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After seven WEEKS of fighting, I finally got my Cimzia in the mail today.

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Posted 8/26/2009 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
I HATE HATE HATE Medco speciality pharmacy (Accredo).

My GI office wants me to bring in the first 2 syringes to inject in the office tomorrow, I guess to watch for reaction and make sure I know what I'm doing. It doesn't look any different than Humira... but we'll see!

I read somewhere that Cimzia hurts more than Humira. Please tell me that's not true! Humira was pretty darn painful.

Now, if this stuff doesn't work, I guess I'll be finding myself in the surgeon's office. I've put off surgery this long but it's almost that time.

Posted 8/26/2009 10:56 AM (GMT 0)
I second that! We have to deal with Accredo for my DH specialty med and they are a giant pain in the butt. The bad part is I used to work for these people and I do know it takes time for approvals, etc. But I really think they've become so big and so spread out across the country that there isn't any quality any more. (JMHO). I even have issues with them when I'm calling about his refills. Once they a customer service guy basically said I was lying to him about a script. They change dates on scripts to suit their needs and your RX plan ( I know this from working there).

The best defense with them is to keep copies and an ongoing log of scripts, refills, phone calls etc. I has helped me greatly.

Good luck with your shots -- hope it works!
Posted 8/26/2009 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
I don't have firsthand experience with Cimzia, but I heard it's less painful. Hope that helps!
Posted 8/26/2009 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
I got my first Cimzia (or placebo) shots the other day and they didn't hurt at all, other than the slight stick of the needle. I got them in my abdomen, but they can also be given in the upper arm or leg (in a pinch of fat).
Posted 8/26/2009 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
I got the two shots this morning - one in each thigh - and they weren't too bad! It is thick compared to Humira but didn't sting as bad, I didn't think. I hope I see results soon, esp after the mess we had to deal with to get them!
Posted 8/26/2009 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
H i'm not on either of these drugs (yet!) but just wanted to say good luck and i really hope it works for you.Bev x 
Posted 8/26/2009 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there. To me the Cimzia hurts far less than Humira. You do have to take two shots at once as opposed to one with Humira. But it really does not hurt much at all. Plus, I used to get a big, red, swollen, hot spot at the injection site with Humira and I do not get that with Cimzia. Instead, I get a white area around the site. It does not hurt at all, but you can see it. And I agree that the medication is thicker than Humira. I hope it works for you.
Posted 8/26/2009 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hmm, I think this thread is helping me figure out whether or not I got placebo!
Posted 8/27/2009 4:00 AM (GMT 0)

potatoqwn said...
Hi there. To me the Cimzia hurts far less than Humira. You do have to take two shots at once as opposed to one with Humira. But it really does not hurt much at all. Plus, I used to get a big, red, swollen, hot spot at the injection site with Humira and I do not get that with Cimzia. Instead, I get a white area around the site. It does not hurt at all, but you can see it. And I agree that the medication is thicker than Humira. I hope it works for you.

I'm glad you mentioned the white area! I went to the bathroom a few hours later and both of my thighs had big round white spots smilewinkgrin   With Humira, i never had any site reaction - I couldn't even tell where I had shot myself within a few minutes so this was new for me.
Posted 8/27/2009 7:57 AM (GMT 0)
Any idea what the actual cost of Cimzia is? I tried searching various online pharmacies for it but none had it.
Posted 8/27/2009 10:15 PM (GMT 0)

GDen said...
Any idea what the actual cost of Cimzia is? I tried searching various online pharmacies for it but none had it.

I'm not sure what the retail price on it is, but I have been told you can't buy it through a brick and mortar but instead a speciality pharmacy - though I'm not exactly sure why.

My copay is lower than it was on Humira, however. I figured it ran about the same cost as Humira...?

Posted 8/27/2009 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
I'll have to ask my GE and pharmacist when I see them next week. Cimzia's given every 4 weeks, correct? If so, it appears its actual cost would be roughly $36,000/yr. I was under the impression it was cheaper than Remicade. But, anyway, I was just curious. Bottom line seems to be that all biologics are very expensive.

Cimzia price/dose details:
www.internetdrugcoupons.com/Cimzia-Coupon
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