like that. In fact, while off Enbrel, my doctor told me to take least amount needed (2.5mg is what I would use) for 2 days and then half that for 2 days. I'd do that when I was hurting and just had to be able to go/do whatever the task at hand was.
I also took 15mg Mobic (meloxicam) each day, which I did need.

I went with the Enbrel. My doctor did give me some choice but I had to choose only between Humira and Enbrel. At the doctors office today the nurse told me that people wouldn't give their own injections and went to the office weekly. I've chosen to bring my next 2 doses home and have my wife inject me to start. Also the doctors office only had the pen type injectors there. I figured I'd have to suck it up but to my surprise the injection didn't hurt at all though was a little more uncomfortable going in the last 2 or 3 seconds. It was given in my upper leg. Can that type of injection be given in the stomach? I figure it might hurt less in my soft belly but then again maybe the belly isn't firm enough.
So that's where I'm at. Enbrel only for the moment. No more prednisone and no more methotrexate. I have Lodine for inflammation and hydrocodone for acute pain. I'm just so happy that my manic symptoms are subsiding. I think the prednisone and side effects is one of the main reasons I took sick leave. I was just so off track and imbalanced so stopping the prednisone and getting some sleep will hopefully have me back at work in a couple weeks providing the Enbrel begins to work!
Thanks for listening!
Greg

I give Enbrel sureclick to myself in my stomach. I do rotate left side of stomach and right.
You may find a nice hive/welt for a few days. If that happens, take a Benadryl or two 30min ahead of injection. In fact, set the Enbrel pen out at the same time you take the Benadryl. Enbrel stings a little when it's cold.
And don't worry about someone else giving it to you. It's not hard. Just push it down til it clicks and hold til it unclicks.

This may be exactly what you need. It's working for me for the second time. I took it with methotrexate first time and my liver enzymes skyrocketed. Had to go off all drugs for a good while.
Last time it worked super quick. This round, it took 8 weeks.

Also, be an avid hand washer and stay away from large crowds to avoid catching anything.

Best wishes for less pain!

Thanks again!
I'm new to RA. I was diagnosed in early December 2014 and have experienced daily pain and stiffness since. I have no idea if my RA is considered moderate or severe. I have no idea if my RA has a chance of going into remission where I won't need any meds except a short burst of prednisone once in a while. Also, when I was first diagnosed some people told me I would eventually be go into remission. Now from what I read it doesn't work that way. It's been a tough few months and a tough pill to swallow. It's nice to be able to come here and seek advice and express my feelings!
Greg

It took 3 years on mtx (now 8 a week) to go into "remission"; I do occasionally have flares so I do have to do rounds of steroids to get get back to not hurting. I also take Medrol an anti--inflammatory, started with 2 at night and now down to 1. As far as it goes with steroids, yes they do jack me up. I'm kind of ADD to start with so you can count on being hyped up for at least the first week. I have always had a hard time sleeping and steroids don't really help that at all, sorry. I am so glad you found this forum; it has proved invaluable to me. Just being able to vent helps a lot. Good luck with the new meds. Trish

welcome

i took em both well not at the same time....they are both anti tnf's eeny meeny miny mo kind of like alto alluded to. i did take my biologics for 6 months minimum before jumping to another. i have a lot of infections i need a longer time on them with all the damn interruptions. but that's just me. i have been offered pred since the very first poor man's diagnosis on it. i don't take it and i dont' stock it and I don't have it in the house. i get it when I have pnuemonia for my lungs in high doses and when that happens i am flare ra free. what a head trip.. i don't do well on it, like you plus lots of other crap it causes me. it is not a bridge for me. it js just brings me back to a higher re-set of my pain and inflammation. i don't have a RA therapeutic level for it. i tell you so you will not feel like you are losing your mind.. each case is individual on here so don't apologize for for what has symtomology for you, that, far outweighs any benefit, for you. our cases are unique. don't compare.

i like nsaids also and I am lucky because my liver enzymes are in a good place so I am back to trying them all again, one at a time...i did not have much success with etodolac but I am glad you do :)

hey anything free injector pen or not go for it. when you get a choice the syringe hurts less, you can see it going in and control it i did them myself everywhere. alone at work, traveling, in a car as a passenger out of the old ice chest.

when you get a chance use an ice pack if it is a thigh - it lessens the sting. unless you do the stomach thing.

depot