Thinking of changing from Remicade to Humira...

Hi All -

I used to browse the forums and found them very helpful when I was in more frequent flares. However, since beginning Remicade in October 2011, I have been in a great sustained remission! Knock on wood! I also take 100mg of 6-MP (I originally took Methotrexate but I would get nauseous easily - I usually don't mind getting injections, however, maybe something about injecting myself?) and Asacol. It's great, I feel like Remicade save my colon's life. I hate the infusion process though. And I hate the fact that it costs an insane amount. While I have amazing health insurance (that I've COBRA'd for a year through my previous union, since I started my full-time private psychotherapy practice), I won't past December, and therefore am looking into cutting time and costs secondarily. Which brings me to the question(s), is Humira less effective no matter what if you've already taken Remicade, and more importantly, would you switch to a significantly more convenient and less expensive alternative even if your medicine is working great?

I'd love to hear people's experiences if they have been similar to this. Thank you!

David

Don't do it. You've found something that works and be grateful for that. Take advantage of flexible spending accounts if offered at your work and look into Remicade's assistance programs.

I am with Indy and M. If Remi fails because of antibodies, you would still have Humeria as a back up. Trust me, life without remission is tough. I cannot speak to any cost savings with Humeria, but the Remistart program and their Extended Access program are wonderful. Once the Anti-tnf strategy fails you have very limited options. What gets you to remission should be closely guarded.

What about if he switched to Simponi? Easy, at home injection.

Can that be done?

As many people have said, there is absolutely no way in hell I would go back to Humira. Humira did absolutely nothing for me whereas the Remicade has. I hate the lengthy infusions as well. I initially chose Humira because of the convenience but it simply did not help.

If you're worried about the financial aspect of Remicade, the Bioadvance program should pay for your infusions. I don't know if you would qualify but I'm a university student and I make close to nothing. I am under my Dad's health insurance policy which covers about 80% and then the Bioadvance program pays the rest. When I get to a certain age, my dad's insurance will stop paying and I don't expect to pay the thousands of dollars per infusion out of my own pocket. One of the doctors I met in hospital told me that there is no way in hell that they would leave you drugless if you didn't have the money. There are programs set in place to help people. At first I thought I didn't really fit into the category, I could pay for the drugs on my own but then I really wouldn't have money for rent, transportation, food etc. I would have to work more than I usually do and I suspect my grades would inevitability suffer; not to mention the extra hours wouldn't help my UC. You really shouldn't have to sacrifice on the bare necessities of life just because you need a drug to live.

Also, my GI told me that the reason she is very reluctant to stop my Remicade and try something else is because once stopped, you have a potential to create antibodies against it. So if you ever do need to go back onto Remicade it may be less efficient. All in all, the statistics have shown Remicade to be more successful.

I would not switch. I was on Remicade and was fine except I could no longer afford it. I switched to Humira and flared the whole time and when I tried to go back I have built up antibodies :( I think making that first big switch was the worst mistake I've made and nothing has worked well since for me.