Friday, June 01, 2012

Thursday, June 19, 2008 Madeline Concepcion asks

Q: Humira

Does anyone know once I start my humira injection does it take the pain away for good or am I going to have flare up's while taking the Mx and doing the injections? and am I going to get sick from the injection? and if it does take the pain away about how long will it take for the pain to go away?

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Answers (2)
Christine Miller, Health Guide
6/22/08 3:49pm

Everyone responds differently to RA drugs. If you don't feel your body responding to the humira within a month or two, then you should talk to your doctor about it. You may continue to have flares and you may respond really well, even go into remission for a while. No drug will permanently cure the RA though.  Since Humira is an immune system inhibitor, it's really important to eat healthy, keep active and to get your flu shot and pneumoccal vaccine when they become available later this fall and to take extra precautions in public places by keeping your hands washed, etc. 

 

When I started Humira, I noticed a difference within the first few injections and I felt great for about a year.  After a year, I went through a phase where I was getting a cold every month or so, which I don't normally do.  Then after that I began flaring more in between injections, so I eventually switched to Enbrel which is a once a week drug.  It is really common for one's body to "get used" to the drug(s) that you are taking, resulting in a need to switch up dosages or medications.  That's why it's important to have good communication with your rheumatologist. 

 

I hope this is helpful.

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9/22/08 6:37pm

For me it took two to three weeks to take away most of the pain. But I could feel a difference the morning after, although there was still some pain and inflammation. I have now been taking it along with methotrexate for about 15 months.  I have felt well enough to play basketball up until a few months ago.  I have noticed that my degree of comfort seems to be slipping in recent weeks. At my last meeting with the doctor I mentioned it and he increased my weekly dosage of methotrexate to six, which seemed to help for awhile.  FYI, I was in bad shape when I first started taking humira after trying the natural way for 18 months.

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By Madeline Concepcion— Last Modified: 12/24/10, First Published: 06/19/08