Looking for experiences with biologics
My rheum has been prompting me to start a biologic for the last several years. The doctor believes that Cosentyx is the best option for me. Flare ups are more common recently, and I'm currently is the midst of a flare and supporting symptoms with a steroid. I am able to work, but after managing pain and discomfort throughout the day, I am so exhausted, yet so uncomfortable because I am also not sleeping well. I have severe seasonal and environmental allergies that often lead to asthma and upper respiratory issues. I'm worried that taking a biologic may worsen this and make me more susceptible to congestion caused by allergies and illness. I'm a teacher, so I'm exposed to germs constantly. Anyone with similar allergy history or occupation have successful experience with Cosentyx or other biologic?
Hi
, I hope some of our community members on biologics (specifically with Cosentyx) can share their experiences with you. Whether or not you decide to try a biologic is really a personal decision. Of course, it can be helpful gathering information from others with their thoughts and feelings, but ultimately how one person reacts to a biologic will be different for the next person, so it's good to keep that in mind as well. Also, your concerns about your immune system being suppressed by the biologic is understandable as well. Was your doctor able to talk you through some of those concerns, especially given your asthma and upper respiratory issues?
I did want to share a couple of links from our community members who have mentioned having some success on Cosentyx, https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/stories/rough-road-beautiful-outcome and https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/stories/community. I also thought you might be interested in this article from one of our health leaders about defining what an "effective treatment plan" is, https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/living/effective-treatment-plan.
Hopefully some of this information can be a starting point for you as you weigh the pros and cons of trying a biologic for yourself. It's been a couple weeks since your original post, how are you currently managing? I do hope that you can get some relief from your current flare and fatigue! Sending you gentle hugs. -- Warmly, Christine (Team Member)
