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Need info on Humira

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/23/2008 12:12 PM (GMT 0)
I'm having a flare wih my colitis due to having surgery in May and having to take antibiotics. I have been on prednisone 40mg since the first week in July. My doctor is gradually taking me off the prednisone. I am now on 20mg a day. I also take imuran and my doctor has increased that dosage to 2 tablets a day, which is 40mg. My question is this. Has anyone taken the Humira and what have been the results? My doctor wants me to try the Humira starter pack and totally get me off the imuran and prednisone. I have been on imuran for a couple of years now. I also take colazol. I have had the remicade infusions but had an allergic reaction to the last one and cannot have those anymore. I'm kind of worried about what reaction I may have to the Humira also, since I will be taking it at home. Any info about using Humira as a treatment would be helpful. Thanks.
Posted 8/23/2008 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
There are only a few people here who have taken Humira; hopefully they will come around today.

My only suggestion is to make very sure that your insurance or some other plan will cover the cost. Humir ia not yet approved in the US for UC, so many insurance policies won't cover it. Like Remicade, it is freakishly expensive.
Posted 8/23/2008 8:22 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks for the info. I'm having to get pre-approval from my ins co for Humira. Suppose to know something by Mon. My GI doctor said he had prescribed it to a few patients in the last month. That's what scares me about it. Not many have taken it so how are we suppose to know what effect it has on patients with UC. I trust my doctor. he has pulled me through several severe flare ups. Guess I will try to get all the info I can get and then decide if it's for me. Again, thanks for your reply.

Posted 8/24/2008 6:02 AM (GMT 0)
My son has been on it for about three months now and says he feels better than he has felt in years. He was originally diagnosed with Crohn's, but his new GI questioned that dx after he developed proctitis. We did the IBD test through Prometheus and it showed that he most likely has UC. He was recently diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and that's why he was put on the Humira, but it seems to be helping his UC too.
Posted 8/24/2008 2:23 PM (GMT 0)

I have been diagnosed with UC since March of 2007. I was hospitalized for 25 days, and while in the hospital they were giving me Remicade. Once I got out of the hospital, I stopped responding to the Remicade, I am actually allergic to it. So, my Doctor put me on Humira May of 2007. Been on it since and it has kept me in remission. I haven't missed any work due to the disease and actually feel totally normal. Thank God for medicine! I take the humira pens which are the easiest way to take the medicine. Since I have been on Humira I only need to take Imuran daily, and those shots twice a month. It isn't bad really. It's totally worth a try.

www.humira.com gives you more info on how it will handle your ulcerative colitis.

Posted 8/25/2008 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on it since April, I didn't find it as effective as Remicade but once I started 6MP along with the Humira, it made a difference. The past 3 months I have been improving. Without insurance coverage it is $1600 for 2 shots. I got my first 4 loading dose at the doctor's office. I take Benadryl beforehand and 4 hours after otherwise I get bad welts at the injection site. I prefer the shots over the pens, they are less painful. Any other questions, please ask.
Posted 8/25/2008 1:40 PM (GMT 0)
I had my starter dosage of Humira on August 13th.  So far the side effects have been minor.  I've had stomach pain (bruising) and some lower back pain.  I take my second dosage this coming Wednesday.  My current flareup is in it's 4th month now and nothing I've taken has worked.  I currently take Colazol and paxil.  During this flare up I tried prednisone, canasa, and rowasa.  It took about 2 weeks to obtain all the necessary insurance approvals so be prepared.

Posted 8/27/2008 11:35 AM (GMT 0)
I've been on Humira since 1/01/08. I have had no side effects. It is working for me but I am still on 7.5mg of prednisone (down from 20mg).
I used the injection pens. Very convenient and easy. In fact, I forgot to take it out of the fridge yesterday morning and let it warm up for 10 minutes (as per instructions) so I took the pen with me on my commute to work. I stopped at a gas station and gave myself the injection in the parking lot and continued on to work.
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