Which foods should be avoided while taking Enbrel?

There are no known interactions between Enbrel (etanercept) and any food or drinks. Your healthcare provider may suggest you avoid certain raw or uncooked foods that could cause a serious foodborne illness. The manufacturer has not conducted studies to determine if there are specific interactions with Enbrel.

This medicine is used to treat several inflammatory conditions, including juvenile idiopathic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and plaque psoriasis. Your doctor may recommend food or drink changes based on your condition. Follow any dietary suggestions from your doctor.

Enbrel and other Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blockers may increase the risk of infections, including some food-borne infections like Listeria. Most patients who develop infections were also taking medicines that suppress the immune system, such as methotrexate or corticosteroids. Your doctor may advise you to take dietary precautions and avoid certain foods, for example:

• You may be advised to avoid raw or undercooked animal products, such as eggs, meat (examples: sausages, hot dogs, deli meats), poultry, and raw or smoked fish and other seafood.
• Raw, unpasteurized milks and cheeses, ice cream, raw or processed vegetables, raw or processed fruits, and deli salads have also been linked to listeriosis. Clean raw vegetables with a scrub brush or vegetable brush under plenty of running water. Avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts.
• You should also follow standard methods to help prevent getting sick, for example, washing your hands, avoiding crowds, and staying away from people who are ill.

Enbrel can lower your immune response and make it more difficult for you to fight an infection. You should not start treatment with Enbrel if you have an active infection unless okayed by your doctor. You will be closely watched by your healthcare provider for any signs or symptoms of infection before, during and after treatment with Enbrel.

If you develop an infection, you may need an antibiotic or other treatment, or you may need to adjust or stop your Enbrel dose, so contact your healthcare provider right away.

• If you develop a listeria bacterial infection, you might have symptoms like a fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, or diarrhea. Symptoms typically start within 3 days of eating contaminated food, but can appear up to one month later.
• If the listeria infection spreads to your nervous system (like your brain or spinal cord), symptoms can include a high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, seizures, confusion, or sensitivity to light, which may suggest you have bacterial meningitis, a life-threatening complication. If you have these symptoms, call for emergency medical care right away.

Learn more: What is Listeria infection and which foods can cause it?

Other infections may occur that can lead to hospitalization or death, including tuberculosis (TB), bacterial sepsis, invasive fungal infections (such as histoplasmosis), and infections due to other opportunistic pathogens. Before you start treatment, talk to your doctor about the risk of infections with Enbrel and ask for list of symptoms you should look for.

This is not all the information you need to know about Enbrel (etanercept) for safe and effective use and does not take the place of your doctor’s directions. Review the full product information and discuss this information and any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider.

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