Enbrel

(etanercept)

●●●●●
3.7/ 5 average rating with 90 reviewsforEnbrel
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Calms down your immune system to prevent joint damage.

Skip Upsides & Downsides section. Skip to side effects section.

Our bottom line

Enbrel (etanercept) effectively calms down your immune system, but it puts you at risk of serious infections.

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    $8628.76
  • Lowest price with coupon
    $5809.16
  • Savings
    33%
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Quick facts about Enbrel
  • Drug class: Autoimmune
  • Rx status: Prescription only
  • Generic status: No lower cost generic available

Upsides

  • People taking Enbrel (etanercept) for rheumatoid arthritis showed significant improvement and were able to reduce the dose or stop their other RA medicines.
  • Enbrel (etanercept) can work for you even if other medications didn't help your rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Enbrel (etanercept) is the first biologic approved for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. Since it has been around for a long time, its side effects are well known.
  • Many people have only minor or no side effects.
  • It's available as a pre-filled syringe and SureClick auto-injector pen which some people find more convenient and easier to use.
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What to expect from Enbrel, on one page

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People’s experience with Enbrel

90reviews so far. What do you think?

Downsides

  • Enbrel (etanercept) raises your risk of serious or life-threatening infections, including tuberculosis (TB).
  • Enbrel (etanercept) can increase the risk of lymphoma, leukemia and other cancers.
  • May not be the best choice if you have a history of heart failure or nervous system problems like multiple sclerosis.
  • You'll need to have regular blood tests before and during treatment to make sure you don't have any problems taking Enbrel (etanercept).
  • You could get injection site reactions such as redness, swelling, rash, itching, or bruising.
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What to expect from Enbrel, on one page

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How it works

Enbrel (etanercept) blocks a protein called TNF (tumor necrosis factor) in the immune system which lowers inflammation, relieves symptoms and prevents disease progression.

Quick facts about Enbrel
  • Drug class: Autoimmune
  • Rx status: Prescription only
  • Generic status: No lower cost generic available

Used for

Dosage forms

  • Injection
People’s experience with Enbrel

90reviews so far. What do you think?

Prices and coupons

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What to expect when you take Enbrel (etanercept) for Rheumatoid arthritis

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  • First few hoursHours
    First few daysDays
    First few weeksWeeks
    First few monthsMonths
  • Effectiveness
  • Starts to kick in
    Full effects
  • First few hoursHours
    First few daysDays
    First few weeksWeeks
    First few monthsMonths
  • Possible side effects
  • Injection site reactions
  • Infections
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Side effect rates for Enbrel (etanercept)

From 1235 clinical trials of Enbrel when taken for plaque psoriasis
  • Any infection
    27%27%
    28%28%
  • Upper respiratory infections
    17%17%
    17%17%
  • Injection site reactions
    15%15%
    6%6%
  • Non-upper respiratory infections
    12%12%
    14%14%
  • Diarrhea
    3%3%
    2%2%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Where we got our data »

The placebo bar shows how common a side effect was for people taking a sugar pill instead of Enbrel.

Enbrel (etanercept)
Placebo

People taking Enbrel felt side effect more

People taking Enbrel felt side effect less

No difference

Risks and Warnings for Enbrel (etanercept)

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    • Higher risk if:
    • › Latex allergy

    Rarely, Enbrel (etanercept) can cause allergic reactions that can be life-threatening. If you have hives, itching, trouble breathing, or lip, tongue, or throat swelling right after your dose or days later, call your doctor and get medical emergency care right away. You might need to stop taking Enbrel (etanercept). Inform your doctor if you have a latex allergy, as the SureClick Autoinjector has latex in the needle cover.

Means that some groups have a high risk of experiencing this side effect

Pharmacist Q&A

Enbrel (etanercept) questions for

Frequently Asked Questions

This medication treats ankylosing spondylitis.

Who is this drug for?

This medication treats ankylosing spondylitis.

Common concerns from people taking Enbrel (etanercept)

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Alcohol
  • Worth it
    Worked so-so
    Low hassle
    Reviewed Enbrelon 10/6/2019Let alcohol from prep pad dry COMPLETELY before injecting = no burning pain.
    54
    Woman
    Two years or more
    Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Worth it
    Worked so-so
    Low hassle
    Reviewed Enbrelon 9/17/2016Let it warm to room temperature before injecting 15-30min. Make sure the alcohol is dry before injecting or it will sting. It hurts less if you inject it into the stomach.
    44
    Woman
    Rheumatoid arthritis (moderate to severe)
Pain
  • Worth it
    Worked well
    Some hassle
    Reviewed Enbrelon 12/28/2020It reduces my pain so effectively that I often forget to take it-- which then leads to more pain since I am skipping doses. Obviously it works best when taken as directed.
    22
    Woman
    Two years or more
    Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Worth it
    Worked well
    Low hassle
    Reviewed Enbrelon 5/17/2020Moved from Enbrel to Stelara. It was not closely as effective as Enbrel. After less than 6 months on Stelara, my joint pain returned. On Enbrel I was active with no symptoms. The only hassle was the weekly injections, compared to one injection every 3 months. In my opinion Enbrel is a better treatment than Stelara. I would gladly return to weekly injections if I can go back to Enbrel.
    51
    Man
    Two years or more
    Psoriatic arthritis
  • Not worth it
    Worked well
    Big hassle
    Reviewed Enbrelon 9/13/2019The variety of how much it hurt really varied, and I'm not sure why. The third time I did it with a nurse instead of at home and it was the only time it didn't hurt. However, all the other times the pain got progressively worse to the point where I had to switch medicines. But if you have a high pain tolerance it's super effective; I could sprint full speed after about three weeks of being on it.
    15
    Man
    A few months
    Polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis