Posted 8/4/2011 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
I hope everyone is doing well. After a bad reaction to Remicade, I started Humira in April, and I was doing really, really well on it. I had very few UC symptoms and all was well. However, I went to Alaska and contracted cryptosporidium (a parasite). I was hospitalized and told to stop the Humira for 30 days in order to recover from the infection. Now I have to decide whether to resume the Humira. Apparently, there is a chance that the parasite is lying dormant in my system and I will get sick again if my immune system is weakened by resuming Humira.
My GI wants me to take a break from Humira and only resume it if I start to flare. I was wondering if anyone has had success with stopping and restarting Humira after an extended period of time. If I don't flare for an extended period of time (6 months-a year or longer), will Humira still be effective? Also will the chances of me having a serious allergic reaction be elevated, as they are when you take a break from Remicade?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. No one seems to know the answer to this question, including the makers of Humira!
Thanks a lot,
Bridget