I will be starting Humira in a week. I would like to hear from people who use this and what to expect.
KKcoffee, you need to catch up with Craig as he's starting Humira as well. He's asked the same question - what to expect?
Unfortunately Humira didn't help me and I moved on to Simponi. But in terms of what to expect, hopefully nothing as a result of the injections themselves. Bio's generally are the most side-effect free treatments we get to take. Some people start to notice some subtle improvements pretty quickly, a bit less morning stiffness and nightime pain was the 'flag' of things happening for me, and others take a bit longer but generally when a bio starts to work the effects are cummulative over time.
Keep us posted and I hope it helps you. Good luck.
Thanks Jules. I am also facing a military separation due to PsA.
I thought that something would happen after my first shot .... if only some soreness at the injection site. Absolutely nothing happened. It was a complete non-event, which is a good thing! Sometimes it can sting a bit but I do as Seenie recommended some time back: leave the syringe out of the fridge for over an hour, then bring it up to body temperature by tucking it under my armpit for 15 minutes or so, that way it's unlikely to sting. I guess you can do the same with an auto-inject thingy.
Rather like Methotrexate, I've found that Humira delivers slowly but surely. The improvement for me was very noticeable in one respect as my knees, which had been very swollen for years, quickly returned to normal. No DMARD could achieve that even though they helped in other ways. My joints have continued to improve imperceptibly, so subtley that I sometimes take it for granted. If I sit down and think about 'then' and 'now' I realise that the difference is wonderful. Fatigue .... it still happens. When I have a day of dragging my knackered body around I think Humira's failed. But then on such days everything feels like a disappointment. Overall, I have really good energy levels. They were okay on Mtx, better still with Humira.
Have you got any specific questions none of us have covered so far? Fire away if so.
Oh, and I'm having a big psoriasis flare at the moment. Amongst the discussions you may find me mentioning that my rheumy thinks Humira might have triggered it. Occasionally it can do that, perversely! But the current state of play is that Humira's off the hook. I hope Humira works as well for you as it has for me.
Sybil said:
I thought that something would happen after my first shot .... if only some soreness at the injection site. Absolutely nothing happened. It was a complete non-event, which is a good thing! Sometimes it can sting a bit but I do as Seenie recommended some time back: leave the syringe out of the fridge for over an hour, then bring it up to body temperature by tucking it under my armpit for 15 minutes or so, that way it's unlikely to sting. I guess you can do the same with an auto-inject thingy.
Rather like Methotrexate, I've found that Humira delivers slowly but surely. The improvement for me was very noticeable in one respect as my knees, which had been very swollen for years, quickly returned to normal. No DMARD could achieve that even though they helped in other ways. My joints have continued to improve imperceptibly, so subtley that I sometimes take it for granted. If I sit down and think about 'then' and 'now' I realise that the difference is wonderful. Fatigue .... it still happens. When I have a day of dragging my knackered body around I think Humira's failed. But then on such days everything feels like a disappointment. Overall, I have really good energy levels. They were okay on Mtx, better still with Humira.
Have you got any specific questions none of us have covered so far? Fire away if so.
Oh, and I'm having a big psoriasis flare at the moment. Amongst the discussions you may find me mentioning that my rheumy thinks Humira might have triggered it. Occasionally it can do that, perversely! But the current state of play is that Humira's off the hook. I hope Humira works as well for you as it has for me.
Thank you so much for your comments. I have been reading and I am finding much comfort. When you hear them talk about all the possible side effects it is scary.
Thanks for sharing.
I literally could not get out of bed and thought I was dying. After 6 months of trying remedies on my own, I caved and started on Humira. Nothing happened but I kept it up. Six weeks later, there was a remarkable difference and I felt like a new person! I've been on it for 2 years now with no additional drugs other than occasional Meloxicam. With strict diet and consistent exercise, I can feel good. When I slip up, I get real sore (from nothing), tired, and miserable. It's a lifestyle. I'm learning the autoimmune disorder in general, causes your body to work overtime, which is most likely the reason for the fatigue. Some days I can nap for 3+ hours but as long I'm taking care of myself, I'm living a normal "healthy" life. Humira works for me!
Melody said:
I literally could not get out of bed and thought I was dying. After 6 months of trying remedies on my own, I caved and started on Humira. Nothing happened but I kept it up. Six weeks later, there was a remarkable difference and I felt like a new person! I've been on it for 2 years now with no additional drugs other than occasional Meloxicam. With strict diet and consistent exercise, I can feel good. When I slip up, I get real sore (from nothing), tired, and miserable. It's a lifestyle. I'm learning the autoimmune disorder in general, causes your body to work overtime, which is most likely the reason for the fatigue. Some days I can nap for 3+ hours but as long I'm taking care of myself, I'm living a normal "healthy" life. Humira works for me!
Well I did my first injection yesterday with a nurse and it went really well. I felt a little achy lest night and took two Tylenol PM and sleep very well. Today I can tell somethings are much better. Feeling very encouraged.
:-)
After my first I injection I did great for five days and then I hit a wall and pain and fatigue returned like bam. Will this improve as I have more injections? My thinking is yes as it gets in my system more. Thanks for listening.
That is pretty much what happened to me with Simponi, which is monthly dosing. Within a couple of days I felt great, it lasted about ten days or so and then it was like being hit by a truck again. But within a few doses it was much more consistent and sustained improvement. Some months I still feel a peak and a trough, others it's not noticeable at all. I have come to accept that this is how it will be ... even on a biologic there will be some symptoms and pain.
Thank you I am still hopeful that this is the right path.
Jules G said:
That is pretty much what happened to me with Simponi, which is monthly dosing. Within a couple of days I felt great, it lasted about ten days or so and then it was like being hit by a truck again. But within a few doses it was much more consistent and sustained improvement. Some months I still feel a peak and a trough, others it's not noticeable at all. I have come to accept that this is how it will be ... even on a biologic there will be some symptoms and pain.
I have noticed that with each of the meds I’ve been on, whether it be a day before or a week before the next dose it always happened. I did notice that those symptoms improved over time, and felt less like a brick wall.
Jules G said:
That is pretty much what happened to me with Simponi, which is monthly dosing. Within a couple of days I felt great, it lasted about ten days or so and then it was like being hit by a truck again. But within a few doses it was much more consistent and sustained improvement. Some months I still feel a peak and a trough, others it’s not noticeable at all. I have come to accept that this is how it will be … even on a biologic there will be some symptoms and pain.
I will also be starting Humira soon. Thank you for the encouraging words. I will keep you updated.
I take Enbrel injections (the sureclick injectors). I love them because I just press it against my stomach and push the button. I would have a hard time seeing myself push a needle in. It always stings a little while the medicine is going in, but that kind of pain doesn't bother me--especially since it makes me feel so much better.
If Enbrel poops out on me, I'll definitely go to Humira. I think they're very similar, except Enbrel is taken every week instead of every other. I have no SEs from Enbrel and one of the best and lasting improvements for me is I have no fatigue. Crushing fatigue and muscle weakness were probably my worst PsA symptoms. Joint stiffness is also much improved.
I hope you have excellent results from Humira. Let us know how it goes!