I have just recently been diagnosed with RA and am starting on my 4th week of Methotrexate. My doctor has told me I can have 4 glasses of wine a year. I have read where you should not drink on the day you take Methotrexate and that having a couple glasses of wine a week is permissible. Why is my doctor telling me otherwise? All my initial blood work came out fine. If one goes into remission after a year or two with RA, can you go off the Methotrexate or do you have to continue taking the drug no matter what?
Are Enbrel, Humira and Remicade all equally good?
I am on infusions,(remecade) I am wondering, which seems to be a better treatment, Embriel, Humira, or what I am currently on. Could you please advise Thank you Cindy Kwiatkowski
High ANA and miscarriage
I have been having bloodwork at intervals for last 18 months, latest ANA positive 1:2560, screamingly high result as quoted by consultant haematologist however with negative DNA result. have been told Cannot be diagnosed as SLE but some type of auto immune disorder-generally feel unwell most of the time with pain throughout body, exhaustion, miscarried Feb 08-feel frustrated as no nearer to finding underlying cause or treatment-any advice much appreciated. regards andrea
RA treatment and positive TB test
I am 49 and was diagnosed with RA 2 months ago. I have been on MTX for 8 weeks. I have not seen any improvement and have read that it can take even up to 3 months for MTX to work. I have also read that taking a combination of etanercept and MTX is more effective than just MTX. In 2002 I had a positive PPD test but went to a pulmonary specialist with X rays to determine if it was active. It was not. I have had x rays every year to 18 months since 2002. Is it too risky for me to take etanercept since I had a positive PPD test in 2002?
Is methotrexate enough for RA?
I have recently been diagnosed with RA and am currently on Methotextrate 15 mg. If my symptoms are pretty well controlled, how do I know there is not underlying joint damage still going on? My feeling is I should have some x-rays of my joints to show joint damage and possible inclusion of a biologic like Humera in my therapy. Does that make sense?
Other treatments for RA besides MTX and Remicade
My mother is 76 years old. She has a SEVERELY bad heart along with bad arteries and veins all over. She is currently being treated with Methotrexate and Remicade for her arthritis. It will be 2 years in February since she suffered a CVA. The arthritis treatment isn’t doing the job. An MRI showed degeneration in her cervical and lumbar areas of bone and tissue. It is now in her feet and has been treated with a steroidal topical cream. This gave her some relief but without continued treatment, it is spreading. I’m sorry I can’t recall the name at this moment. My question is this; are there any other possible treatments that you could suggest which I could throw out to her phsicians? She sees a rheumatologist, cardiologist, and her MD. She was on Plaquenil for years until it started affecting her eyes. It’s getting to the point where it is very painful for her to even move, but we know that exercise is EXTREMELY important in RA. (I too suffer with it). I realize that this is quite a bit of information at one time and that without actually doing an exam, it’s hard for you to diagnois. I’m just trying to seek as much information to arm myself with when I ask her regular doctors if there’s something different they can try. Thank you for your time.
