Posted 10/3/2015 3:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Constantpain,
Yes, it helped a lot but took about 4 months to really make a difference. I had some stomach upset on it too when I first started taking it. make sure you are eating something to help with this.
I stopped taking it after I went into remission while on it. Remission lasted for about a year and a half or so and then it came back with a vengeance. I couldn't walk without a walker I was so sick. I went back on the Sulfa but it didn't work and I was moved to Enbrel. Enbrel was the first biologic to hit the market and was pretty new back then. It blocks the immune system as well just in a different way.
Unfortunately many of the drugs used to treat RA can become less effective because the immune system adapts to them. This can be a few years or it can take far longer. I took Enbrel for 12 years and it worked incredibly well for me all but the last year.
The reason for this as I understand it is that almost all of these drugs suppress the immune system to one degree or another. RA is a disease that is caused by the bodies immune system running on overdrive. This is why when we are flared up we feel fatigue and loss of energy. The body is spending most of its resources trying to fight the perceived threat to it, in this case itself. It attacks the joints and this is why we end up with damage.
When a drug like this is used it lessens the potency of the immune system so that the affects of the disease are diminished. Fatigue, pain in the joints etc.
Over time, the immune system (being the amazing thing that it is) says hey, this thing is in my way and then goes about finding a way to get back to full strength. Just like fighting a real infection like the flu for instance. This is why medications lessen over time or sometimes don't work at all.
I know this isnt a very encouraging thing but the treatments these days are leaps and bounds above what they were even 25 years ago. Medicine is getting a better understanding of the disease and hopefully one day will find a cure.
I hope you find some relief and a treatment that helps. It is hard but some of these drugs can take a while to really help. If you are in pain talk to your Doctor about what can be done to at least help to get you over the hump while the meds take effect. There is no reason to be living in constant pain.
Take care, -Don