![]() <--- My buddy, Humira. If you've followed my blog about my journey with Crohn's you'll know that about three weeks ago, I started getting sick again. I'd been taking Humira 2x monthly and had to admit to myself it was no longer working. Off to the docs I went. He changed the dosage to once per week instead of once every two weeks. I inject myself on Saturdays, no particular reason why, it just happened to fall on that day. He told me to rotate my injection sites so I do left arm, right arm, left thigh, right thigh, left belly, right belly. That ought to be random enough. While I know most of the side-effects of Humira, I thought it was time to take a closer look. It's not that I have a choice to switch treatment because I don't. Nothing else works for me and I'm allergic to sulfa and aspirin. The other drug used for leukemia (I can't remember the name) tried to kill my liver so that's out of the picture. If Humira loses its effectiveness I can try Cimzia, but that comes with the same side effects as Humira. When I first started Humira I was so sick I didn't care what they gave me as long as it made me better. It did. And it worked for quite some time. Now I'm hoping the once a week injection will put me back on track. I contacted Abbott Labs who is the maker of Humira and they directed me to myhumira.com. The first thing that caught my eye was a nifty travel pack to carry the Humira pen/syringe. The drug has to be refrigerated and when I'm out crusing, I pack it in a small ice chest. Now I have a cute little blue travel pack and it was free! Yesterday, they sent me this handy instruction book. I opened it and the first thing that caught my eye was: Serious infections have happened in people taking Humira. To make a long list short it's basically: TB, Hepatitis, scary viruses, fungi, or bacteria, lymphoma, and other cancers. Uh, yeah. Then it says, go to page 8-10 for more information. Okay, here goes. Watch for: serious infection, allergic reaction, nervous system reactions, blood problems, heart failure, a lupus-like syndrome, liver problems, psoriasis, fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches, cough shortness of breath, blood in phlegm, weight loss, painful sores on the skin, diarrhea, feeling tired, burning when you urinate, redness, rash, swelling, itching, bruising, headache, rash, nausea. *deep breath* While all that may be true, I did get a travel pack for free. Oh, yeah, and a registered nurse I can call anytime day or night. I guess that's kinda nice. While my insurance deductible is met each January by 3600.00 due to Humira, the booklet says you can get Humira for only 5.00 per month including the Starter Pack by using the co-pay card. If you haven't received the card you can visit my Humira or call 1-800-448-6472. In addition, if your insurance company rejects the prescription they have specialists who will work with your insurance company to get it covered. Then you get your choice of syringe or pen. Everyone knows what a hypodermic needle looks like. *shudder* I've opted for the pen. It keeps the needle covered so I don't freak out. Let's us not forget the reminders my Humira will send you by text or e-mail. I signed up for that as well because I wanted to see how well it worked. So far, so good. I also ordered the sharps container so I can return the pens once they've been used. My pile of pens was getting rather large so It's nice to know I can get rid of them. Once again, totally free. Lastly, was the medication guide. I opened it--it's a freakin' encyclopedia! No seriously, it covers my entire desk. What does Humira do? Decrease levels of inflammation (C-reactive protein and erythocyte sedimentation, AND serum cytokines. ) All good things. Hum. Says here I can go on a maintenance dose once remission is achieved. Okay, I'm good with that. A new discovery! Humira is given for Ankylosing Spondylitis! My back should start feeling better. Maybe 40 mgs every two weeks was too low for me to begin with. Not that that's a good thing, but anything to reduce pain is welcome. Ha! A greater percentage of patients treated with higher doses of Humira achieve induction of clinical remission. There is hope for me. Eh, but it's only maintainable in 57% of patients. *facepalm* No sense in getting too optimistic. Calm detachment is needed here. *deep breath* It's not like I didn't know about the side-effects, I did. But I hadn't read them anywhere but on the Internet. Having the paper in my hand bothered me more than a quick read on someone's website. Iknow it comes with the pens as well, but when I'm giving myself a shot I just want it over with. If nothing else myhumira.com laid out the facts for me. Maybe I'll get better and maybe I won't. Maybe they'll find a cure and maybe they won't. It's a crap shoot. But then, so is life. There's no guarantee you'll survive the car ride home, or the plane ride to a vacation spot, or even crossing the street. So, you might as well take it as it comes. Just make sure the people around you know you love them. Even those you don't see as often as you'd like. Here's a shout out to the people that care for me. I will love you forever, there is nothing you can do to stop my loving you, my love is unconditional (especially for my husband, kids, and grandkids). You are the best. (((hugs))) Louann
Crohn's Survivor
6/5/2013 06:04:11 am
I hate injections. When are they coming up with a pill?
Louann
6/5/2013 08:21:34 am
I did a quick search and wasn't able to find out any info. If anyone else knows, can you post it?
Shelby
6/6/2013 08:45:26 am
Thanks for the blog louann. I'm on remicade.
Louann
6/6/2013 09:16:04 am
Hi, Shelby. Thanks for stopping by. I hope the remicade is working for you. Comments are closed.
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