Which Biologic Treatment Should RA Patients Try Next?.If the Gloves Come Off, We Might See the Irony of Rheumatoid Disease.Comparison of Biologics for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).Maybe you just find the utopia (in the Rheumatoid Disease world). I am still on Cortisone, Celebrex, and methotrexate, which does not still the pain for one moment. Please let us know asap how you find the new treatment Xeljanz. Please share your Xeljanz experiences in the comments box so other readers can benefit. But when I improve, I will certainly say so. Having lived almost seven years this way, with abilities restricted and constant joint pain, I try not to complain. It always surprises me when a friend asks me anything that sounds like “Are you better yet?” Although I season it with optimism and allow God to use it for good, in many ways the past few years have been HELL. A day of less pain means I decided to rest, work sitting still, and take needed pain meds. My abilities are restricted by the disease because there is always some unexplained “sprained ankle” (“flare”) in an ankle, knee, shoulder, wrist… anywhere. If I walk very far, the usage principle kicks in so that I can’t walk at all. This is how it’s been for almost seven years. A neck flaring so badly I can’t hold up my head. A jaw that won’t open for a few days so it’s difficult to eat or talk. I don’t want to talk about it, but it’s the truthĭaily low-grade fevers. But I’m also hopeful that this will finally be my opportunity for some relief. I’m nervous the same as with any new medication. So after my blood tests and pneumonia shot today, it will be time to find out. Today is four weeks since my shingles vaccine. Then I put the bottle away until my vaccination waiting time ended. When Katie Beth got home, she opened the box and took pictures of the loot. We chatted about RG3 (Robert Griffin III, our quarterback). New Year’s Eve, the Xeljanz arrived by the same FedEx guy who has brought me Redskin tickets several times. Some doctors are giving patients two sample packages, which means a patient tries the new drug for a month free. The pharmacist told me that sample packages contain two weeks of doses of tofacitinib tablets. Several patients in our community have reported receiving free sample packs of Xeljanz through their rheumatologists. But this was the first time I’d succeeded in getting one accepted for payment! Pfizer and this pharmacist certainly made it easy, but perhaps it was also simpler because tofacitinib is in tablet form, not infusion. Of course I know about copay cards and recommend such programs to patients all the time. Her pharmacy would also accept the copay card from Xeljanz so that my cost would be FOUR dollars, after insurance. A couple weeks later, a lovely pharmacist called to inform me that my prescription was approved with no special preauthorization required. It was agreed a prescription would be set up through the office person who handles that. Katie Beth and I knew a lot more about it after three years at ACR meetings, but we didn’t let on. Tylenol and asked again about tofacitinib, now Xeljanz. And, most of you probably also read here that Xeljanz, the first new type of chemical DMARD for Rheumatoid disease was approved in November. Some of you know that’s when I requested the bone scan and looked for a clinical trial so I could try Rituxan. Two years ago, my rheumatologist recommended I “just wait for something new to be approved” as a DMARD or Biologic for Rheumatoid Arthritis. A copay card for the newly approved DMARD, Xeljanz Patient stories are starting to come in across the blog and I thought this would be more convenient for others searching for answers. Please share your experiences with Xeljanz on the comments page here.
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