Psoriatic arthritis meds

[swansealass73]

Help
I have 4 different forms of arthritis and I am on enbrel injections but I have had shingles twice while on it stopping injections every time until it's cleared up is this a side effect of injections and I keep on having high spinal pressure do you know if there is any link with this med

Thanks for any help you can give

[Dr Anjali Mahto]

Dear Swansealass73,

Many thanks for your question. By raised spinal pressure, do you mean raised intracranial pressure (with a knock on effect of raised pressure of cerebrospinal fluid in the spine?) If so, this is not a side effect I have personally experienced in my patients taking Enbrel.

If you are having recurrent shingles then you may benefit from taking prophylactic anti-viral treatment to suppress this (e.g. aciclovir for a period of 3 to 6 months to see if this reduces your flare ups). I would suggest having a chat with your Dermatologist about this as they will have access to your full medical history which is vital.

Best of luck and I hope Enbrel is controlling your symptoms.

Dr Anjali Mahto

[swansealass73]

Thanks for the help will talk to my drs about trying the meds to stop flare ups
Thanks again