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Humira Getting Annoying

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/30/2011 11:05 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know about anyone else but Humira is getting really annoying now for me. For one, It's a bit of an inconvenience. I'd rather just pop a pill tbh. Two, I feel really crappy the next day and I'll most probably be stuck in my bed. I'm trying to get back into work. I've been doing casual hours and by the looks of things, because of the Humira, It doesn't look like I can do anything more e.g. Full time or even Part time.

Lastly, not long ago I had a bit of a problem actually taking it. Reason being is that I once took it and I got a really bad shooting pain straight through my leg. I held on and got all the med in but it was a bit of a scare. After that I couldn't take it. I just couldn't press the button. Then I got admitted to hospital. When I came out I found a solution and got my sister to start doing it for me. I've picked up the courage to start doing it again by myself but personally I would prefer an alternative medication.

Got a hospital appointment next month so I'm gna have a chat with my doctor, but I just thought I'd share my thoughts and see if anyone else had simlar problems or just doesn't like Humira.
Posted 9/30/2011 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
I can sympathize with preferring a pill over the injection.  I was taking Humira and MTX by injection and I remember always thinking "man, I wish I could just pop a few pills instead of pricking myself every week."  However, its effective and it could save you a lot of Crohn's pain.  I also found it a lot more convenient than having to go to the infusion clinic to get Remicade all the time.

I never had problems with feeling ill the next day though.  That's really too bad and I'm sorry to hear it.  Maybe you can contact your GI and he can suggest some over the counter meds to make the next day more bearable?  I hope things improve soon!

Posted 9/30/2011 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
The real question is : is it working for your crohn's. I am not sure how long you've been on it or what was going on before being on it. But for me, before being on remicade then humira I was in the hospital weekly with flares. I couldn't take it anymore, the pain the mental scarring, all of it. Yes I use to feel crappy the next day following the injection but that changes the longer your on it... now I can take it any day of the week because I know it doesn't effect me the next day (like it use to) I also do the injection right before bed to sleep most of the side effects off. Do it on a Friday evening this way you have all weekend to recope and then ready for work on Monday.

Aso like the last post, I was put on Methotrexate, and the side effect of this med is 100x worse then humira, maybe thats why I am totally fine now with humira the next day. MTX is a killer but geeeeez does it ever work!
Keep up with it I promise it gets better!

Posted 10/1/2011 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
Well, is it helping? Curious, pain in your leg, are you giving it in your thigh or stomach
Posted 10/1/2011 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
RA&CD132010 - I have to say the Humira has always worked well for me and kept my crohns under control. The only time I've had a problem is when I didn't take it because of the shooting pain I mentioned earlier. I got admitted to hospital, Major flair ups. They got me back on the Humira and everything was fine again. To be honest I think I'm just being a bit fussy.

Crohn'snme - I inject into the thigh. I don't have much flesh on the stomach so that's a no no haha. I sometimes get pain but it'll only last about a day or even a few hours
Posted 10/2/2011 2:57 AM (GMT 0)
YES! I have intestinal pains the day before my shot, I get so exhausted about 20 min after an injection, and the next day I feel like staying in bed all day. Plus, I get really bad bruises. Some people suggested the manual injection needles rather than the pens because they can inject slowly and that helps with some comfort. I keep hitting veins when I inject too and then I worry that I'm bleeding out all the medication.
Posted 10/2/2011 5:08 AM (GMT 0)
i havn't experienced any negative reacions etc to humira...doersn't seem to be doing much on the poitive side, but it's a heck of a lot more convenient than the remicade was...
Posted 10/4/2011 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
I too find that I dread every time I have to have an injection. I have to have my husband do mine or I think I would sit around for hours trying to get up the guts to do it... I'm a baby! Anyway the past couple times have been very painful for me as well and I have gotten pains down my leg like I hit a nerve or vein or something... NOT FUN! Humira has finally started to make me feel better though so I guess it's a good trade off. As far as feeeling crappy the next day I really noticed it with Remicade and a little with the Humira but not quite as bad. I just keep telling myself that if it's making my Crohn's a little better I can deal with whatever. I hope you start feeling better and have better luck with the injections (I hope I do as well lol).
Posted 10/4/2011 9:54 PM (GMT 0)
I too dread injection days, but I just consider this...is it worse to experience the 10 or so seconds of pain it causes, or multiple IV sticks, NG tube and other horrible things that happen if you're hospitalized. Before Humira I was obstructing at least twice a year, sometimes up to every 3 months. To me, even the pen which hurts more, is less pain than I experience in the hospital, and it's worth it to me to deal with breif pain twice a month if it keeps me from being in the hospital as frequently.

If you're hitting veins, maybe you could pull the needle back and inject closer to the skin. Also, are you rubbing the site after? I've found that with a lot of injectable meds rubbing the site actually makes you bruise worse, so I just lay down and focus on breathing until the stinging stops and I've calmed down.

Could you change when you do injections, possibly do them on a Friday night so the negative effects aren't on a workday? Sometimes I do mine on Thursday nights and sometimes Friday nights depending on my work schedule.
Posted 10/8/2011 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
I dread my injections as well, and I have such bad anxiety in regards to needles that my husband has to do it for me. Even then, it would take me a long time to work myself up to it and I would cry after the shot from all the anxiety. I ended up getting my GI doc to give me Ativan, and I only take it on shot days, about an hour before. It still hurts, but at least I don't freak out as bad.

I also found I bruised more....but then this last shot (with the Ativan) I didn't bruise at all.....maybe it's from being so tensed up? We use the pens, not the prefilled syringe though. The instructions that came with the pens says specifically NOT to rub it, just hold a tissue gently to the injection site.

I don't know about the other issues you are having.....I've never had those issues. Good luck!
Posted 10/9/2011 6:21 AM (GMT 0)
I am in the same boat - it's getting to be very annoying. I had to move my dosage days to Friday since I sleep the entire next day away and am exhausted. I was just thinking today about how it's going to screw up my plans next weekend. That being said, however, I do remember the days when I was so sick I could barely move and was in constant pain - my dr. loves to prescribe prednisone and THAT'S the worst thing I've ever taken. So I'll suck it up for now (hopefully it continues to work) but I completely agree with you that it is inconvenient. Crohn's sucks - why couldn't my lot in life to be cursed with something like migraines or bad allergies?

Post Edited By Moderator (Nanners) : 10/9/2011 8:23:50 AM (GMT-6)

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