Enbrel Information

Diseases & Conditions Rheumatoid Arthritis
1
I had my annual GYN check-up yesterday.  Told her I had just started enbrel.  She looked it up for me and told me it was a category b drug for pregnancy!  I was shocked.  I wouldn't have guessed that.  Remicade is category C, Humira was not yet listed, but evidently the research classifies enbrel as B (in other words safe for pregnancy).  My gyno also reminded me how very few drugs are truly category b drugs.  I'm pretty sure tylenol is.  I'm not trying to get pregnant, but the good news is that if enbrel works for me and I do get pregnant, I can continue taking it without fearing any harm to the baby. 
 
Just thought any future mommies on enbrel might want to know this.
 
Elcamino
2

that's good to know. thanks! I'm not planning on having any more, but since I no longer can take birth control, it's always on my mind.

I wonder what category Plaquinil is.

Thanks for the update!

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3

CaMama,

Plaquenil is Category C, as are Remicade, and some of the other DMARDS.  Not recommended for pregnancy.  You can look up just about any drug at safefetus.com.

 

Elcamino

4
Thanks!

 

5

awwww crap!

Okay, I have 2 kids....PCP said "don't have any more due to your health issues," I made the decision last year after another round of illnesses that, 'yup - I AM DONE with having kids - there positively will not be a #3."  Now, I haven't been able to take birth control in over 1 1/2 years - however, my 'methods' so far, have not let me down. But, I do get concerned every now and again......since my "time" over the last 1 1/2 years have ranged from 21-36 days...the last few months have been almost 4 weeks to the day exactly. However, this past month, my indicators told me I was going to be early and therefore, I did not continue practicing safety once I felt I was "safe" (as I usually do.)  This coming Monday would be 4 weeks - so, early I was not (well, not as early as I thought I'd be - which would have been this past Tue/Wed.)

Anyway, I take a look on the web to check out the medication levels for educational/reminder purposes and, as one would say, 'one thing led to another' and I played with a pregnancy calculater as if this month there was a "whoops" as my aunt would say. :-)   It said that conception date would have been a 'day in question' for me if my 'method' steered me wrong. sad

Is that a freaky coincidence or should I be worried? I really wasn't worried this month - I hadn't thought much of it, but last night I had a strange dream about some friend who wasn't feeling well and I asked her a bunch of questions and said, "isn't it obvious? you are pregnant!" So, it got me thinking. So, since I've been so darn tired this week (rain, I assume, fatigue hit during the last storm) I decided to pull out the b complex vitamins (folic acid) this morning. 

 
I've missed a bunch of plaquenils earlier this week, but got back on it the other day. Missing it has really done me in - espeically with all this rain we're getting now (with more to come.) But now I have to ask - do I go in pain and wait it out until I know for sure or go about my business and assume my ovulation indicators were correct and I'm not pregnant. Current indicators say I'm about to have my period, but now I'm worried seeing the exact date I switched to 'unsafe' mode up there on the screen as conception date!!!!! aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! My G-d what do I do if I am?????
 
 
Thanks for listening, I'm sure I'm fine...I just needed to get it out!  
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6

CaMama,

It sounds as if you're really upset!  If you're worried about being pregnant and your medications and it's too early to test, why don't you give your doctor a call?  My rheumatologist told me that if I got pregnant on most of these drugs, including Plaquenil, then it wouldn't be that big a deal, but I would have to stop taking the drugs.  Methotrexate and Imuran are the only ones that require birth control--because, at least Methotrexate, is actually used to induce abortion.  Not sure about Imuran.  In any case, I think a call to your doctor is warranted.  I have had many months where my PMS symptoms misled me to into thinking I was pregnant, only to start my period within the week.

The good news is that if you are pregnant, don't studies show that RA goes into remission?  Or do you have something else w/inflammatory arthritis?

Elcamino

7
Thanks. I still think I'm most likely not, and think/hope this will all be settled by tonight, possibly tomorrow. I'm hurting bad, though, from all this rain, not sure which feeling to go with - the worry or the feeling I've nothing to worry about! tongue
 
I went through this about 4-5 months ago - I gotta go talk to the doc about birth control options...I can't keep going through this.....
 
To answer your questions: With my 1st, I didn't have terrible RA issues, but they did not go in to remission - however, my immune system became and iron door and in turn, my daughter has a really strong one. With my 2nd - my arthritis went in to complete remission, but my immune system went in the toilet. about 10 hours after I had him (both by c-section, by the way) everything came back 10 fold and I haven't been the same since, including my immune system (which other than when I was pregnant w/my first, was never that great due to life long RA, I'm assuming.) My son gets sick very easily, by the way...isn't that a strange coincidence?
 
It's very likely that having the pregnancies and c-sections less than 1 1/2 years apart with "my condition" helped egg it along making it worse....though after my first, I felt completely back to normal (even had lost all the pregnancy weight) by the 5/6 month mark.
 
It was 2 1/2 years after my 2nd before I had a day where I felt a little normal. My PCP basically said that w/my sistuation and health I better stop having kids because who knows what another pregnancy could do to me. It could help push me back to normal, it could make me much worse - did I want to take that chance? I already had a close call with my health at that point and was on my way to a second and her feeling was, 'you have 2 kids who need you here, don't risk it."
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Post Edited (CaMama) : 3/18/2006 9:20:43 AM (GMT-7)

8

Praise the Heavens above! yeah The ballot's not completely in, but it appears I might actually know what I'm doing in regards to birth control and doing it right...

Regardless, I'm calling the gyno on Monday and discussing options that will not worsen my health. Two scares in 6 months is more than I can handle! I've finally accepted the fact I was stopping at 2 (which was difficult initself), I don't need any more surprises or stress!

Thanks for listening.

have  a great weekend!

 

9
Hey CaMama -
 
Go here are some birth control options, they even have a 5 year plan with the Norplant!  Good luck!  Duck

Diagnosed January 2005 - Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondylitis
-Currently taking 50mg shot weekly of Enbrel
Diagnosed May 1998 - Graves Disease
-Complete Thyroidectomy September 1998 - While 11 weeks pregnant
Other Complications - GERD/Scoliosis/Hiatal Hernia/Graves Disease of the Eyes
Current Meds -  Enbrel/Prevacid/Synthroid
Past Meds - Inderal/PTU/Prednisone/Voltaren/Feldene/Mobic/Cortisone and Steroid Shots

10
Thanks Ducky, I'll take a look - with the autoimmune hepatitis now, I have to be really careful with anything that affects the liver. I had been taking the pill off and on for 14 years with little to no problems...and now I have to consider other options.
 
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11
I've never really thought about getting pregnant while on Enbrel, maybe I should start tongue

nothing to see here, just keep moving ... Craig
12
CRAIG! You goofball!
 
How the heck are you???  We (I?) haven't "seen" you in a while! How's good ole' Durango these days? Are you buried knee deep in snow?
 
Not going back to the San Juans this year since we did 2 years in a row there...probably in the next 2 years we'll be back....we love it there so much, but the cold we're having here in SoCal right now makes me glad we didn't move to your neck of the woods like we thought about! I'm hurting bad!
 
Take care.
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13

Craig, you live in Durango, CO?  I lived in CO for 3 years while I went to school.  Lived in Fort Collins, but visited Durango, which is beautiful.  Me and my husband miss CO a great deal.  Would love to move back out there, but we have family to consider.

Ducky, from my experience with CO, you would probably not have that many problems.  It does get cold, but it's a very dry cold.  For me, anyway, it's the wet cold that we have on the east coast that really seeps into your bones and makes arthritis a lot worse.  I had no problems in CO, and actually considered it a much warmer state than where I currently reside (MD).

Elcamino

14
Hey Craig - I'd put off trying to get pregnant for now, it will mess up your training... hee hee hee... glad to see you're still with us! Duck

Diagnosed January 2005 - Psoriatic Arthritis/Spondylitis
-Currently taking 50mg shot weekly of Enbrel
Diagnosed May 1998 - Graves Disease
-Complete Thyroidectomy September 1998 - While 11 weeks pregnant
Other Complications - GERD/Scoliosis/Hiatal Hernia/Graves Disease of the Eyes
Current Meds -  Enbrel/Prevacid/Synthroid
Past Meds - Inderal/PTU/Prednisone/Voltaren/Feldene/Mobic/Cortisone and Steroid Shots

15
I'm always reading the posts ladies, and on occasion, contribute where I can.
While I'm sick like the rest of you, I'm in complete remission right now and leading an abnormal life. Up until the recent snowfalls, I rode 8 out of 10 days outside.

I hope everybody continues feeling better everyday ... Craig
16

I've heard about the 'dry' cold up there...the 2 times we camped there (in the snow one of the times) I felt just fine, but I contributed it to the elevation and the fact I was on Remicade both times.

It's been a damp cold (and rainy), and that's been really wiping me out and hurting me. I don't know if this is related or not - but I've had some strange sciatic nerve pain going since Friday as well (part of what was freking me out on the pregnancy scare as that was the only time I had severe sciatic pain.)

On the baby thought - I just caught a really cool documentary by National Geographic about the growth of a fetus in the womb....I think it was called Inside the Womb....or was it Exploring? I don't know, it had a lot of new "facts" I never heard before about the external effects on a fetus.

Craig, good to hear from you - glad you are still doing well!!!!!!! Keep posting.

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