Hi all--I have both psoriatic arthritis and fibro, and this last month has been really rough--actually, I have been in a perpetual flare of either one or the other for a really long time, but things have ramped up since August, 2013. Anyways, after a few cortisone shots to my left knee, and the psoriatic arthritis spreading to my fingers and toes, my rhuematologist finally decides it is time to start enbrel...I was overjobed (not with the price-ha)....I know everyone knows this feeling of thinking 'Finally, this is going to be the turn around medication for me to get some pain relief-woot"---or some thoughts/words like this. He promised me that "pretty soon things are going to change for the better with these shots". That should have been my first clue--actually believing a doctor? Yes, that is how sick I was..lol
Anyways, I pick up the four shots at the pharmacy and go and see the nurse for instructions on how to self inject myself with the weekly shots. I give myself the first shot, and surprisingly do not have immediate bad reactions---a rarity for me. The next week I give myself another painful shot. I was having a fibro flare and low temp, and feeling a little off, but after two days, the side effects go away. Two days later, both injection sites develop large red rashes and something that looks like hives and I am feeling itchy from the inside out...so I call the Rheumy's nurse and get a week pass on the drug, and am told to ice the injection area next time and take benadryl first. One week later, I take the benadryl and ice the injection area, even though I feel really sick. I give myself the shot and immediately feel bad. Fever, chills, bad IBS attacks, dizzyness etc, so I decide to go to bed and try and get some sleep. After a long endless night of ibs attacks,and a low dose fever, I wake up knowing I need to go to urgent care...I couldn't even get to the phone--passed out first in the hallway, and then after two more fainting attacks, called '911'......
Long story short, the emergency room doc said I had the stomach flue, and maybe a reaction from the enbrel and that I should check with my Rheumy. I went in to my primary who didn't help much and when I saw my rheumy, he flat out rejected that I was allergic to the medicaiton, and said it probably was the flue..and then he rx'd me a four week (and very expensive) shot dose of Humira. they aren't the exact same drug, but in the same family.
I was taking 20 mg of citrapralam, and 1 mg of clonazapam a day to help with fibro.
could the benadryl have interacted with these and caused the fainting spells? I am at a loss....Has anyone gone through anything like this or have any comments on the topic? There are a lot of people who have co-existing conditions. I am not feeling like a funny girl today, let me tell you--ha !
blessings to all---terri