HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Is Humira worth it?

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/29/2013 2:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,
My doc suggested I start on Humira but I'm concerned about the side effects, increased risk of cancer, and general pain that people report with using it. Anyone swear by it? Hate it? I used Pentasa and Remicade in the past and they did not work. I had a surgery in 2004 and was pain free and mostly symptom free until a few months ago. The pain is back and worse.

Any advice on Humira is appreciated!
Posted 3/29/2013 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on Humira since mid-January. The shot hurts for about 2-3 minutes. I too am concerned about the side effects, but in 2+ months everything is fine.

I feel sooooooo much better. I maybe have 1 BM per day...maybe 1 every 2 days now...and they're solid. I haven't had solid BMs in years.

I had 3 choices...go on Humira, do nothing, or have surgery. Humira was the logical choice for me.
Posted 3/29/2013 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Humira worked great for me for about 3 years. I definitely think it is worth it. The serious side effects are very rare. And the pain of the injection is really nothing compared to the chronic pain of a Chron's flare. If I thought ahead, I would sometimes take 2 tylenol about 30 minutes before the injection to dull the pain a bit (it may have been psychological). I definitely think it's woth a try!
Posted 3/30/2013 1:28 AM (GMT 0)
so not worth it. starting humira is one of my biggest regrets. i noticed i was feeling weird a few days after my loading dose. had extreme abdominal distention and started getting fevers every day. i was having all those really tiny, pointless bowel movements where you just poop out shreds. i ended up having a really bad case of c diff as well as ileus of the colon. if i didn't go to the hospital, i would've ended up with toxic megacolon. the doctors there said i was smart not to take the second doses because it could've killed me.
Posted 3/30/2013 11:31 AM (GMT 0)
Humira has worked fantastically for me! It was a little over a year ago when I first started using it. Back then I was scared all the time to leave the house, to eat anywhere but my house because the fear of having to use the bathroom, and I just wasn't living my life the way I wanted to. My doctor told me humira was the miracle drug, and now being on it for over and year and being in remission for the last few months has me convinced it really is the miracle drug!! The needle isn't that much fun to inject , but it takes less than a minute, and the pain like people above said lasts far less than crohns pain does, that's for sure! :) I know humira isn't for everyone, but it definitely has helped me, and allowed me to feel normal again, and I think it's worth it! :)
Good luck!
Posted 3/30/2013 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
I was on Humira for about 9 months, and during that time, I developed an abscess in my colon. I was so sick, but blood tests showed a normal white count, so they didn't suspect anything was wrong until I became so ill with fevers that I went to the ER. A CAT scan then showed the abscess. A four day hospital stay, along with IV steroids and antibiotics took care of the problem but no more Humira for me. I suspect, at least in my case, that the drug affected the white cell production and when I mention it to my doctors, they don't deny it, so I won't take any biologics again. I have seen a surgeon and will have to go that route now. It's not the choice that I wanted but I have no other choices now. Some people do great on a biologic, and I am happy to know that for some, it is a miracle drug.
Posted 3/31/2013 3:58 PM (GMT 0)
I've used Humira in the past for crohns and arthritis. It did not provide any relief for me. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it for others because it seems to help a lot of people. Just make you get the Rx savings card. Under my former insurance my copay would have been $400 but the Humira copay assistance brought the cost down to $5.
Posted 4/3/2013 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
I just started Humira almost 2 weeks ago with the loading dose. Like everyone says, the injection burns quite a bit, but doesnt last very long. I was just diagnosed with Crohns a few months ago and was hospitalized with an extreme flare up for quite a while, after countless meds (pentasa, 6-mp, imuran, budesonide, flagyl etc) the symptoms only got worse, with the exception of prednisone which seemed to greatly reduce my symptoms. then needed a bowel resection last month. Anyways, since the humira loading dose, I have finally stopped flagyl and am feeling back to my usual self. I have my second dose of Humira tomorrow and cant wait to keep taking it because I feel like it is already working! I dont think the risk of cancer is very high at all and most of the very common side effects are injection site rashes and things like that. Good luck and i hope it works for you!
Posted 4/4/2013 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
I've been using Humira since 2010. You will be nervous the first few times but it will get very easy. Think of it this way people on insulin take many many shots. Remember everyone is different. What works for one may not work for another. One thing for sure if you don't try it you will never know. Good Luck. Hope you find something that works.
Posted 4/4/2013 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
It has been a godsend for me! I have had some bumps in the road but nothing like before I was on Humira. I have been on it since 2010 and take it weekly. But did have to incorporate azathioprine to keep Humira working properly.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply