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Is it possible to combine two 25mg Enbrel Etanercept into one 50mg ?

Posted , 5 users are following.

olivia2004
olivia2004

Hi everyone, I has been take Enbrel (Etanercept) 50mg for few years.

I've got many boxes with 25mg now.

The medicine manual prescribes the only way - to take 25mg every three days (instead of once a week with 50mg)

I think there will be twice more holes in my belly I don't want it.

So does anybody knows can I combine two doses 25mg into one 50mg?

1 like, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Light
    Light olivia2004

    Posted

    I dont know about Enbrel specifically, but it makes total sense.... why on earth shouldn't two tabs of 25mg be equal to one tab of 50?

    I do the reverse all the time with my prednisolone which I only have in 5mg tabs. So take one on alternate days instead of one 2.5 a day.

    Not dropped dead yet!

    And as far as MTX is concerned, I mix and match my dosage every week.

  • ama38049
    ama38049 olivia2004

    Posted

    Hi Olivia, not an expert on Enbrel, but I would guess that you need a certain level of medication in your body, hence every three days. It's a little like asking if one candle from a 1 meter distance gives as much light as two candles from 2 meters away... I totally understand your lack of desire to have injections every 3 days, but I think that you need to consult someone with a medical degree that knows your exact med history and why you have been prescribed this dosage (I have mostly heard of people taking a single shot every week with Enbrel...). Hope that they will give you the right explanation... Good luck...
  • Light
    Light olivia2004

    Posted

    I re-read your post in the light of Ama's comments...

    Had misunderstood 'holes in your belly' thinking you were being metaphorical re drug side effects.

    Now I've got it.

    Are you talking about actually opening up prefilled syringes in order to combine the contents of two 25mg doses into one 50mg dose to avoid having to shoot up twice???

    Is that what you mean?

    If that's what you plan to do, I'd be very hesitant to recommend it and agree with Ama, check with your GP before you do anything like that.

     

  • EileenH
    EileenH olivia2004

    Posted

    This is the sort of question that MUST be answered by a doctor and a pharmacist - the qualified member of staff, not counter staff.

    I don't quite understand what you are saying though - are these left-over 25mg packs or have you been switched to 25mg every 3 days by your doctor instead of 50mg once a week ?

    It is one thing doubling up pills to replace the same dose but 25mg every 3 days will achieve something different to 50mg once a week and is a slightly higher dose. If you have pre-filled syringes then you must not tamper with them though it would be a different thing if you have the vials to make up yourself. 

    If they are older packs - remember to check the expiry date!

    • Light
      Light EileenH

      Posted

      I would love to have a conversarion about expiry dates some time, Eileen.

      But maybe not till Olivia has sorted out her problem...

    • olivia2004
      olivia2004 EileenH

      Posted

      I live in Russia and government pharmacy silently switched me to 25mg. My doctor says it will be ok, if you would shoot twice once a week. But I combined them into one syringe (with less water) and shot it. After that I felt bad feelings like the medicine don't work. So I wrote this topic.

      It seems that was false feeling. Now I decided to do exactly what the doctor said - shoot twice but once a week

    • EileenH
      EileenH Light

      Posted

      Looks as if she has made a decision so - fire away!
    • olivia2004
      olivia2004 EileenH

      Posted

      Sorry, can't understand what do you mean. It was my decision to join two doses in undocumented way. Everything was fine since these 10 days, except two days bad feeling. I don't know what their real reason
    • EileenH
      EileenH olivia2004

      Posted

      My reply was to Light - who wants to talk about medications being out-of-date but also wanted to wait until you had got an answer. Unfortunately the format of the forum means I can't just reply in a way that only she gets a notification - sorry to have confused you.
    • Light
      Light EileenH

      Posted

      Hi Eileen.... yes, my question really is about use-by dates on medicines and supplements.

      The packages always have a date usually two years hence, by which time the stuff must be used and then chucked.  But from a number of accounts I've heard, these dates are largely arbitrary and many drugs last twice if not three or four times beyond those dates.  Prednisolone, for example, so my rheumatologist told, me is virtually indestructable.

      Do you have any insider knowledge on this?

    • EileenH
      EileenH Light

      Posted

      I know it depends on the substance - some really do go off very quickly after the use by date. I was reading something recently - so I will try to find it again. I also know that some charities will (or used to) take returned medications that are still in packs and use them in the 3rd world within a few months -  again, depending on the substance. A lot depends on the conditions they were stored in - keep stuff in the bathroom where a shower is used often and some things don't do well at all.  

      A pharmacist is the best person to ask for that sort of knowledge - though how honest they may be is another question if they perceive they may lose sales!

    • EileenH
      EileenH

      Posted

      Here's one bit about what NOT to use:

      Drugs that should never be used past their expiration date: 

      Certain medications have a narrow therapeutic index and little decreases in the pharmacological activity can result in severe consequences for patients. Observing the expiration date is obligatory for the following medications:

      Anticonvulsants - narrow therapeutic index

      Dilantin, phenobarbital - very quickly lose potency

      Nitroglycerin - very quickly lose potency

      Warfarin - narrow therapeutic index

      Procan SR - sustained release procainamide

      Theophylline - very quickly lose potency

      Digoxin - narrow therapeutic index

      Thyroid preparations

      Paraldehyde

      Oral contraceptives

      Epinephrine - very quickly lose potency

      Insulin - very quickly lose potency

      Eye drops - eyes are particularly sensitive to any bacteria that might grow in a solution once a preservative degrades.

      Note: Long-expired antibiotics can contribute to increased antibiotic resistance and treatment failure

      I'm sending the link in a pm..

  • Buckeyes
    Buckeyes olivia2004

    Posted

    Are you in the U.S?  We have an enbrel support system here that you can call.  Here is the number 1-888-436-2735.  Don't double dose before you contact a medical professional!
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