Has anybody else been prescribed CIMZIA??
I was on Enbrel for 2 1/2 years but it stopped working. After that my rheumy put me on Humira but the side effects were really bad and it made me sick (bronchitis). He has now prescribed CIMZIA (just approved for RA this past May) and I'm wondering of any side effects. It took almost 1 1/2 weeks for my Insurance to approve it. Finally I got it and I'm ready to start it this weekend.
I haven't yet heard of anybody being prescribed this medication, but it is very new. You may want to ask this question in a SharePost - they tend to get more traffic than the Q&A section. As far as I could tell from the Cimzia site, the side effects are similar to other forms of TNF blockers, like Enbrel, Remicade, Humira, etc. since you've been on these types of medications before, you know that some people have hardly any side effects or particular medication and other people have side effects.
Good luck! please let us know how it goes?
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I have been on Cimzia for a few weeks now. I had 1 200 mg injection the 1st week because I had my Remicade infusion a few weeks earlier so I couldn't get the loading dose week 1. 2 weeks later, I took 2 of the 200 mg injections for 400 mg total. While I didn't get any relief that first week, I did feel much better after that second dose 2weeks later. I had more energy and less joint pain and didn't miss any work. This is a vast improvement as I have been treated with methotrexate, Arava, Orencia, and Remicade. The methotrexate, Arava, and Remicade increased my liver enzymes to levels that my rheumatologist felt was unsafe and, in addition I felt no therapeutic response to the methotrexate, Orencia, and after 6 or 7 months, the Remicade. I am hopeful that the Cimzia is my drug. If it increases my liver enzymes, my GI doc has decided to do a liver biopsy because this is a situation that only applies to me. It did take about 2 weeks for my insurance company to approve this drug but it did get done. I have found that I am sharper mentally. I felt flat because of the lethargy, it was difficult to concentrate. This drug has worked very well for me so far. (I am a Registered Nurse that spends half of my day in a hospital and the other half in a Home Health office)
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