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Starting Cimzia tomorrow -What should I expect?

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Posted 12/28/2010 10:02 PM (GMT 0)
My loading doses will be delivered tomorrow. Hubby is going to give me the shots since I don't like to stick myself. Is there anything I should know about the injection itself? It can't possibly hurt more than the burn of Humira. Do you let it warm a little before injecting? Any feedback you want to offer is much appreciated! TIA!

Stef

Posted 12/28/2010 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
I can't feel the Cimzia at all. Most of the time I do seem to get tired later in the day, which I guess is from the Cimzia. That's about it.
Posted 12/28/2010 10:14 PM (GMT 0)
I can't feel the shots either, until the very end, then it stings just the littlest bit. Let the Cimzia sit out for half an hour before giving the shots (I think it says that in the instructions). The needle is tiny and not the least bit scary.

Like GDen, I feel tired later in the day/the next day, and I think it's because of the shots. I wouldn't plan any kind of strenuous activity for after your shots, lol.

Good luck!
Posted 12/29/2010 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
I am very sensative to all meds but I take the Cimzia with no problem. I let it sit out for 15-20 minutes then give myself the injections with no issues. I haven't had any side effects from it at all. It has been a great drug for me.
Posted 12/29/2010 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
I have no side effects either. Sometimes the shots do sting a little for me, but not nearly as much as Humira. I do a slightly raised round spot around the injection site for a day or so. it's just the med dispersing. Also, the fluid in the syringe is very thick, so you will have to slowly inject.
Posted 12/29/2010 3:21 AM (GMT 0)
Seems like you are all on the same page as far as the shots go. This is good news to me. I'm hoping for a good "shot" and good results. Thank you for your input!!!
Posted 12/29/2010 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Stef!!  Glad to see ur moving to Cimzia.  Hopefully it will work for you too.  First few times I did it myself bc I didn't trust anyone to inject me.  Then I realized they were alot less nervous than I was.  Now my husband does it and it works out well.  I don't look and usually its over before I know it.  What hurts the worse is not being still while your injecting it, so the calmer the better.  Usually I lay there for a while after the shots.  Not sure why but I try not to move for a while.  Although theres really no need to.  It kinda makes u sluggish the next day but thats it.  It wasn't as harsh as remicade in that respect.  I got in the habit of the benedryl before Remicade, so I do the same with Cimzia.  I really like Cimzia because it doesnt seem as harsh, but it also doesn't seem to last as long as I would like it to.  Let me know how it goes!!  Best of luck!
Posted 12/29/2010 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks sickofitall! I appreciate your feedback. I'm so nervous for some reason. I have great hopes for Cimzia and I don't want to get disappointed. The humira is working fine for me, but it has caused me to break out in Psoriasis all over my body. I just don't want to live like that so I'm hoping the Cimzia will work and the psoriasis will go away and not get worse.

I read the instructions about pulling back on the plunger after the needle is inserted to make sure you haven't hit a blood vessel! Do you all do this? That seriously FREAKS me out. I mean - how likely is it that you're going to hit a blood vessel? Not very, right???
Posted 12/29/2010 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Stef17 just hoping this med works well for you! Just wanted to send good wishes out to you. Hugs!
Posted 12/29/2010 7:02 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, wow, hadn't heard that about pulling the needle back to check for blood. I don't think my nurse ever did that (I give myself the shots now). One other thing is it's really slow to get the air bubbles to rise so you can push them out, because the stuff's so thick. But a couple of air bubbles isn't a big deal.
Posted 12/29/2010 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
I did this the first three times and wound up bruising more bc your hand shakes and you wind up wiggling it too much. I told the nurse who came to my house to instruct me that I was NOT doing that. Bc you have to throw away the medicine if you hit a blood vessel and I'm not going to throw it away any way. The nurse said you are "supposed" to do that but she said not much harm in not doing it. I think I hit a vessel one time and the only thing that happened is I bled a lil more, nothing serious. I put a bandaid on it and it was fine the next day. Also I think the first time you do it its better to do it in the thigh and just lay there after on the couch. Most important thing I think is the quick dart like motion if you go slow its not easy to get it in. I'm doing mine tonight so let me know how you do! Good luck!
Posted 12/29/2010 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
Nanners - Thanks for the moral support. You always have my back. I'm SO appreciative!

GDen and sickofitall - yeah - I don't think I can do it AND I don't want my hubby doing it. I trust him enough to poke me with the needle (fingers crossed - he used to give me Enbrel), but there is no way I'm messing around with the syringe. So the medicine is thick? Then it's best to plunge it all in slowly, right? Oh I'm SUCH a baby! I'm so nervous for some reason. I don't know how it could be any worse than the Humira, but something about him jabbing me instead of a spring-loaded pen makes me more leary I guess. I will let you know how it goes... if I get brave enough to go for it tonight. I will do it by the end of the week for sure.
Posted 12/29/2010 10:31 PM (GMT 0)
Stef - do you have any anxiety meds? Maybe lorazepam or Xanax? If I'm feeling nervous, I sometimes take one a half hour before I do my injections. Maybe just for your first since it's new to both you and your husband? I never pull the syringe back on Cimzia. Something about the way it's made seems like it would complicate it beyond what I perceive as the risk. With mtx I would pull back to check for blood, but I never hit one in 6 months. Now I just inject.

Good luck! I was super nervous the first few times I did it, despite the fact that I do daily Forteo shots (bone med - tiny needle like insulin) and also I did the mtx for 6 months. I was still nervous. You can do it though!
Posted 12/30/2010 1:28 AM (GMT 0)
Stef- the medicine is thick and syrupy so you have to go slow. When I did it myself it took much longer. Now I just let my hubby do it and it goes quicker not watching. If it starts to burn I tell him to go slower. It took about 1 min. when I did it and only like 30 sec when my hubby did it. The nurse will come out as many times you need. When she came to the house we drilled her with questions. Now its like nothing, especially when I don't look. But I had to did it first (I didn't trust hubby to do it at first). Now that he's trained by the nurse and watched me do it 3x, its his job!
Posted 12/30/2010 8:45 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck Stef! I hope it works well, and works well for a very long time to come. I have no personal experience with cimzia (my hubby's on remicade), but I just wanted to cheer you along. I hope it works wonders.

PV
Posted 12/31/2010 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks PV! I appreciate the cheers!

Sr5599 & Sick - I still haven't taken the meds! I think I'm too anxious. I think I'll do it this weekend for sure. Hubby has the weekend off and I will do it when I can chill out and relax. Sometimes I get so amped up before a shot. I hate the anxiety. I don't have any anti-anxiety meds, but I do have something that will take the edge off. So... maybe I'll try that before hand. Man, I'm being such a chicken about this! My guts are stable and even my arthritis is good, so I know I'm teetering on the window of opportunity to keep things quiet before my body realizes it has no meds in it and freaks out.

I will keep you posted for sure!!!
Posted 12/31/2010 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Stef what do you take for the arthritis? Cimzia helps but does not completely get rid of the leg pain. My days can go from 1 to 10 on the pain scale. Rheumatologist says its fibromyalgia but I think its rheumatoid arthritis.
Posted 12/31/2010 2:32 AM (GMT 0)
I amno longer on CIMZIA but when I was I would feel some pain when I got stuck. A nurse usually gave it to me. One time it would be in my thigh. The next time in my abdomen. She usually had to let it warm up for a while.
Posted 12/31/2010 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
Sick - I take the same thing for the arthritis that I do for the crohn's. I've had RA since I was 2 years old. It flared badly around age 8 and has never left me. The crazy thing is for me that *usually* when one is quiet, the other is active. Sometimes I have a flare of both going on, but not usually. I need to take RA meds regularly, so the remicade, humira, and now hopefully Cimzia will take care of that for me AND keep the CD at bay.
Posted 12/31/2010 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
That would be great, but I think I may need something additional for the athritis pain. Hate to be too personal, but can you describe what the arthritis pain feels like? I'm new to this and have a hard time describing that type of pain to the doctors. Its like maybe I'm not explaining the type of pain accurately to assist them w/ the diagnosis, maybe? I say it various from throbbing to burning to stabbing, hips to toes. And it has now progressed to my hands.
Posted 12/31/2010 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
Is the Cimzia for moderate Crohns or do you need to be severe for it? I am facing an operation in my near future if the meds that I 'can' take don't work for me but I would like to see if I can try something else before I have to go under....'if I can' as my small intestine has such a narrowing I could not even see it with barium it there.
Posted 12/31/2010 9:44 AM (GMT 0)
Sick - that's not too personal to ask at all. The pain can be burning or throbbing, but the best way to describe it is like the pain that you get when you sprain your ankle. It's always in a joint (never in the muscles) and I usually have a lot of swelling. It's constant pain and of course, I'm typical of a lot of arthritics in that I am "stiff" and more sore in the morning. Sometimes I wake up a few hours before I have to get up just to take some meds (ibuprofen) to help me ease into my day. I know ibuprofen is a "no-no" for us Crohnies, but my doc has never advised me against it and honestly, I can't afford not to be able to move around. I have 3 small kids, so I can't be crippled in the morning. They need things like cereal and to get to school. :) If you have muscle pain then maybe you do have fibro. ??? I feel so bad for you. Either way, it's got to feel horrible! What does your doc say about all of this?

Lady- I'm pretty sure Cimzia is for moderate crohn's. Besides - if you have a narrowing that doesn't sound like "Moderate" to me. That's something serious. I would definitely explore ALL medication options before going under the knife. Ask your doctor about it and see what your options are. You need to see if your doc thinks you could benefit from this med. It never hurts to try - they can ALWAYS operate later. What medications have you tried so far?
Posted 12/31/2010 8:19 PM (GMT 0)
Stef- I wish Ibuprofen or Aleve would work. Last night was bad, so I popped 4 aleve. It didn't even touch the pain. GI does not want to talk about it. He says its not his "department" I've been to two Rheumatologists, one said "I can't find anything wrong with you. You just need to suck it up and deal with the pain." And with that, he was fired. The second is a world reknowned dr. (I finally did my research) He diagnosed me with fibro. But I've tried all of the meds for that and not one even touched it. The first med to help was cimzia. So that makes me lean towards RA. I'm going to see a new pain dr. my primary highly recommended. But I hate going to new drs for fear of looking like a doctor shopper. So I'm procrastinating, in pain....
Posted 1/1/2011 2:36 AM (GMT 0)
Stef17
I have been on Imuran, prednisone, flaygl, asocal, Entocort, pentasa....T3 as needed....another one similar to Imuran but both made me sicker then the crohns itself...tried them for a year changing doses to see it if would help...finally pulled of them but was supposedly in remission...now after two hospital stays in a month and a scary(to me) barium SBFT....Im thinking some bigger guns need to be pulled out...

Thats why the question on Cizmia...seems a bit better then Remicade and Possibly cheaper...???...then Humera
Posted 1/1/2011 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
Lady- I would go for it if your GI is in agreement. None of the meds I've tried has EVER done for me what the biologics have been able to do. If that lies within your realm of possiblities to try then I would go for it. I loved Remicade - tried it first, but it was also the only one available at the time (10 years ago). If I were choosing today I'd go for Cimzia first, then Remicade, Humira last. That's because Humira caused me a world of trouble and I'm just now realizing it. It sounds like you DO need some big guns. You need to stay out of the hospital and be well. I hope one of the biologics can help you do that!

Sick - I would be madder than mad if a doc told me to suck it up and deal with it. The new doc won't look at you like a "shopper" if you take the right approach with him/her - like you're seeking a 2nd opinion. If you go in there bashing the old docs, you'll look bad, but if you play it all "I have this pain and I've come to get a 2nd opinion. I really need your help." Their g-d -complex will kick in and they'll try to help figure out what the lame-o before you couldn't. Don't procrastinate. You don't need to be in pain any longer than you have been. Keep me posted. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts.
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