Enbrel for post surgery pain

[lindawright]

I am 5 months post surgery for pudendal and arbitrator intern us damage. surgeon is suggesting this injectable drug for one month trial. Drug is for RA treatment, drug depletes your immune system, so cannot take at same time with any other sickness symtoms. Has anyone tried this drug with any success whatever?

[ezer]

There is a pilot study showing that Enbrel is efficacious for sciatica.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/537922 (registration required)

Sep 16, 2004
Geneva, Switzerland - A pilot study of the TNF inhibitor etanercept (Enbrel, Wyeth) in patients with severe sciatica has shown that the drug appears to be effective, prompting further calls for randomized controlled trials in this potential new indication [ 1 ].

The side effects are a bit scary though especially with the flu season approaching.
The medication is horribly expensive (something like $3,000 for a month supply) and I am not sure if many insurance plans pay for it.

[lindawright]

Thanks for your reply. I see you also had surgery by Dr. Filler in 2010, did it work??

[ezer]

I did remarkably well for 2 weeks then I slowly went back to my pre-surgery pain level. I think it is too early to judge based on other people's reports.
Did you experience any change?

[Karyn]

Hi Linda,
I heard Enbrel advertised on TV last night for the first time. The entire ad consisted of very serious side effects that I didn't think would ever end, with a brief mention of how it's used to treat RA. I hope your doctor thoroughly discussed this drug with you. Personally, I find this drug scarier than PN.

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/enbrel-side-effects.html

Warm regards,
Karyn

[lindawright]

I never got any relief except from his painful injections, which numbed me down to my toes. He didn't wait for the numbness before he did the painful injections---I think if he had the injections wouldn't have been so painful. I am planning a "redo" surgery for one year after my surgery date. I know I am not the only Filler patient that has had to have this done. This is due to he not deadoning the nerves to stop firing pain signals.

I have also seen the Enbrel TV commercial. TV drug ads shouldn't be allowed. It does not mention the drug is an injection. I do have cancer in my family history that I worry about. My dr. wasn't worried by this, but I believe a trial on Enbrel could be the worst thing I can do at this time. Even over 5 years of PN pain, I don't think I am that desparate to signal Cancer in to my life also. I appreciate your thoughts on this Karyn.

[Karyn]

Oh, my goodness, Linda! Thank you, thank you for not considering the Enbrel!!! I didn't even realize you had a family history of cancer! I was just horrified at all the different cancers it can induce! Whew! Understanding that everyone is different, and that some medications can be a godsend for certain people, I don't usually shoot my mouth off about these kinds of things. Was it actually Filler who suggested the injections?
I'm very sorry you're still in so much pain and are facing a redo. Are you going back to Filler? 5 months is still early for the healing process and I'm confident you'll get there!
Keeping you in my thoughts and wishing the very best for you!
Warm regards,
Karyn

[lindawright]

I think 5 months is too early also. I do intend to take it further at the one year mark. Filler is the one who suggested Enbrel. I have a PNE buddy who had her "redo" with another dr. than Filler and is excited with the results, she is one week out from her proceedure, I hope she keeps making progress. Other dr. did mention "redos" that he recognized as Fillers work.

[Charlie]

Enbrel is a very powerful drug and I think people should be aware of the dangers of it. People have died from taking Enbrel.

http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/enbrel-120/

Another great concern is that Enbrel can actually cause nerve damage.

http://doublecheckmd.com/EffectsDetail. ... 5&eid=1883