Using Enbrel may increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer, including a rare type of lymphoma. Ask your doctor about your specific risk. This has occurred mainly in teenagers and young adults using Enbrel or similar medicines to treat Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Call your doctor at once if you have any of the following symptoms: fever, night sweats, itching, loss of appetite, weight loss, tiredness, feeling full after eating only a small amount, pain in your upper stomach that may spread to your shoulder, nausea, easy bruising or bleeding, pale skin, feeling light-headed or short of breath, rapid heart rate, dark urine, clay-colored stools, or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Enbrel can weaken your immune system. Serious and sometimes fatal infections may occur. Call your doctor right away if you have signs of infection such as: fever, chills, cough, sweating, body aches, skin sores or redness, diarrhea, burning when you urinate, or feeling very tired or short of breath.
Before taking this medicine
You should not use Enbrel if you are allergic to etanercept, or if you have a severe infection such as sepsis (infection throughout your body).
To make sure Enbrel is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
a weak immune system, HIV or AIDS, tuberculosis, or any type of recurring infection;
symptoms of an active infection such as fever, flu symptoms, diarrhea, or painful urination;
an open cut or skin sores;
diabetes;
congestive heart failure;
a history of nerve disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, myelitis, or optic neuritis;
epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
asthma or other breathing disorder;
if you have ever had hepatitis B;
if you are allergic to latex rubber; or
if you are scheduled to receive any vaccines, or if you have recently been vaccinated with BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guerin).
Tell your doctor if you have ever had tuberculosis, were exposed to tuberculosis indicated by a positive PPD test, if anyone in your household has tuberculosis, or if you have recently traveled to an area where certain infections are common (Ohio River Valley, Mississippi River Valley, and the Southwest).
Children should be current on all childhood immunizations before starting treatment with Enbrel.
Using Enbrel may increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer, including a fast-growing lymphoma that can be fatal. This rare lymphoma has occurred in male teenagers and young men using a combination of immunosuppressant medicines to treat Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. However, people with autoimmune disorders (including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriasis) may have a higher risk of lymphoma. Talk to your doctor about your individual risk.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medicine. If you are pregnant, your name may be listed on a pregnancy registry. This is to track the outcome of the pregnancy and to evaluate any effects of Enbrel on the baby.
Etanercept can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
