Insurance company is most likely going to turn me down for the E. Primarily due to the co-pay being $20, I think they like the lower cost Methotrexate, which they want me to try. I misunderstood how insurance worked. I thought it was basically a bunch of people pay in, and if you don't get sick they win cuz they get the premiums and pay nothing and if you do get sick, they lose, they pay. Guess not.
I've read a little about this drug and although easier to take (pills), the laundry list of side effects seems a bit long to me. It almost seems this drug shouldn't be on the market. I realize I have to do a lot of research on this drug and I might change my tune. Pretty bummed right now though. I thought I was about to undergo some treatment that would help me out. The light at the end of the tunnel is looking like its dimming. I'd have to read some hella good stuff in order to motivate me to take this Methotrexate.
Can someone give me a good story about it? Feel free to share a nightmare as well. Thanks all.

Ozz13,
Please try again with your insurance company if you want Enbrel, you can appeal their decision. You could also call advocacy at the NPF to see what help they can give you, they might have some suggestions.
MTX is used all the time in P/PA and other inflammatory arthritis with some good success and not everyone gets side effects. I hope that if you use it you will find it helpful. I'm sure someone will be along shortly with their success stories with MTX.
Good luck,
Karen

well methotrexate cleared me right up with no immediate side effects. but it is a very serious drug. i've actually opted to come off of it knowing that i'll flare up any day now.
you have to seriously follow how to take the pill and get your blood checked frequently. that was definitely the worst part in my opinion.
if you have any questions about mtx i might not be able to answer all of them as i was only on it for 2 months about... but i will definitely try. PM me!
-ali

From what I've read E is much less nasty than Metho. I know that giving yourself a shot is a little intimidating, but the list of possible side effect vs Metho makes the shot look like a pleasant alternative.

Hi Ozz,
Doing the injection is easy. After the first time, it's even easier.
Didn't work for me :( I am thinking about MTX. Just thinking and researching.
Granny

Ozz13,
I'm sorry to hear that about the battle with your insurance company. :( The choice of what med to use should be up to you and your doctor as far as I'm concerned. That being said, however, it sounds like it's time to pull out all the stops. As Karen (ouchyk) mentioned, give the NPF's insurance advocacy service a call. They're used to fighting battles like this. (Here's a link to a post about how the NPF assisted one family in their a battle for a home uvb unit: .) Here's a link to the NPF's description of their service: and here's a link to their contact info: . Also, the people who make Enbrel employ "insurance specialists" that also try help patients resolve insurance issues. Here's a link to their description of their service: http://www.enbrel.com/enliven/enbre...n-insurance.jsp.
Hope this helps. Good luck. Keep us posted.
Mike

Thanks for that Mike. :D
@granny I'd be happy to ride your coatails of investigations into MTX. :D
One legitimate concern is the infertility. Is this permanent? It's a long story, but literally, I'm the last male to carry on my name. I've got a geneology book that dates back to the old country and I can prove this. Seems a bit scary to me. Does E claim infertility as a potential side effect?

Well, the insurance company is indeed blocking embrel. They want me to try MTX first which my Derm said she didn't want to "put me though". I guess it's particularly nasty. If I get them to put me on MTX then if I don't get improvement they'll ok the E. This bums me out. One alternative that I spoke with the doc's assistant is to get an MTX rx and just not take it, guaranteeing no improvement down the road and the E will be ok'd. This is a more attractive alternative to me, the MTX just seems way to wicked.

My insurance company required me to take methotrexate first; if it "failed" then they would agree to pay for Enbrel. I took it for seven months; the first six weeks I felt tired the first day or two after the weekly dose. Later my body seemed to adjust and I had no side effects whatsoever. I took 15 mg a week. I don't understand what your rheumy means by "putting you through" MTX, unless she's planning on giving you a very high dose which would indeed be difficult (my friend lost all her hair). But if your dose is 20 mg a week or less you should be fine. After seven months, my rheumy told my insurance company that MTX "failed", and I started taking Enbrel along with the MTX. Last month, after nearly a year on MTX, I discontinued it because the Enbrel was effective on its own.
Best wishes with your decision. I wrestled with it for years before my condition deterioriated to the point of no longer having a decision...it was a necessity. My only regret was waiting too long and letting Internet horror stories scare me off.

Thanks for that Mike. :D
@granny I'd be happy to ride your coatails of investigations into MTX. :D
One legitimate concern is the infertility. Is this permanent? It's a long story, but literally, I'm the last male to carry on my name. I've got a geneology book that dates back to the old country and I can prove this. Seems a bit scary to me. Does E claim infertility as a potential side effect?
Hi Ozz,
I did a search on the Internet and read about the side affects. Everyone is different and the side affects bother some and not others. You can read about it.
http://www.medicinenet.com/methotrexate/article.htm
With me, I am concerned about the digestive problems. I have enough of those. And the liver----I only have 1 ;) and I need it!!!!!!
I don't know if the infertility thing is forever or if it is OK after you stop the med. Ask your doctor about that and if he is not sure-I don't think I would take it, since you want a child.
I work on genealogy also. We have 1 grandson to carry on our last name. I had the only 2 boys in the family and only 1 of them has children. This branch of the family came from France in the early 1900's. My DH recently found some distant cousins there and went to meet them in 2002.
On my side of the family, I am stuck in 1820-my gggrandfather. Can't find out where he came from. I suspect England but can't connect anywhere.
Did you do your research or was the genealogy handed down to you?
Granny

Granny knows my results with mtx & Enbrel. I checked into mtx for about 6 months before starting on it. That was 15 years ago. It has been the ONLY thing that has given me excellent results. None of the topicals ever gave any lasting results. I also started on Enbrel about 5 years ago. It, too, gave results & after being nearly 80% covered with p plaques, I have been nearly clear. I had suffered through the p for over 50 years & I can remember looking in the mirror after the mtx & almost cried to see clear skin. I am 76 years old & my life is about as normal as it was when young. MTX is, to me, not nearly as bad as the literature reads. Also, just this week, my MD told me that he does no liver biopsies if there appears to be no need for them.