My question is regarding TNF medications. Last March while on remicade, I had sever headaches for a month followed by lighheadedness and blurry vision. Went immediately to my optomalogist and he was shocked I could not read past the second line on the chart. He also said I now have nystagmus. At this point I went to my rheumy and told him what is going on and he immediately took me off the remicade for six weeks. I was then put on Humira which is now been seven months. My optomalogist in Dec. sent me to a neurologist because the nystagmus is still there. My MRI and MRA with contrast was unremarkably clean . The neurologist seems to think it is the Humira or TNF meds causing this. Should I be taken off the Humira for a period of time to see if this is what is causing it? If so how long would it take to resolve? Does this mean I am not a canidate for any of the TNF’s? I am going to discuss this with my rheumotologist on Friday but would like some more input on CNS disorders while on TNF meds. Last question: what are the odds of getting MS and RA? What would you recomend at this point. Thank you 44 year old woman RA 3 years, Asthma, migraines Meds: Humira every two weeks, MTX 15mgs once a week, folic acid, frova as needed, prevacid for GERD.

I am 32 years old and have had one child a year ago. I recently was diagnosed with seronegative arthritis. I will be starting methotrexate next week. My husband and I would like to have one more child. My rheumatologist suggested going on methotrexate to get my arthritis under control at least for a year then stopping for three months before becoming pregnant again. Is three months long enough? Will my arthritis be more difficult to manage the second time I go on methotrexate?

I was on Enbrel for about a year and a half. Soon after beginning the medicine, I began to have difficulty with my speech, mainly with talking in past tense. When trying to explain something, I would suddenly be unable to speak for about 15-20 seconds. This got progressively worse as time went on. My doctor sent me to a neurologist who thought that the speech episodes were small seizures. I had a MRI and EEG done and both were normal. Then I have a partial complex seizure, which trun into a generalized seizure, and another partial complex seizure about 2 months after that one. Since then I have stopped taking the Enbrel, and am on antiseizure meds, but still have small seizures with garbled speech, and diffuculty talking in and hearing past tense words. I feel this has been caused by the Enbrel, and would like to know if there have been other people who have suffered seizure disorders due to TNF inhibitors.

I am a 50 yr. old WM, who has chronic lumbosacral radiculopathy from failed BAK cage assisted fusion surgery in 1998.High dose opioid/NSAID therapy is absolutely essential, but I feel that the anti-inflammatory meds are the most beneficial. I have seen some recently published case abstracts where TNF blocking agents like Humira/Remicade were successful in treating sciatica/lbp resulting from herniated lumbar discs. I have a consultation scheduled with Dr. Ziya Gokaslan on 3/28. If it is decided I am not a surgical candidate, would a short trial course of a TNF blocking (Humira/Remicade) class drug be available? Aside from TB and infections, what other risk issues should be considered? I want to thank you for generously dispensing your expertise in this forum.

If you had a patient on Tamoxifen to prevent a recurrance of breast cancer would you be concerned about the patient also taking low doses of Methotrexate for RA- in regard to liver function?

My 7-yr old son is on 17.5mg MTX sub-cut injections once a week. He has been inflammation free for 6 months. There seems to be a differing opinions among some of my doctors, whether my son should be inflammation free for 6 months or 2 years before tapering the MTX.