My doc is suggesting I go to Humira 40 mg weekly instead of EOW. It seems that if you are not taking MTX and not hitting the NSAIDs hard this is the new recommendation.
Is anyone using Humira EW? Did it make a big difference?
I have been on it for three months and he wants to go ahead and got to every week.
I’ve just literally started its biosimilar this week. Prescribed once every two weeks. But I have heard some rheumys are prescribing once a week now here in the UK. I’m also not on mxt on any DMARD. So I’d be really interested to know how it goes for you. Has it helped you throughout these last 3 months - obviously not enough if the dosage is now being increased?
Seems the insurance companies will be required to pay for every week now. I’m holding off another month before I go EW. I am between a rock and hard place, I can;t take MTX because of my liver numbers, and I can;t take NSAIDs because they cause arrhythmia. I have nothing to take for inflammation other than predisone, and I hate that stuff.
Hopefully, @tamac, the EW dose will work better for you. My experience with Enbrel was my doctors started me on two 50mg injections EW, but the normal dosing is one 50mg injection EW. So, I guess it’s probably safe for you to take Humira EW for awhile…in my case, twice a week Enbrel for the first three months was how my particular doctors always prescribed it—and that extra boost worked extremely well for me.
I’m also not supposed to take NSAIDs because of my heart problems, and I’m leery of prednisone, so I’ve avoided it completely since before I started Enbrel. I know it (prednisone) could help relieve some of my ongoing pain, but I’m convinced it’s a double-edged sword.
I can’t take but a very little amount of NSAIDs. They cause arrhythmia. Emailed doc and he said he would start he insurance paperwork. We will see.