Living with RA

There are steps you can take in your daily life to help make living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) easier. Click on the tabs below for tips on exercise, healthy eating, and connecting with others who are living with RA. Don't forget to also give your body the rest it needs.

If you have moderate to severe RA, you don’t have to feel like you’re alone. There are plenty of resources available online that can offer support and help you connect with others who are living with your condition. These include local support groups, fundraising walks, outreach programs, online communities, and volunteer opportunities. The websites below can help you learn more about your condition and connect with the RA community.

Janssen Biotech, Inc., the maker of SIMPONI®, does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of any of the websites listed below, or the services provided by these organizations. Clicking on any of the links below will take you to a website to which Simponi.com’s privacy policy does not apply. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Arthritis Today

The online home of the Arthritis Foundation’s Arthritis Today magazine is a great source of tips and information for people living with arthritis. It includes a community where you can share ideas, ask for advice, read blogs, play games, and more.

Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF)

The Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) is the charity that funds research to cure arthritis. The ANRF website provides a comprehensive look at all the research projects they funded. You can also get their free report which will give you a great information overview about arthritis and some of the projects underway.

Mayo Clinic

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

NIAMS is a division of the National Institutes of Health whose primary focus is to provide research, training, and information resources on diseases of the bones, joints, muscles and skin. This website offers information and links to various resources about rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, treatment, research, and disease states.

Patients Like Me

This site allows you to share your experiences with living with RA in order to help yourself, others like you, and organizations that focus on your condition.

Selected Important Safety Information

SIMPONI® (golimumab) can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal events may occur. Possible serious side effects may include infections, lymphoma, or other cancers. To learn more about these and other serious risks, please read the Important Safety Information below and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.

SIMPONI® is a once-monthly self-injectable biologic treatment for adults with:

moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with the medicine methotrexate

active psoriatic arthritis, alone or with the medicine methotrexate

active ankylosing spondylitis

Methotrexate is used as directed.

Once you and your doctor are comfortable with the self-injection process, you will inject SIMPONI® under the skin, just once a month.

SIMPONI® is used in adults with moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis (UC) when certain other UC medicines have not worked well enough or cannot be tolerated, or if it is necessary to continue taking steroid medicines:

to begin helping some of your symptoms

in people who respond to SIMPONI®, to get their UC under control (induce remission) and keep UC under control (sustain remission)

to begin to improve the way the lining of your large intestine looks to your doctor during colonoscopy

SIMPONI® is a self-injectable biologic treatment given every 4 weeks after 2 starter doses.

Once you and your doctor are comfortable with the self-injection process, you will inject SIMPONI® under the skin.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

SIMPONI® (golimumab) is a prescription medicine. SIMPONI® can lower your ability to fight infections. There are reports of serious infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that have spread throughout the body, including tuberculosis (TB) and histoplasmosis. Some of these infections have been fatal. Your doctor will test you for TB before starting SIMPONI® and will monitor you for signs of TB during treatment. Tell your doctor if you have been in close contact with people with TB. Tell your doctor if you have been in a region (such as the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys and the Southwest) where certain fungal infections like histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis are common.

You should not start SIMPONI® if you have any kind of infection. Tell your doctor if you are prone to or have a history of infections or have diabetes, HIV or a weak immune system. You should also tell your doctor if you are currently being treated for an infection or if you have or develop any signs of an infection such as:

fever, sweat, or chills

muscle aches

cough

shortness of breath

blood in phlegm

weight loss

warm, red, or painful skin or sores on your body

diarrhea or stomach pain

burning when you urinate or urinate more than normal

feel very tired

Unusual cancers have been reported in children and teenage patients taking TNF-blocker medicines. For children and adults taking TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®, the chances for getting lymphoma or other cancers may increase. Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and fatal lymphoma, has occurred mostly in teenage or young adult males with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis who were taking other TNF blockers with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine. You should tell your doctor if you have had or develop lymphoma or other cancers.

Some people treated with SIMPONI® have developed certain kinds of skin cancer. If any changes in the appearance of your skin or growths on your skin occur during or after your treatment with SIMPONI®, tell your doctor.

Tell your doctor about all the medications you take including ORENCIA (abatacept), KINERET (anakinra), ACTEMRA (tocilizumab), RITUXAN (rituximab), or another TNF blocker, or if you are scheduled to or recently received a vaccine. People taking SIMPONI® should not receive live vaccines or treatment with a weakened bacteria (such as BCG for bladder cancer).

Reactivation of hepatitis B virus has been reported in patients who are carriers of this virus and are taking TNF-blocker medicines, such as SIMPONI®. Some of these cases have been fatal. Your doctor should do blood tests before and after you start treatment with SIMPONI®. Tell your doctor if you know or think you may be a carrier of hepatitis B virus or if you experience signs of hepatitis B infection, such as:

feel very tired

dark urine

skin or eyes look yellow

little or no appetite

vomiting

muscle aches

clay-colored bowel movements

fevers

chills

stomach discomfort

skin rash

Heart failure can occur or get worse in people who use TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®. Your doctor will closely monitor you if you have heart failure. Tell your doctor right away if you get new or worsening symptoms of heart failure like shortness of breath or swelling of your lower legs or feet.

Rarely, people using TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®, can have nervous system problems such as multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barré syndrome. Tell your doctor right away if you have symptoms like vision changes, weakness in your arms or legs, or numbness or tingling in any part of your body.

Serious liver problems can happen in people using TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®. Contact your doctor immediately if you develop symptoms such as feeling very tired, skin or eyes look yellow, poor appetite or vomiting, or pain on the right side of your stomach.

Low blood counts have been seen with people using TNF blockers, including SIMPONI®. If this occurs, your body may not make enough blood cells to help fight infections or help stop bleeding. Your doctor will check your blood counts before and during treatment. Tell your doctor if you have signs such as fever, bruising, bleeding easily, or paleness.

Rarely, people using TNF blockers have developed lupus-like symptoms. Tell your doctor if you have any symptoms such as a rash on your cheeks or other parts of the body, sensitivity to the sun, new joint or muscle pain, becoming very tired, chest pain or shortness of breath, swelling of the feet, ankles, and/or legs.

New or worse psoriasis symptoms may occur. Tell your doctor if you develop red scaly patches or raised bumps that are filled with pus.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or are breastfeeding or have a baby and were using SIMPONI® during pregnancy. Tell your baby's doctor before your baby receives any vaccine because of an increased risk of infection for up to 6 months after birth.

Tell your doctor if you are allergic to rubber or latex. The needle cover contains dry natural rubber.

Tell your doctor if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction while taking SIMPONI® such as hives, swollen face, breathing trouble, or chest pain. Some reactions can be serious and life-threatening.

Common side effects of SIMPONI® include: upper respiratory tract infection, reaction at site of injection, and viral infections.

This site is published by Janssen Biotech, Inc., which is solely responsible for its contents. The material on this site is intended only as informational or as an educational aid and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. The ultimate responsibility for patient care resides with a healthcare professional.

The information on this site is intended for the use of patients and caregivers in the United States and Puerto Rico only. Laws, regulatory requirements, and medical practices for pharmaceutical products vary from country to country. The Prescribing Information included here may not be appropriate for use outside the United States and Puerto Rico.