Etanercept and Swelling: What Users Say

• kri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 10, 2013

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "What can I say? Enbrel put me in remission. What can be better than that? 8 years of rheumatoid arthritis treatments, some caused inflammation of my kidneys and liver. At the time I started on Enbrel, I was taking 5 different medications. One by one they were eliminated. In the fall of 2012, I caught a bad respiratory infection so I stopped the Enbrel per doctor's instructions and my rheumatoid arthritis did not come back! I hope they do research to determine how often this occurs because I didn't expect remission!"

• sus...
• June 5, 2019

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I love this medication Enbrel! While I'm not a fan of needles, I happily do this one. I have gone from periods when I cannot even move a specific body part to almost no pain or inflammation whatsoever. I have the occasional flare in my fingers or toes, usually lasting a day or two. I haven't had a 'major' flare-up for a couple of years. I was diagnosed in 2010 with rheumatoid arthritis. Still working and doing whatever activity I want. Very happy with Enbrel."

• Bil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 19, 2013

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Took Enbrel for 3 years, and it took the joint pain away, but did not take the swelling bags away in the wrist. Switched to Orencia, and joint pain came back, so once again went back to Enbrel with no joint pain, but will have to live with the swelling in the wrist. Also, a big difference in needle pain with Enbrel versus Orencia. The Orencia needle was nice and sharp with no pain. The Enbrel needles seem to be dull and need to be sharper like the Orencia needles. But at least there's no longer any joint pain. Thankful for that."

• tin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2018

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I was given Enbrel in January, and after 3 injections, I noticed a rash. The rash, after a month, put me in the hospital. The rash turned into sores on my legs, and after 1 month of stopping injections, the rash is worsening. I would use this medication with caution. Take notes of side effects daily. For me, the rash is an allergic reaction, but it still has me in bed and not working. It feels like knives stabbing in my legs, unable to walk. Numbness and swelling in my ankles. Something still isn't right, and it's been over a month since the last injection."

• sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 14, 2014

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Have had rheumatoid arthritis for 5 years. Taking methotrexate the whole time. It quit working as well. Just went on Enbrel 12 weeks ago, now have right arm swelling, pitting edema, trying to figure out what it is. I am 47 and shouldn't have any extremity swelling. Have never had any swelling of arms or legs. It is not DVT, had an ultrasound to rule that out. Common sense would say Enbrel triggered something. Hope it resolves and isn't anything serious."

• Asi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 3, 2014

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I am so lucky I live in Denmark, where it is free to get all kinds of medicines. Enbrel has been working quite well, actually, for the past 2.5 years, but recently my doctor recommended me to get out of it, and I started by pushing it with 3 days, and the 3 days made my knees swell up. Now I am back with the 7-day interval, but it won't really help as much as before. So, I guess it was too soon to get out of using it."

• Sha...
• February 11, 2014

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Was on Methotrexate and Mobic with no relief for 5 years. Took Enbrel and had a life again. Began golfing and bowling again. That suddenly stopped about 8 months ago, the fatigue is unbearable, and now the swelling and pain are back."

• Lov...
• July 10, 2009

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "I have been using Enbrel for almost 2 years with great success. Only recently, it stopped working for me. The morning stiffness, hand swelling, and all the pain that goes with it were back. My doctor just started me on Remicade, and it started working almost immediately. So don't fret if it stops working for you. I did like doing my own injections with Enbrel, with Remicade, it's a 2-hour infusion by your doctor every 2 months."

• Ter...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2023

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Be careful with this medicine. At first, I thought it may be helping me, but after the second or third months, I felt so lousy and tired that I couldn’t get up. I had side effects such as a dry mouth and allergies, and my foot swelled up. I would much rather take Humira with fewer side effects, so be careful with Enbrel. Also, they are very prejudiced against medical insurance, they only want to help people with their program that have commercial insurance. They have what they call a nonprofit, but they do not help you if you have Medi-Cal, so beware of that before you start your samples."

• Anonymous
• September 1, 2009

For Ankylosing Spondylitis "34 yr old female, tried Enbrel for 5 weeks, it gave me a severe allergic reaction, hives, facial swelling, etc. Everything went back to normal after stopping the drug, but now I am wary of all biologics. This disease is a nightmare."

• JAM...
• March 5, 2016

For Ankylosing Spondylitis "I'm 37 and was always healthy and pain-free till 1 year ago. I started having pain in my feet and heels, and my stomach and bowels, it got worse gradually. I started having pain in my left wrist, ankles, knee, shoulders, and neck, even a couple of my toes also had a fever off and on. I had swelling and couldn't even walk. I had no idea what was going on till I went to a rheumatoid doc, and he found out I had ankylosing spondylitis. He started me on Enbrel, and I stayed off my feet for a week, resting my body. I got better and better every week, no pain at all. I just now am noticing my feet hurting, one knee, and my shoulders, and very fatigue. I'm praying that the medicine is still working. It's been exactly a year since I started the Enbrel."

• Anonymous
• July 27, 2011

For Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis "I'm a 15-year-old female, and I have been using the Enbrel SureClick autoinjectors for about 12 weeks now for juvenile spondyloarthritis in my left hip. It is a miracle! Before I started using this, I could barely walk, and after the first 2 weeks of these injections, I was going to concerts, running track, and walking with no limp at all, whereas before, none of those were even possible for me. While the medicine works very well, I've noticed that my injection site gets red, itchy, and swollen, and you can actually see where the injection fluid went in because there are multiple trails of bumps branching out from the injection site. It's quite odd. Other than the redness and itching, this product is wonderful."

• Gwy...
• August 20, 2010

For Psoriasis "I have used Enbrel now for 4 months. This has worked for me for palm/plantar psoriasis in the following ways: - reduced the feeling of burning under the skin - reduced inflammation and leg swelling - I now wear a 7 shoe size instead of 7.5 - has not fully taken the psoriasis away, but keeps it under control - I can wear sandals - I have only minimal skin issues - on palms - minor itching - I wear vinyl gloves at night with Eletone cream on my hands. In two consecutive days, patches are 80% better - I still flare in cycles, but only minor areas on my palms and parts of both feet. I have previously tried Humira, Stelara, and topicals. I recommend Enbrel, but realize that you may need to go through all of the medications to see which will work."

• Gwy...
• August 20, 2010

For Psoriasis "I have used Enbrel now for 4 months. This has worked for me for palm/plantar psoriasis in the following ways: - reduced the feeling of burning under the skin - reduced inflammation and leg swelling - I now wear a 7 shoe size instead of 7.5 - has not fully taken the psoriasis away, but keeps it under control - I can wear sandals - I have only minimal skin issues - on palms - minor itching - I wear vinyl gloves at night with Eletone cream on my hands. In two consecutive days, patches are 80% better - I still flare in cycles, but only minor areas on my palms and parts of both feet. I have previously tried Humira, Stelara, and topicals. I recommend Enbrel, but realize that you may need to go through all of the medications to see which will work."

• RAw...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2023

For Rheumatoid Arthritis "Prior to Erelzi, I had been using methotrexate and prednisone. Started fall of 2020. Within 1 month, my legs swelled to the point I could no longer walk. I developed nasty, oozing sores all over my massively swollen legs. The doctor advised me to stay on to see if it would get better. I immediately took myself off this stuff (Erelzi). Today (3 years later), I look normal again besides the scarring on my legs. I had to teach myself to walk again, but now I am running every day. I may be slow, but I get it done. I know people who have been helped by this medication, but for me, it was awful. I hope that if you decide to take it, you are one of the lucky ones. Also considering legal action. I have a strong, well-documented case. It is just hard to go back and relive what it did to me. It has already taken so much of my life. 1 is too high a rating for this... God bless."

• Anonymous
• October 18, 2010

For Psoriasis "Stops further outbreak, reduces inflammation, irritation, and excessive 'shedding.' Causes all but the worst spots to go into complete remission."