← Return to Set Point Medical device for Moderate to severe RA thus far

Discussion
Comment receiving replies
Profile picture for zoyetsa7 @zoyetsa7

I am a nurse with RA and need something that won’t cause the side effects of biologic drugs I would really like to try this. Set point VNS device How do I do this please and thanks.

Jump to this post


Replies to "I am a nurse with RA and need something that won’t cause the side effects of..."

Welcome @zoyetsa7, I'm not familiar with the SetPoint Medical Vagus nerve stimulator but did find a research article link on their website (https://setpointmedical.com/vagus-nerve-stimulation-for-rheumatology-maybe/). Here is the article from 2019:

-- Vagus nerve stimulation for rheumatology? Maybe
https://www.mdedge.com/rheumatology/article/194822/rheumatoid-arthritis/vagus-nerve-stimulation-rheumatology-maybe

@zoyetsa7 Welcome to Mayo Connect - Like you I have RA, and am trying to minimize the number of drugs I take to control it and to relieve pain, so I was excited to see that the FDA has approved the device.
https://setpointmedical.com/
When I mentioned it to my rheumatologist in October, he felt that we needed to watch the rollout and see the longer-term reports of relief. That made sense to me, as i have another rare disease, Bronchiectasis, for which the first-ever drug was approved in August.

In the MAC & Bronchiectasis group on Connect, we are watching closely to see how the medication works out in the "real world" compared to the very tightly controlled test population. It's still too early to say for sure, but it looks like the answer it that it helps some people and comes with significant side effects for others.

Here is an article about the device from the Arthritis Foundation:
https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/treatment/treatment-plan/disease-management/rheumatoid-arthritis-vagus-nerve-therapy
PS My orthopedic surgeon was an "early adopter" of a newly-approved hip implant back in 2006, and I followed his advice. It was a disaster, as I ended up with heavy metal poisoning and 3 major revision surgeries a few years later. I live with permanent after-effects like a tremor, unstable thyroid, and racing heart. So I am quite skeptical of devices and medications until proven by time.