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Enliven Services for Enbrel

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Posted 5/17/2006 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
For those of you on enbrel, have you ever used the enliven services?   I'm registered, and a nurse called me a few weeks ago to ask if I had any questions.  Well, I did have questions at the time, but she was obviously following a phone script and didn't allow questions until after she had gotten through a 15 minute speel.  Then, when I finally asked my questions, she told me to ask my doctor?  I just wondered if I would get a different response if I actually called the  800 number?

Elcamino

Posted 5/17/2006 10:05 PM (GMT 0)

when i switched from the 25mg twicer's of enbrel to the 50mg weekly's i called Enliven services & spoke to the nurse there.  i wanted to know why "I WAS SCREAMING LOUD ENOUGH TO WAKE MY TENANTS!" when injecting the 50mgs! LOL.  of course i got the whole pH thing on the diluent; and really didn't get any info that i did not already know myself.  but she was sweet & i suppose helpful too.

but yeah, that's the generic answer "call you MD" blah blah blah.

Posted 5/18/2006 1:34 AM (GMT 0)

Wow Erin, does 50 mg sting more than 25 mg?  I started on 50 mg.  The humira stung too, though.

Elcamino

Posted 5/18/2006 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
Oh my GOD!!!!!!!! the 25 mg Enbrel shots were heaven. Yeah, ya had to do 2 injections...but NO STING! when i went on the Enbrel 50's i said "NO WAY" it was torture for me. so he put me back to the 2 enbrel 25's.
the Humira 40mg is a nice medium i think! just enough bite to let you know it's there. LOL.
but i feel that the Enbrel 50mg packed the most heat out of all 3.

Ciao!
Posted 5/18/2006 2:54 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, the 50's can be a mother of a shot... I usually let it sit out for about 15 minutes, then it's not so bad for me... good luck
Posted 5/19/2006 12:31 PM (GMT 0)
I'm telling you girls, here's the ticket.

Load up you MTX syringe, I keep the vial in the fridge. Get your Enbrel syringe out. Let them both sit for about 15 minutes.

In the mean time, fill up a nice tumbler with scotch, iced in the summer, neat in the winter. Your choice for the other seasons.
Take Enbrel shot (it burns more), take MTX shot, drink scotch.

You'll start to look foward to shot nite yeah ... Craig
Posted 5/19/2006 1:52 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like a great plan...

Posted 5/19/2006 2:58 PM (GMT 0)
I like your way of thinking! yeah   Although I'd probably choose a martini, I like the idea :)

cbrossman said...
I'm telling you girls, here's the ticket.

Load up you MTX syringe, I keep the vial in the fridge. Get your Enbrel syringe out. Let them both sit for about 15 minutes.

In the mean time, fill up a nice tumbler with scotch, iced in the summer, neat in the winter. Your choice for the other seasons.
Take Enbrel shot (it burns more), take MTX shot, drink scotch.

You'll start to look foward to shot nite yeah ... Craig

Posted 5/19/2006 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Oh dear Lord!!!!!!!  I can see it now....Admin is gonna come along and say, "Do we need an AA intervention here?"  LOL tongue

 

My poison?  A very strong KAMAKAZI.

Before & after.

Cheers!

Posted 5/19/2006 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
The real truth is that I usually have a beer or two, not scotch.
I do feel it really helps, but I would not recommend it to those of you who have liver issues. Of course we all get that tested every 6-8 weeks.

... Craig
Posted 5/21/2006 8:52 PM (GMT 0)
Craig - what would we do without you? :)
Posted 2/25/2007 5:25 AM (GMT 0)
I too had to go back to the twice weekly because it was so caustic. Even the twice weekly burns and gives me a localized reaction that welts & itches, but I have a small area on my hip that is numb all the time so I use that area to inject. That way I don't feel the burn or itch.
Posted 2/25/2007 5:51 AM (GMT 0)
When I got my first injection site reaction, I called Enliven, thinking that I could get an idea of whether my reaction was normal. HA! All they did was collect their "data" on my reaction and then I was told to call my MD. Well, if it had happened during normal business hours, I would have called him.

I never repeated that mistake. It was pretty obvious to me that the folks at Enliven might be very nice, but they were far from helpful.
Posted 2/25/2007 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
The services for patients that are prescribed all of these new TNF meds (Enbrel, Humira, etc...) even though they do have Registered Nurses to assist...are really there to do exactly what you said "collect data".

 

And thank heavens for that...the ongoing collection of data & patient reactions is wonderful because the info in the pamphlets will be current.

 

I really didn't find them too helpful either...VERY SWEET!...but nothing was told to me that I already didn't know.  I suppose they really can not fall back on anything beside "Call YOUR DR."...

But it is CRUCIAL that people DO call these telephone services & REPORT reactions and such...it will only help future patients.

:-)  

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