I’m heading to my rheumy shortly to be shown how to inject my first dose of Humira. I’m so nervous I was barely able to sleep last night. I know everyone says not to focus on the possible side effects, but the drug company makes it hard not to! I was given a starter kit that details all the scary things that can happen, worded three different ways. The self-injection instructional DVD also went over the potential lymphoma, heart failure, deadly infections, etc. The pharmacy required me to speak to a nurse who again read the side effects to me in a monotone. When I called the drug company to activate my copay card, a recorded voice AGAIN went over the side effects. How am I supposed to not be terrified?? It helps to read positive experiences that others have had with Humira, but I’m still really nervous. Well, here goes nothing!
Remember those warnings aren't necessarily coming from medical folk or users but rather lawyers. And while I have a great relationship with the law school folk across the way it is still my personal opinion that if you want to find the BEST lawyer in town a trip to the county morgue is in order.
They also don't give you all the information........ The potential lymphoma for example that they refer to happens ONLY to teenage boys. Yet 1 in 3 of us will at sometime in our lives hear the "C" word. If we are taking a biologic, guess where we will tell ourselves it came from????
Of course you are scared. But I promise you it won't be long until your greatest fear is the package from the Pharmacy is late..... When you shoot yourself think of how you felt on your first solo date in a car (or at least how your folks felt) It was scary, not nearly as great as you probably hoped. But when you got home YOU KNEW you wanted to do it again.
Jillybean, you know why they are doing this … they are covering their petooties. If my car played a recording of the risks of driving each time I started the ignition, I’d probably stay home! But you have to do what you have to do, and you know that early and aggressive treatment gives the best outcome for those of us with PsA.
Maybe we should make a list of the risks of untreated PsA. Now there is something to lose sleep about!
Good luck with this. Do let us know how it went.
Hah, I like that idea, listing the risk factors of untreated PsA. So I survived the injection (really not so bad), and I feel a little soreness where I did the shot and a bit dizzy, but so far so good. Some people on here have said that biologics have them flat for a few days after…here’s hoping that wont be me! Lamb and Seenie, I appreciate both of your feedback so much. I think my fear will decrease as the meds hopefully start to work, and I realize I’m not going to drop dead from them!
Lamb, where did you learn that the lymphoma risk is only for teenage boys? That is comforting to hear…
Congratulations on your first Humira injection, hoping you and Humira have a long lasting relationship of feeling so much better and much slower progression of PsA
The lymphoma found with Humira specifically and biologics generally is called Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma. Now its not exclusive to Teenage boys but then no cancer is exclusive to any group. But thats where it its found. There is another little statistical tidbit about Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma that might be of interest not only does it almost always occur with teenage boys it occurs with teenage boys that have chrons disease. I'll bet you will never guess what the most common treatment for Chrons disease is. This is simply another case of association not being causation. But yet because the numbers showed a very low increase it was an increase. The warnings don't say it was caused only that it happens.
In terms of cancer in general, incidently, Biologic drug users actually have lower incidenc of death due to cancer than the general population..... Again its association. Biologic drug users get more regular medical treatment and screening so likely the decrease is because of that. But the last thread we got going with "numbers got really strange (but fun) so I'm not going there. I was amazed at the number of "scientists" we have here.
Now the infection thing... You don't even want to know what part of the world you have to travel to to get those........ The incidence of serious infection requiring hospitalization is no higher than the general population. Can't address the others as many of us have fewer (colds flus etc etc)
Regulations and lawsuits force many pharmaceutical companies to disclose the information. Sadly, your doctor can’t even through that information pamphlet out. He requires your permission.