Anyone tried both Humira and Cimzia? Pros/Cons of each?

I've been on both and prefer Cimzia. Not sure if that's the answer for everyone, as there are many pros and cons to weigh.

Humira did not last 2 weeks for me and my insurance would not cover weekly shots (this was back when it was first approved). Cimzia (maybe due to the pegylated formula) seems to last the entire 4 weeks. Neither were going to put me in remission like Remicade did at first (maybe because I've already failed one TNF). But, I think Cimzia is helping enough to keep me out of the hospital. I take it along with mtx.

I've been having a home health nurse come to inject, so I haven't injected it myself Next month I will start that. But, I also know that if I don't like to do the injections (due to how thick the med is), I can just drop in my doctor's office and have the nurses inject me. (I inject myself daily for one med and weekly for mtx, so it's not the injection, though Zena told me it's not bad).

Good luck on your decision. Personally I like the biologics... I had a really good experience for a couple of years on Remicade. And, it's nice to not have to take pills every day. I still take vitamins, folic acid, etc., but no Crohn's meds orally to add to the daily pill count!

I've been on both.  Humira kept my Crohn's in remission but did not help enough with the joint pain.  My drs said they can't get it approved weekly, although tons of people do, so not sure what the deal with my drs is.  Cimzia does not last the full 4 weeks for me and we've even tried half a dose (one shot - 200 mg) every 2 weeks and that's not working either.  It worked great when I got it on a clinical trial and we got 400 mg every 2 weeks.  Not only is my arthritis still flaring, but I'm having a lot more stomach pain and believe the Crohn's is coming out of remission.  So, I'm in the process of switching back to Humira. 

Both cost about the same with the co-pay assistance programs.  Both have the same side effects for me - injection site whelts and I used to get frequent URIs but the prednisone must be keeping those at bay right now. 

Cimzia also burns but not as badly as Humira.  But, Humira is injected quicker, so it's over faster.  I think the pros/cons pretty much cancel each other out and I consider the two to be extremely comparable. 

I've done all three...Remicade, Humira, Cimzia...I personally thought Remidade was the best for the Joint Pain and Fatigue...but that was after I was on twice the dose and at a higher frequency (10mg/Kg every 6wks), which only took about 2 hours, Max...then it became less effective for the chrohn's so then I went on Humira, didn't really do anything, actually got worse...Now I am on Cimzia...I too have a nurse to come and give me injections...they are actually less painful than the Humira pen, those spring loaded pens hurt...probably wouldn't have been as bad if I had used the syringe...

Honestly, I would prefer the biologics to some of the other meds out there which can have wider side effects...like prednisone or Imuran (which gave me pancreatitis) or 6-MP or even Methotrexate (which my sister takes and has a HUGE problem with nausea)...

Oh, I forgot to add, Cimzia is usually a once a month thing, however, I take it 2x/mo...I've never really had any side effects from these meds except muscle fatigue that day or a day or so later...oh, and I am a bit more susceptible to infection, so you just have to remain vigilant, you know, hand-washing, hand sanitizer...avoiding obviously sick people...
Good Luck...

Cimzia working VERY well, esp for the gut issues...

I was faced with the same situation in March.. Humira or Cimzia. My GI said they were both so similar he didnt care (comforting, I know). I choose the Cimzia b/c they had some free samples on hand and they were willing to give them to me as long as they did the injections. I've been injecting myself at home for 3 months now and I am quite pleased with it. I have some red spotches around the injection site for a couple of days, but they say this is normal. The first few times, the site bled after injecting, but I think it was because I was hesitant. Now that I am more confident, there is no blood.
One thing I didnt realize is the cost... Cimzia is quite a bit more expensive if you don't have insurance or have a high deductible. I paid $1200 for one month supply until I met my deductible. And my insurance won't let me get it at Walgreens... I have to order it from some company and have it shipped. Kind of a hassle...
Good luck!

Good point to bring up, Mrs House. I know there's a Humira Copay program and CIMplicity/CIMpay program, but I don't know much about either. Thankfully, my wife is a state employee (teacher) and we have decent benefits as a result, but I need to get that squared away before making a decision too. Glad to hear you have had good results with Cimzia.

I'm kind of leaning towards Cimzia at this point for a couple reasons: I like the 1x/month schedule, the positive feedback here on effectiveness, and hopefully a bit more joint pain relief (though mine is not bad). This may sound odd, but since my GI does not currently have any patients on Cimzia, I feel like I may be able to help them with being their first patient, and I may get some preferential treatment since they will be very interested in monitoring my results. =) Just a thought...

Thanks again for the feedback, guys. Wishing all the best for each of you.