I was taking Enbrel for about 18 months with steady improvement for the first 12 months. I would say that I improved about 75%. What a welcome relief. Then it seemed to level off and slowly I started sliding backwards. In December my insurance notified me that they would no longer cover Enbrel. My choices for a new Bio were to try either Cimzia, Humira, or Remicade. My Dr. started me on Humira in January.
I have not noticed any improvement until the past four days. All of a sudden my lower back AS pain and stiffness has disappeared. I was almost at the point of trying Cimzia as 7 months on Humira and no noticeable improvement had me convinced that it wasn't meant for me. Well I guess I'll wait it out for a few more months and see if this is a fluke, or maybe it's just taking along time for Humira to kick in. Has anyone else experienced a real long wait before their Bio kicked in?
I had to stop Humira after 12 weeks as I'd shown no response but in discussions with my current rheumy I understand that Humira, in some people, can be really slow to get going even as long as six months or so. That seems to tie in with what you're experiencing so I hope it isn't a fluke.
From Humira I went without treatment a while and then started Simponi. That started to work within the first two weeks but after 18 months or so seemed to be running out of steam. There is a higher dose than the one I was on so I was switched up to that last November and gradually, I reckon a good three to four months, that got to work on my seemingly intractable knee pain. Again my rheumy said I could expect to see continued improvement up to a year after the dose increase.
So I think yes, they can be slow to start but offer progressive improvement for quite some time. I am generally really pleased with where I am now so that will make it easier to see if the status quo changes in the future. I hope it doesn't for me and I hope for you that you've turned the corner.
It's funny, how these things work. My Humira seemed to take a long time to kick in as well. I don't know whether it was actually a long time, or whether my new normal shifted gradually and I didn't realize it until I noticed a significant change. For me that was at 3-4 months. Doesn't matter, really ... I'm quite happy with the way I feel on Humira.
The other thing that happens (I think, this is just my lay opinion) is that the bio gives you some improvement, which quietly enables you to do positive things, like maybe exercise a bit more, or sleep a bit better. Then the improvements accumulate, and all of a sudden, you notice.
YMMV has never been more true than with bios! I've been so envious of people who take their first shot of bio and wake up the next morning feeling WONDERFUL. It does happen, but it's never happened to me. Boo hoo, LOL!
I think Humira kicked in for me in about 6 weeks. It was hard to tell as I'd had a steroid shot in my backside just before starting Humira and they generally help me for quite a while. But I seem to respond quite quickly to just about anything with the exception of Sulfasalazine.
I would agree with Jules and Seenie that the improvement is cumulative .... little by little over time. It's great news that your lower back is now less painful and stiff, let's hope it is not a fluke. Sounds like a very good sign to me.
Dr chandran at the toronto psa clinic told me on my last visit the the expects to see improvement in people on humira for 9 months (not 6 as is commonly quoted). He likes patients therefore to try it for 9 months …
Goodness, Golfnut! That is really interesting: Dr. Chandran sees only PsA patients, so there aren't many who have his specialized "take" on things. As I said, I noticed a significant change at 3-4 months, but then I attributed the further improvements to other things. Maybe the Humira is continuing to get traction! I started in late November, so nine months is around Labour Day. So far, so good. I just hope this one lasts longer than the two years I had on Enbrel.
Yes it’s interesting to hear what dr chandran has to say and it gives me hope that we will continue to see improvements… Keeping everything crossed that it continues to work for you too!
I’ve been pretty good - especially compared to 6 months ago - still have odd flares and an almost permanent sore throat and mouth ulcers but I can live with these. Been a little more achy the last couple of weeks but I’m putting that down to the hot weather! My feet are much improved and I’m managing 20k steps a day. Still feel like humira is running out after 10 days but with throat and mouth problems will probably just stick to every 2 weeks and make the best of it…