Anyone on Simponi for their RA?

Im asking for my mom. She has been on Remicade for the past several years and it has worked fine for her. Unfortunately now her insurance has changed and she will have to pay $550 every 8 weeks she goes for the infusion. My parents are 79 years old and cannot afford that. Her rheumetologist is giving her the option to try Simponi (assuming her insurance will cover this cost...they are still waiting for a call back). I was just wondering how well this new drug works if anyone has tried it. Thanks in advance!

I've been on Simponi for about 3 yrs to control
the symptoms of RA. Prior to taking Simponi
I was on Humira for 2 yrs and Remicade for a year.
I took mtx in the past but not currently.

How well does it work? It took 4 months to notice
a difference. My energy levels are up a little, my
joints are coming along better but I'm paying the
price for it. I am awaiting cancer results right now.
I developed MGUS from taking it, my oncologist
told me. What he can't tell me is which of the 4
drugs gave me it. MGUS is high protein in my blood.
It makes me 40% more prone to bone cancer than
the general population.

I'm confused to work out the muscles/joints or
to try to protect them by conserving movement
or lifting anything... there is too much conflicting
information and misinformation out there. There
needs to be a class of "Can do" "Do not attempt"

RA never comes to the party alone.. inactivity
causes other medical problems. It's a merry-go-round.

Simponi has a medication assist program so no co-pays
for 6 months and that's renewable. The income level
doesn't matter for the first 6 months and then the
income level has to be well above average to be stuck
with the co-pay. Call them, they are awesome at
helping you get going.

It's a merry-go-round of trying to find the right
drug combinations to treat RA or AS. As it turns
out after waiting for 2 weeks, no bone cancer was
found. It's MGUS...period. It's from the RA meds.

Now I have to make a hard decision to continue
or to stop the meds that are causing the MGUS.
Do I want to be mobile or do I want to wait to
see how bad I feel/look without? Should I try
a natural approach by trying unproven vitamins,
herbs, supplements, changing completely what
I eat and how I live my life?

I can't truly say that I am better off on biologics.
I don't know if it's the pain meds that are making
me feel better or is it the hardcore stuff? I don't
know.

I'm miserable today living on anti-inflammatories. My
belly hurts. I have a little bit of a narcotic if it gets
too bad but no doctor in his right mind is going
to give me plain ol' pain meds only. They dislike
that I will become immune to them eventually
and the fact that they are so powerfully addictive.
I simply cannot survive on my current treatment.