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humira and unwanted weight gain

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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 4/25/2007 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
Ive been on Humira (40mgs bi-weekly) since November 06. Ive ut on near a stone in weight. Which I dont need or want. Anyone else with this experience?

Paul

Posted 4/25/2007 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
cool  dear Paul (welcome to HelaingWell!),

bummer!  Humira in case studies & clinical history is not a med that "puts weight on" like steroids do.  BUT....Humira CAN heal inflammatory ulcerations, small bowel inflammation, etc...thus leading to more normal absoprtion of calories,  nutrients=yeah someweigh gain.

are you by chance taking Humira for ulcerative colitis or crohns disease?

there's a good chance that the med had healed some "malabsorption areas" which would lead to some gaining of weight.

 

the other thing...you want to be sure this "weight gain" is not fluid.  i'm not saying that this is definitely what's going on...but if there is a problem with kidney, liver or any sort of heart or lung function, there can be a shift in fluids and that can cause a pretty significant weight gain. 

 

i would inform your physician.  especially if the weight gain was sudden (anything more than 2 pounds a day) or if the weight gain in prominant in your legs and arms.

 

can you think of anything that might be the culprit of the gain excluding the Humira? (prednisone? steroids? thyroid problems? salt? change in diet?)

 

i was on Humira for 2 years, one year taking 80mg/week...constantly losing weight; but i had started Remicade in October & with that i put on close to 10 pounds after the 1st infusion)

 

take good care & write back soon. :-) erin

Posted 4/26/2007 8:03 AM (GMT 0)
Erin, Many thanks for the prompt reply. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis (stills disease) since childhood (45 now). The only thing that rings any alarms for me is that in past two years Ive had kidney stones and now drink about 2.5 Lts water a day, so maybe thats connected  to the shift in fluids. I'm not on any steroids. I'm on High Blood pressure tablets (Co-Divan), and for the Arthritis, I use Humira, Paracetamol and Codine, and an Nsaid (voltoral). I also take 15 mgs Matatrexate weekly and folic acid daily.

Overall, I feel great since being on Humira and am working and living as near normal as someone with RA can!!.

Interesting first name  u have, as im in  Dublin, Ireland and as you are probably aware Erin is a derrivative of Eireann, The irish / Gaelic for Ireland.!

Anyway, thanks for the info, and if you have any futher advice, let me know.

Cheers

Paul

Posted 4/26/2007 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
hi Paul,
aaaaaah, see! an Erin to the rescue! how fitting.
the only thing that you had listed that rings a bell on maybe causing a weight gain would be the Blood Pressure medicine. it's not uncommon for BP meds to add an easy 10 to 20 pounds (not sure how that calculates into stones).
i am so glad to hear that you are carrying out a "normal" as can be life....that's wonderful.
funny...i have always prefered the spelling of Eireann over Erin, when i was about 12 y/o i really thought about changing it to that spelling....i did for a while; but then it became too much of a hassle when correcting it all the time in school. so i gave up! :) someone once spelled me: Erynn...and i fancied that too!
now? since my hands hurt most days...i'm happy to just have the 4 letters.
take care Paul!
Posted 4/29/2007 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on humira for a couple of years and it did not cause me to gain any weight.You havwe to remember thothat every one is different and we all react to meds differently as well.
Posted 4/24/2012 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
I too seem to be having the weight problem with Humira.  I had a total colectomy just over an year ago but the surgeon had to leave 5cm of bowel.  This minut portion is really giving me a run for my money, almost like I didnt have the colectomy to rid my body of UC.  Since I have started Humira I have steadily gain anywhere from 4 - 7 pounds between visits to the doctor.  So here I sit trying to cure one problem and creating another problem, most concernably weight gain to make my heart work harder.  I thought I was losing it as I have been working out since I started using Humira and I am growing out of my clothes.  What gives I thought to myself, my portions have not increased but my activity has!  The effects of the Humira have been somewhat successful not to bash the medicine, but now I have to stop and weigh (Literally) the issues at hand.  confused
Posted 11/16/2013 10:20 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on Humera for 2 months and I have put on 30 lbs. ready the original post lets me know I'm not alone in the weight gain.
Posted 11/17/2013 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
All the anti-TNF meds have shown to cause weight gain in some people.
Posted 11/17/2013 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, I had the same result with Enbrel. I was on it for 12 years and gained quite a bit of weight. I had to really watch my diet to lose any of it which I managed to do but was not able to reach my goal.

I was moved to Humira in the beginning of the year and I started gaining again. I stopped taking Humira due to other side effects about 2 months ago and have been slowly losing weight with absolutely no change in diet or activity level. I have asked my Doctor several times about it and each time she has said that there are no known weight gain effects but I am convinced of it.
Posted 11/19/2013 3:30 PM (GMT 0)
+1 to weight gain on humira, however in all fairness I was Dx'd (biopsy and every test under then sun) with IBS after they could not find the cause of constant loose bowels and pain, So erins idea that it might help the stomach to heal from an inflammatory bowel disease seems plausible to me, Being such a complex autoimmune disease I would not be surprised if they find a type of RA that causes Bowel inflammation.
To this day I take questran to control my stomach pain which excluded me from using arava as it absorbs it.
Posted 11/20/2013 4:50 AM (GMT 0)
I saw my Doctor this week and we spoke about intestinal troubles and RA. She told me that there have been studies done that have shown small amounts of inflammation and bad bacteria in the gut at the onset of RA which seems to stabilize over time. She thought that there could possibly be a viral connection to the disease and that using a good quality Probiotic could help in addition to other supplements like curcumin and Tumeric.

I have started taking tumeric as well as Boswellin. I am looking at Probiotics and hope to find a good quality product that wont break the bank. -Don
Posted 1/19/2014 6:12 AM (GMT 0)
I began taking Humira 3 months ago and have gained about 15 pounds. It was very sudden. I began dieting three weeks ago and have stopped the weight gain, but am not losing. The medication is working very well for my RA and it is the only prescription I am on, but gaining weight will only cause other issues. If it is an anti-TNF reaction then changing medications will not help. My only hope is that it settles out over the long term.
Posted 5/23/2014 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthitis in 2011. After taking enough blood from me to fill a tanker truck ...and their subsequent tests, I began treatment on Enbrel in 2012. I remained on Enbrel for a year with moderate success, but my disease began to overcome Enbrel's ability to suppress my symptoms. One year ago I was put on Humira and I have had better luck, though some symptoms persist.

I gained a total of 80lbs in the wake of my diagnosis. My blood pressure, which has always been stable, fluctuates wildly now. When I am irritated or upset it can spike to 160/135. It's normally around 125/80. Admittedly, A considerable portion (about half) of the weight that I put on was put on before I began treatment. The remainder was put on after I started Enbrel. I have since stabilized my diet and I now eat much better than I have for most of my adult life...both in quality of food choices and in quantity. I can eat subsistence portions and my weight remains constant. Conversely, if I eat poorly, I notice weight gain almost instantly. I drink more water than I ever have at any point in my life. I have slashed things like sodium and sugar intake. Still the weight won't come off.

I just visted with my GP and he seems to think that the TNF inhibitors (or perhaps my disease) has affected by thyroid function. I have been tasked with obtaining yet another blood sample to test for it. I weighed 230 or so before my disease struck. I now weigh in anywhere from 300 to 310. I'm a big guy (6'2") but I still don't feel good being this fat. I know that Psoriatic Arthritis is a complicated condition that goes well beyond joint pain/destruction in some cases. Perhaps I am wrong....but I still feel as though perhaps it is a joint issue....my weight gain; partially because of the disease, and also because of the medication.
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