In reply to:
I'm not sure of the status of Remicade for use against AS; Enbrel was approved this past July.
John - here in Europe, Remicade has been used in AS a lot, and recieved EU approval for AS this year. I happened to be one of the first AS people in Sweden to get it, since I was in a study in early 2001. It's considered equally effective as Enbrel, but of course, individual results may vary. Remicade worked a little better in me than Enbrel does, but on the other hand, I don't have any problems with Enbrel. Personally, I like Enbrel better because it is administered more frequently (2 injections weekly) than Remicade (3 loading infusions within 6 weeks, then one infusion every 6-10 weeks) and doesn't contain any foreign proteins.
Hi Chris,
Remicade is great for AS, as well as iritis. It worked wonders for me for a while, but I belonged to the relatively small group of people that didn't tolerate it well.
NSAID:s and TNF-alpha inhibitors like Remicade, Enbrel and Humira are very different kind of drugs. The anti-TNF:s can stop or slow down the disease progress, but NSAID:s only mask the symptoms a bit.
If I were you, I'd go for Remicade, since NSAID:s never worked for me and I didn't feel comfortable taking them, but you should do what feels best to you. Also, you'll be closely monitored for possible side effects. Do your own research and talk with your RD if you're worried. If Remicade still doesn't feel right, you might want to discuss other options with her. Also, some people here have had success with cutting out starch from their diet.
Good luck with whatever you choose!
Nina
