Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group To go on biologics or not...

I would not touch them but if folks want them that's cool.

the jury is still out on these meds and God knows what will be revealed further on down the road.
the TNFs have been out a relatively short time for ALL the data to be in...no thanks

PS very often remissions can and do occur without meds or diet modifications.....my AS flew out the window in my 30s to 40s

I would not touch them but if folks want them that's cool.

It's scary that I have like 80% of MS symptoms. I wonder if the Enbrel has caused this or whether I've actually had these problems for a lot longer than I realized.

I am not here to stir anything up, but you should be more sympathetic in how you word your sentences, "but if folks want them that's cool"... nobody "wants" to take these drugs, people are usually in a dead end and don't have any other options. Just by looking at your two comments I can tell that you are one of the lucky ones, you are against meds and against diets, that could only mean that it must have taken a lot of will power and dedication to fall into remission naturally, well guess what? People aren't just going to wait around until they feel better, we all have lives to live and the sooner we are out of pain the sooner we can go forward with what we were intended to do on this earth. Correct me if I am wrong here Saltire.

To Itas: I find your story very similar to mine and the more familiar stories I read or hear about, the better I feel that I am not alone. On the other hand though, these aren't always the happiest of reminders because they all come with consequences, everything matters and every decision is a result of positive or negative impact, that's why people in our situations can't just go with the flow of life, we need to take control because its our bodies in the end and we only get one chance to use it wisely.

I am 22 and have been in a constant flareup everyday for the past three months, I was previously on Humira for two years with very good results and about 90% remission. Six months ago I started eating Paleo and eventually came off Humira because I was feeling so great. I was bodybuilding three times a week and rock climbing twice a week with no pain and I was in full control of my inflammation. Exercise has always been something I couldn't live without, so when I was diagnosed, all of my athletic career dreams came crashing down, but I have learnt to accept that and still use my body to the best of its ability. Back to my point though, coming off the Humira with successful remission naturally didn't last quite as long as I wanted unfortunately, the flareups came back and just as bad as I had them previous to Humira, this was my fault for not consulting with my doctor first. I saw my rheumy a month ago and he started me on Humira again, I started noticing tingling and prickle sensations in my hands and feet, I started worrying that this might be a cause of neurological problems or possibly MS, so I consulted him and we stopped Humira once again after two injections. I still am not sure what the tingling is from but will find out shortly from my neurologist I hope. I have an appointment tomorrow to speak with my rheumy about new treatment and man do I not want to have this talk over and over again, but it must be done and I need to decide whether biologics are going to be the right choice me again because I can't stand the pain any longer especially at our age where we should be out and about hanging out with friends and participating in physical activity, what a burden this illness can be.

From my experience of taking an NSAID such as Celebrex for the past month, I would say it has helped mildly throughout the most of my day but by bed time I am in pain, I don't recommend NSAIDs for severe AS conditions because the results can be very misleading at times. I can definitely say that going on Humira for those two years really gave me my life back and I was in the best shape of my life with no pain in my SI joints what so ever, the only downside was the tingling in my hands which is still a mystery to be solved. I wish you all the best on your treatment journey and go with your gut when in doubt!