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just some questions about Remicade vs. Humira

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/23/2010 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
I heard about Remicade for the first time today (we are fairly new to UC), my boyfriend tried Humira and was on it four 3-4 months but it made his immune system so low that we had to stop the treatment as he was getting horribly sick all the time and the Humira wasnt seeming to help the UC all that much. I was wondering if Remicade would be different in regards to how much is suppresses the immune system? And if he didn't respond very well to the Humira would he possibly respond better to Remicade? What are the most common side effects of Remicade?
Any info is helpful! Thank you!

-Emily and Spencer
Posted 3/23/2010 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
As far as I know, they both carry the same basic side effects. They are both TNF blockers-so they work in the same way. The main difference between them, as I understand it, is that Remicade is made with both human and mouse proteins and Humira is made only with human. But their function is basically the same. So the same risks would apply.

I was on Humira for almost 2 years. I never had any problems getting sick on it-I caught the occasion cold, but even when my kids got H1N1 this fall, I was barely sick for a day. I had the most mild case of the flu of anyone in our house (of course, it upset my UC, but as far as the flu-I had no problem) I responded very well to the Humira, but eventually it stopped working for me. I have now switched to Remicade. It is working, but slower than the Humira did-I am not yet in a full remission after 2 infusions. And this time around (of course, I was also very ill and in the hospital recently, so that may affect things too), I caught a cold and it has turned into a sinus infection with respiratory issues as well-so who knows!! That never happened to me on Humira.

My point is he may do fine on the remicade-it is hard to know how each person will respond to these medications. And he may respond better to it than he did to the Humira-or he may not. The CNP I deal with at my GI's office has told me they have had a very positive response to remicade in most of the UC patients.

Good luck!!!
Posted 3/23/2010 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
I could be an exception but I think Humira has been much harder on my immune system than the Remicade. Granted, I've only been on Humira for about eight weeks but I've been sick three times. I was on Remicade for over two years and never got sick much at all. Getting ready to pull the plug on Humira because of that and the fact that I'm not noticing any improvement whatsoever.

Posted 3/24/2010 2:35 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for answering all of my questions Laura and Scrap Girl...I wish you both the best of luck on your road to recovery!
<3 Emily and Spencer
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