Question
I was diagnosed with RA last week by a rheumatologist. My internist had referred me due to 3 months of joint pain. I also have multiple sclerosis. The dr. said that he wasn’t sure what he was going to put me on, as MS pts. want high T-cell counts and lowering T-cells is better for RA. Are there treatments out there for people like me, who have both RA and MS? Right now I am on prednisone. I also take daily shots for my MS.
Answer
The one drug you should definitely NOT take is a TNF inhibitor (Enbrel, Humira, Remicade). You obviously need to consult with your doctors, but I have treated patients with RA and MS with methotrexate and other disease modifying agents.
