LIFE IS GOOD AGAIN. UNBELIEVABLE. I simply CANNOT believe what a little pen syringe can do to change someone's life. I have had RA for almost two decades, I had good times and bad times during that period, and I understand as you get older it can get worse.

I had a shoulder replaced, I had two deformed joints in my toes. Everytime I woke up and got another pain, I did not know where it would lead. The FATIGUE is indescribable.

I have taken EVERYTHING homeopathically on the market, before going into NSAIDS, sulphasalizane, plaquinil, and then the dreaded methotrexate, starting out at 2.5 mg, worked my way up to 15 mg, because it stopped working effectively.

I also found that taking the tablets orally was not nearly as effective as taking the MTX injection. Had to find that out for myself. If you DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT QUESTIONS, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET ANY ANSWERS FROM SOME RHEUMATOLOGISTS. Do your homework. Finally, I was up to the maximum injectable of MTX 25 mg. I was in horrible pain, depression and fatigue. I could do nothing. I was too young for this. For the past three years, I didn't want to do anything, it was a chore even to get dressed from all my pain.

WELL - I TOOK MY FIRST INJECTION OF HUMIRA SIX WEEKS AGO. FROM DAY TWO, ACTUALLY DAY 1 1/2, I FEEL LIKE I AM 25 YEARS OLD AGAIN. I have tons of energy. My pain DISAPPEARED. I just took my first blood test from inflammation. ALso take the TNF alpha blood test, my doctor told me local labs do not do it. THEY DO. My god. If you are taking a tumor necrosis factor drug (TNF) like Enbrel, Remicade or Humira, you would think the doctor would prescribe a TNF blood test! Also be sure to get your routine CRP (c-reactive protein) and SED tests.

I HAD TO WRITE THIS, FOR MY LIFE HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY. Yes, I know there are risk factors. And, yes, I dreaded having to take this drug, but some of the risk factors are now found to have been unwarranted and, if you check the course of drugs throughout history, even aspirin, there were dire warnings. MTX which is the gold standard for RA had to go through the same things. I am careful of being around sick people, I take plenty of vitamins and minerals, bioflavenoids, you name it THAT WOULD NOT ALTER MY IMMUNE SYSTEM, BE CAREFUL OF TAKING SOME OF THEM, FOR THINGS LIKE PLANT STEROLS AND OTHERS, could be working with or against the TNF Humira or Enbrel.Do not take echinacea when taking this drug. I take antibiotics one hour before I have my teeth cleaned. Get a script for a bacterial fighting antibiotic and keep it with you. Anything that is invasionary like that, take it, it will not hurt. Also be sure to take a simple probiotic (sold at any vitamin store) after to rebalance your system. NOt required but a good idea. I try to check all bases. But I am more cautious than most. I looked up everything and every risk factor, asked every question. I will be glad to answer any other questions. I FEEL TERRIFIC. I am taking my third shot next week. Life is good again. I read the book: Miracle of TNF blockers BEFORE I chose my drug. I did not choose Remicade and Enbrel after reading this book. That was my personal choice. I think the book is a must for anyone considering this drug. It answers every question you can possibly think of.

Remember, initial site injection and bruising are common. If you don't want to do the injection yourself, and I do recommend the pen syringe, much easier (enbrel does not have that and Remicade is infusion) the nurses will do it at your rheumatologist's office.

I also chose Humira because it is in the system for approximately 14 days, whereas Remicade is in the system longer. It is infused at a clinic.
Reason for that is if I do get ill, or need a procedure that requires me to get off this medication, I know it will be about two weeks.


Good luck. Respond if you have any questions

Joanne

This book has all the information that anyone could ever want to know about Arthritis and the TNF blockers. I was very impressed. Even after dealing with RA for over 30 years I still learned alot that I didn't know.

This book has all the information that anyone could ever want to know about Arthritis and the TNF blockers. I was very impressed. Even after dealing with RA for over 30 years I still learned alot that I didn't know.

outstanding, detailed book on the new Beta-Blocker pharmaceuticals - very useful

I am extremely happy that I found this book. I was looking for information on how these drugs, more correctly, biologics, are manufactured. I could not get a clear understanding of this from either the maker's literature, at least not literature that I could find, or literature on the drugs that I was given. I did find a complete description of the manufacturing process for each of the drugs in Dr. Zashin's book to the depth that I was interested.

Dr. Zashin also includes a great deal of background material on various types of arthritis. Most sources that I have found focus primarily on rheumatoid arthritis and give other forms a footnote or two. This is almost a primer for the arthritis patient in itself.

He has written this book in a very readable style making it comprehendible for the layman without being condesending. I found that I was actually reading this book before I went to sleep instead on my usual fictional material because it was that easy to read.

Dr. Zashin includes experiences of some patients on these medications in their own words. Most make the reader optimistic but there are a few that deal with the problems of obtaining these drugs due to their expense that are not. I would rather get an objective view of what to expect however than an unrealistic but rosy one.

An individual chapter is devoted to each of the three TNF inhibitors Remicade, Embrel and Humira. The same categories of information on each drug is presented and the pros and cons of each. Dr. Zashin also provides reports of clinical trials as appendices and a chapter on issues of delivery of the drugs such as issues with self-injection.

A surprise for me was the information he included on the (high) price of the drugs. It is of course, good to know.

The only two things I found lacking about the book were first; that the copyright date showed it to be a year ago that it was updated. Normally, for a bound text this is relatively recent however a great deal can happen in a year such as a drug might be approved for more uses or more clinical trials may have been completed showing more efficacy of one drug over another for a given condition. Second, I would like to have seen more patient stories. As I said, I found these to provide a feeling of optimism.

This book is awesome. I only wish I had known about it sooner! I've had RA for 15 years, and was a patient in the clinical trial for Enbrel. Enbrel gave me back my life. But after 7 years, the effect has tapered off even after my rheumy added methotrexate. Last appointment, he said we ought to think about changing to a different TNF blocker. He recommended Remicade, which is an IV treatment, and told me to think about it. I wasn't quite sure what to think.

So I went web surfing. I read a good review about this book on the "About Arthritis" web site (arthritis.about.com/od/brms/gr/tnfblockers.htm), and bought it immediately. I couldn't put the book down! It is packed with the kind of information that would be otherwise hard to find in a single place. It offered all the pros and cons of TNF blockers, and has a "test" to help you decide if the therapy is for you or not. It compares all three TNF blockers head to head, after devoting a chapter to each. What a terrific resource! Not only did I learn things about Enbrel that I never knew, but it also answered questions that no one could really ever answer to my satisfaction (like why is it necessary to INJECT Enbrel?). Better yet, I learned ALL about Remicade, and other option called Humira (which is an injection like Enbrel, but only 2 shots per month!). The book gives pros and cons of all three treatments, and is very balanced. It's also an easy read, and the patient stories make you feel like you're not alone in this struggle.

Bottom line, I really felt like I got totally expert AND unbiased advise about what to do next...and I now feel confident, excited and HOPEFUL that I still have options.

So if you have RA, and don't know about TNF blockers, buy this book. If you have RA and are already on a TNF blocker, buy this book. And if you're like me, and your current TNF blocker is losing its effect, buy this book. Then run to your rheumy and get living again!

Wonderful news about the recent advances in treating arthritis. I found the book well organized and the chapters about the leading TNF blockers quite reasonable in length and content.

As a nurse, I enjoyed this book on two levels. First, for the indepth information it provides about TNF blockers as a class of drugs and then a chapter for each of the individual drugs Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade.

Second, this book is very patient friendly. It's filled with lots of helpful charts, a decision matrix and a whole chapter of questions and answers on everything from what to do if you miss a dose to why these drugs need refrigeration. It even explains how patients without insurance or pharmacy benefits can get help obtaining these medications. The patient stories and quotes also make the book interesting.

This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (and Psoriatic Arthtirits and Ankylosing Spondylitis), or anyone considering or now taking Enbrel, Humira, or Remicade.
This book is perfect for physicians and nurses too!