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Flare ... Humira ? Remicade?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/6/2014 7:34 AM (GMT 0)
Currently in a nasty flare , after being on prednisone for 2.5 months , soon as I got off, bam!

So seems as if I need something stronger because the 6mp isn't doing much for me .

Humira working on applying for it because was beyond beyond expensive 2000 copay so we are applying for the manufacturer discount program.

Anyone one in or was in a similar situation ?
Is remicade cheaper?

Also Humira omg I read the side effects on these meds and I am totally freaking out!
Posted 6/6/2014 10:59 AM (GMT 0)
Both humira and remicade have patient assistance programs, that can bring your out of pocket expenses down considerably. Which is cheaper varies based on your insurance policy - do your homework.

Remicade has been used the longest for uc, and has the best odds of helping uc patients. You need to weigh the risks verses the benefit with any new medication. 60+ of patients feel better after taking remi. Lymphoma is the one side effect that scares people the most, and the odds of ut are statistically rare. It's 6 in 10,000 (or 0.006%) for patients who are simultaneously on remi and an immunosuppressive med (6mp, imuran, aza). Not exactly something to loose sleep over. These meds increase ones odds of getting infections, e.g., uti's, bronchitis, so just be vigilant and see your primary care physician if you suspect you are coming down with one. You don't have to become a germaphobe or anything, I garden and get dirty all of the time, and I've neither been sick or gotten an infection. These meds have worked wonders for me and for others. I was on pred for 6+ months in an awful flareup. Remi enabled me to kick pred to the curb.
Posted 6/6/2014 12:34 PM (GMT 0)
Honestly, I would look into vedolizumab before I start looking into anti-TNFs. Im not sure how insurance will be for you, but its worth a shot. Especially if your scared about side effects!
Posted 6/6/2014 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
Ditto vedolizumab. It has a higher success rate and a better safety profile.
Posted 6/6/2014 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
They both have pretty much the same side effects and the chances of them are much lower compared to traditional oral RX used for IBD...Asacol nearly killed me after one dose of 4 pills, I've been on Humira since the middle of February and not a single side effect at all from it...and I'm prone to either being allergic or non-responsive to IBD meds.

Humira is made with a human protein while Remicade is made with a mouse protein, and Remi requires getting infusions, Humira you can do at home with the pen or syringe (easy-peasy) and they're both designed to work the same way so other than how they're administered (and the human/mouse protein) that's about the only differences between those two meds.
Posted 6/9/2014 1:42 PM (GMT 0)
Anyone here heard or on Simponi for UC? That was another med suggested my my GI?
Posted 6/9/2014 2:18 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, a number of people on the forum use Simponi and it seems to be better than Humira based on both what people say and a comparison of the clinical studies for each medicine. Remicade and Simponi seem to be the best choices of the anti-tnf biologics. Simponi is fairly new for uc. Remicade has been around the longest. Humira fits in between those two for the length it's been available for uc.

A couple posts on this forum about Simponi:

Post #1:
Simponi and Update

Post #2:
Simponi... it's now working, how is everyone doing on it?

There's also Entyvio /Vedolizumab that's even newer for uc. Approved very recently, and people should be getting it very soon. It's another biologic but different than Remicade, simponi, and humira in method of attack against uc. The Entyvio studies are compelling a lot without some of the statistically rare side effects of other biologics. Might be hard to get and/or approved by your insurance though, non issue for the rest.
Posted 6/9/2014 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
I use Simponi, and it worked. NO pain on injections, less antibody chances than all the others, and no side effects like the others have been reported.
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