User Reviews for Orencia (with maltose) intravenous

i WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD A DRAMACTIC WEIGHT GAIN WITH THIS DRUG? i HAVE GAINED 15 POUNDS IN 4 MONTHS OF STARTING THIS DRUG.

This site has enlightened me. I have gained 35 pounds and feel am out of my mind! Nothing fits and I now feel horrible because of my weight! I am so tired of trade offs and the expense of all of it. I just want to get off of everything. I have hired a personal trainer but will I be shoveling $$ against the tide because of Orencia?? I do feel more energetic; my hands feel swollen but useful; my feet hurt; RA MD thinks we are on the right path. Unbelievable...I was not aware weight gain could occur on Orencia. The drug is expensive; new clothing every few months, ai yi yi; a personal trainer $$$$. I am now depressed!! Read More Read Less

I was on Meth for 6 month; I felt very sick all the time and very tired. Started to loose my hair, nausea prevented me from enjoying my days at all. Than I was switched to Enbrel shots, I had no side effects at all, but my Ra told me that if it did not work for 3 month most likely it will not work for me and suggested Orencia Infusions. This wasn't a good experience at all: nausea, hair lose, weight gained and very rapidly. After each treatment I was in bed for at least 3 days with flue like symptoms, nausea, dizziness, headache every single day. I wasn't as tired as I was on Meth, but other side effects made me very unhappy. I always been skinny, so all this weight gained made me very unhappy. I been on Orencia for 8 month. Pain wise I am absolutely the same, I did not notice any help in that department, but for me personally side effects are not worth to go on with this medicine. I read other rates and I am happy to read that some people get good results with it, but I have to stop and try Enbrel+Prednisone again. I don't believe that gaining weight is good for anybody, it can cause other problems especially if you have heart condition like I do. Best of luck to everybody on Orencia, hope it will work wonders for you!Read More Read Less

I am experiencing severe hair loss especially since last infusion 11 days ago

I am glad to hear from this board that others have had significant weight gain taking Orencia. I have been slender all my life, yet I have gained 1 to 2 pounds per month (for 22 months) since I started Orencia. New clothes every few months are not easy to afford! I knew I wasn't overeating, but I didn't understand it because weight gain was never listed as a side effect for Orencia. I told my doctor that I couldn't take the weight gain anymore. So, I am getting ready to switch to a self injectable drug -- probably Humira.Read More Read Less

My menstrual cycle has become very irregular, every 4-6 weeks and lasting 1-4 days. Hair thinning and hair loss, hot all the time, break out into sweat, and I have on and off tingling/prickly sensation all over my body. My rheum says it can't be the Orencia and won't let me go to something else. All labs test (including thyroid were normal), i know it's the orencia. Time to switch MD's....

I was on Orencia for four months.After one mo. I got a rash on my feet and legs.Then hair began falling out. Drs.gave me salves/ should have stopped med.6mos.after stopping O., rash and extreme hair loss continue.

I was diagnosed with RA four years ago at age 42. I have been taking Prednisone, then Plaquenil was added and finally Methotrexate and Folic Acid. I continued to have joint pain, inflamation and fatigue. My doctor suggested Enbrel last spring. I was on it for 5 months. It did not help. I started the Orencia in November of 2008, it tooks about 5 months for it to finally start working but for the last two months I have had little pain and don't need to sleep as many hours.I am taking little or no vicodin for the pain. I get a headache for several days after the treatment but that is the only side effect I have noticed and the headache is manageable with Tylenol or Vicodin, if it is a really nasty one. I see my rheumatologist at the end of this month and he plans to take me off the prednisone if I am doing well, which I expect he will agree I am. I would recommend anyone who has RA that has not responded to other treatments give Orencia a try if their doctor recommends it. It takes 4-6 months to really start making a difference but it does help!Read More Read Less

Though there is no cure for RA, Orencia has helped more than any other drug. I can make plans for social events usually without a problem. I have more energy, less fatigue, and seem to have more desire to do things. (because I feel better) Generally, about a week before my treatment is due I can feel its effectiveness decreasing, though not to the point of where I was pre-treatment. Then, for a couple of days after treatment I feel more fatigue and achy. That gradually subsides and I have 2-3 good weeks where I can visit my friends, go to the store, and feel pretty productive.Read More Read Less

I have had RA for 5 years now. Embrel was a joke, Remicade was heaven (has to stop because of tingling in feet), and Orencia is OK. I am much more tired, still swell somewhat. Since I have been on Orencia I have had a sinus infection every month, a rash on my face, bruise at a touch, and am getting little, red dots on my face. I see the Doctor on MOnday and am going to demand Remicade back.

I have been on this drug for a couple of years and it is working great. My hands don't hurt and I have tons of energy. I would recommend it to anyone with arthritis!!!

Never felt any different after an infusion. Never felt re-energized. Flares still occured frequently. Have used Enbrel (stopped working), and Remicade (absolutely loved it, the best, but wound up having allergic reaction. Now looking into Rituxin with hopes of effects like Remicade,

I am about to start taking this and wondered about the side effects

I am 56 years old. Was diagnosed with RA in '93, Crohn's Disease in '91, MS in '89. I have taken Methotrexate since '93. I tried Remicade but stopped because my BP would bottom out each time. Also tried Humira but stopped after 1st treatment due to an alergic reaction-my arms felt like they were on fire or filled with hot lead, and then it began to spread to my legs and spine. I just took my 8th Orencia treatment and the only improvement I see is that I am sleeping more than 2 hours before the pain wakes me. I don't feel as fatigued, but the pain is still horrendous. I have gained 15 lbs., have a recurring itching rash all over my face, and a recurring yeast infection in the folds of my skin. I always have a nagging cough and a bitter aftertaste for about a week after the treatments. I haven't been able to find anything to control the bad breath or heartburn. I promised my Dr. I would stick it out for 6-8 treatments, which I have done. I don't think the price is justified, nor the claims the drug makes. I wonder if it is just another selling hype by the drug company. I wish the best of luck to anyone who tries Orencia or any of the other drugs I mentioned. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I do believe that Methotrexate has been the most help to me, but alas, it seems to have lost it's strength. Thus the reason for trying others. May God help us all to find a relief from this nightmare, and in the meantime, may he help the Dr's and the drug companies who continue to help us conquer the diseases that seek to destroy our lives. So try what you must, and GOOD LUCK!Read More Read Less

I have been on Orencia for 2 years. It has taken over 10 years to find a medication that works for me. If it is on the market, I have tried it. I also take Clinoril and Plaquinil, along with Vicodin when the pain is extreme. It took 4 to 6 months to work but now I am able to work a full day without naps, I have been able to start going up and down stairs, a previous impossibility without taking forever. I can walk long distances and don't have to park in the h/c spot or not go out at all. I have been able to join a gym and start swimming and have lost 64 pounds. I was very discouraged at first because it didn't seem to want to work, but I stuck it out and am glad I did. It does start to wear off the last week and I find the chronic pain (which I am able to deal with since it is still better than it was)gets a little bit worse. I have, however, weighed the unsuccessful treatments of 10 years and the associated pain and am quite happy. Since there is no cure for R/A, I am willing to accept the pain since I can once again move and do the things I enjoy with less pain and effort. It still becomes a balancing act. If I do too much one day, I know I will not be able to do much the next. That is all part of the disease that I have learned to deal with.Read More Read Less

I AM GOING TO HAVE MY THIRD ORENCIA IV TOMORROW. SO FOR THE ONLY SIDE AFFECT IS BEING TIRED MORE. I WAS ON EMBREL BUT IT QUIT WORKING. HAAS ANYBODY DEVELOPED ANY RED DOTS THAT LOOK LIKE LITTLE BLOOD BLITZER. THEY CANNOT FIGURE WHAT IT IS. I AM GOING TO GIVE IT A COUPLE MORE TRYS AND SEE HOW THINGS GO.

I was on Humira, taken off and started with Orencia and it was working until I started to get nodules on my legs and have gained 11 pounds. I am off Orencia now and trying to lose the weight. Has anyone experienced either of the above? Thank you

I am 48 and have had RA since 20--been through most drugs--Remicade rebounded and took me all the way down to immobile. Been on Orencia since August 2009--doing much better, no cane now and able to work full day. But, I do have to watch festering for minor scratches and my weight is up 30 lbs--don't know if it is connected. All the drugs I have ever taken have side effects that must be managed...but I am able to dress, work and most importantely hug my children and stand to be touched by them. The infusions are an hour away--only 30 minutes long (Remicade were 3.5 hours) I make a day of it and do errands in that area. I feel it is better than taking up 17 tablets a day or 2 to 3 self injections per week. Has anyone else gained much weight on Orencia? How have you managed it?Read More Read Less

I have previously been on Enbrel and saw improvement in 2 weeks with Orencia I have seen no improvement in 6 months. I do not believe this drug lives up to patient expectabtiions and will probably discontinue it after this next dose if I feel no better.