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Replies to "I’m certainly not a doctor but I have struggled with RA for at least six years..."
Autoimmune Diseases | Last Active: Feb 11, 2023 | Replies (38)
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I’m certainly not a doctor but I have struggled with RA for at least six years now. My understanding is that it’s typical to have more than one autoimmune disease and RA and PMR often go together. I don’t understand why you’ve not been treated with any of the DMARDS or biologics that sometimes can be effective.
Replies to "I’m certainly not a doctor but I have struggled with RA for at least six years..."
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I don't have RA so I can't speak with any experience about RA. However, I'm somewhat envious because of the number of alternatives to prednisone people with RA have.
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/disease-modifying-antirheumatic-drugs-dmards-in-rheumatoid-arthritis-beyond-the-basics#:~:text=The%20most%20common%20conventional%20DMARDs,are%20used%20much%20less%20frequently.
There are other types of inflammatory arthritis that coexist with PMR and we don't have many alternatives to prednisone.
I was diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis (ReA) with uveitis. My rheumatologist and ophthalmologist had competing goals. My ophthalmologist felt strongly that a TNF inhibitor would be optimal for me. I tried Humira (adalimumab) but it didn't seem to work well for PMR.
Actemra (tocilizumab) is an IL-6 receptor blocker and it worked well for PMR after 13 years of moderately high doses of prednisone. My ophthalmologist doesn't think Actemra is optimal for uveitis but weekly injections of Actemra seems to have prevented uveitis flares. My ophthalmologist isn't completely convinced that Actemra will prevent a uveitis flare but acknowledged that it seems to work for me.
I think TNF inhibitors are usually used for RA. What happens when a person with both PMR and RA doesn't respond to a TNF inhibitor??