Guest guest Posted October 25, 2003 Report Share Posted October 25, 2003 Hi group, we have to decide with our son (systemic jra age 12 ) which drug to give him, remicade, enbrel or humira. anyone out there have a child on humira ??? Thanks Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 Jane- I don't have a child on Humira, but I do have an adult friend with RA who takes it. She refers to it as her "miracle drug." Diane (, 4, pauci) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 He says that it stings really bad. They have tried everything, but nothing helps. It has really helped him, and his doctor has mentioned about the doubling up on it for better results. We saw Borzy today and he mentioned enbrel. He is waiting to see what her labs are. I am glad that humira has helped your daughter. (n, 15, systemic) humira , I'm glad the humira is working for your brother. Does he say anything about it stinging when it goes in? Is anyone else using humira?Tori was on enbrel for 2 1/2 years along w/ prednisone, mtx & ibprophen. We never saw any difference. Everytime we tried to lower pred. she went to an even worse level for flare up & higher dose of pred.This past July, Dr. Borzy switched to humira. In Dec. we finally started getting better labs & are trying to lower once again. Doc. says if she flares again, he wants to double the humira. (She's already getting an adult dose.)Tori says she'd rather have daily enbrel shots rather the the 2x per month she has now. She's 8yrs. and never complains about the monthly blood draws nor did she about the enbrel shots. I called the manufacturer and they say the med. is a different ph than the body. I'm just wondering if anyone has found a "trick" to the shot. We've tried numbing the area & leaving it out to warm up a bit. I knew it was really bugging her when she got out the calendar to count out every other Wed. to see if she was going to have to have the shot near her bday in July! (She's happy it's not=] .)Any ideas?????Thanks, Tori, 8ys, systemic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 Hi Leonora, I've been on Humira since October. My PA is better than it has been in 10 years and even my fingernails are beginning (it takes a long time for fingernails to grow from quick to tip) to smooth out. I am in my 50s and have permanent joint damage is some places. Humira cannot reverse that, however, it may help stem the progression of the disease. In the meantime, I am feeling so much better and am truly elated. Unlike MTX, I have no fatigue and, indeed, have more energy than I can remember feeling in a long, long time. You can read more about it at: www.humira.com and no, I don't own shares in Abbott Laboratories. Wishing you wellness, Kathy F. Does anyone know if this drug has been successful for treating PA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 12, 2004 Report Share Posted February 12, 2004 " Does anyone know if this drug has been successful for treating PA? " I had better luck with Enbrel, than with Humira, even double doses of Humira. This is just me though. Everyone reacts differently with the meds. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 13, 2004 Report Share Posted February 13, 2004 makeitquit@... writes: <<I had better luck with Enbrel, than with Humira, even double doses of Humira. This is just me though. Everyone reacts differently with the meds.>> Speaking of double doses, I was going to take Raptiva given by my derm only my rheumy talked me out of it saying it is not known to help PA only P. I told my derm and they want to try Enbrel on my 50 mg twice a week because the 25 mg usual dose did not work. He said they did a study and found some people need a higher dosage. Has anyone doubled up yet on Enbrel. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 Janet, I am now on 75mg a week. I tried 100mg and started having bad headaches, so dropped it back to 75 and seem to be doing well. Good Luck, Sherri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 14, 2004 Report Share Posted February 14, 2004 I injected Enbrel every week with no results. I developed swelling in my ankles and had to take a water pill. After that, I started Humira (regular dose) and it worked...for a while. Now, I'm double dosing the Humira and it's helped a lot although I'm not 100%....about 75% (which I can live with). I haven't developed any swelling or complications in the past 6 months or so that I've been using Humira. The Enbrel was not effective for me and the swelling was quite scary. I recommend anyone using either one of these drugs to monitor fluid retension in their legs and ankles and see your doctor if it occurs...immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2004 Report Share Posted February 15, 2004 I've only had one shot of humira and I could tell a Great difference. I've tried enbrel and remicade, enbrel did nothing and remicade helped some. Jan in AL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Jan in AL that sounds promising. My rheumy told me that is Enbrel didn't work that he did not think Humira would. Please keep me up to date on your progress. Good luck. I happy you are having success. Janet JANET Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Janet, I am not sure why your rheumy came to that conclusion. That is akin to saying that because MTX didn't work, neither would Arava. Enbrel and Humira have different chemical formulae. It is certainly conceiveable that neither will work; it is equally likely that both will or that one will if the other doesn't. They are unrelated medicines. I would ask your doctor what about the chemistry of both Enbrel and Humira is so alike that they either both will work, or both won't. In any case, I certainly hope that you find your magic potion soon. Best, Kathy F. Jan in AL that sounds promising. My rheumy told me that is Enbrel didn't work that he did not think Humira would. Please keep me up to date on your progress. Good luck. I happy you are having success. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 My BC/BS insurance has denied humira for PA, could someone that knows that humira has been approved for pa please forward me the site. Thanks, Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2004 Report Share Posted March 8, 2004 Jan, I'm on BC/BS for medical and Caremark for prescription drugs and they approved me for Humira. My rheumy wrote a fairly detailed letter to them regarding the length of my involvement with PA, the extent of my physical problems and other medications that I had tried and failed on. Humira was then approved while I was still sitting in the doctor's office. Perhaps you just need to ask your doctor to turn up the heat (or the charm) with the prescription drug representative. Perhaps you can also contact Humira (www.humira.com) for assistance with the insurance company. Best of luck, Kathy F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 In a message dated 3/11/2004 8:01:58 AM Pacific Standard Time, lakehelen_girl@... writes: it is a sub-cutaneous injection 2x/month for treatment of Reiters/ra . does it help with Fibromyalgia? Is it something I should consider asking for Adrienne? K Adrienne's mom Adrienne age 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 Helen, I have been on Humira for about 8 months now. It has been exceptionally effective for my moderately advanced AS. Like your husband, I was on Indocin for more than 15 years..and was unable to continue due to the kidney problems that come with long term use of NSAID. My arthritis pain has decreased about 70% (mostly the fibositis type pain that we have in our muscles and ligaments). My joint pain is somewhat better...I still have pain in my SI area, which is completely fused. Other areas that were giving me trouble and fusion (T/L/C spine) are so much better. I take Methotrexate at low doses with the Humira. I saw a great difference in my pain levels after three days of starting Humira. Humira is currently undergoing a clinical trial for AS. It is the third anti TNF drug and is considered as effective as Enbrel and Remicade which have been approved for AS and some other spondy diseases. We do have others in our group that have Reiter's...which are on one of the TNF-a drugs...some are on " off label " as their Rheumatologists have learned through the research that these drugs help spondy even more than they do RA. When they were doing the last Enbrel studies...they were giving half the patients a placebo, but when they saw that the ones who were getting the " real thing " were doing so well...they went ahead and gave them the Enbrel.. so they could also benefit. There is no question these drugs benefit and can prevent more damage to joints and slow fusion. This is most important for many of us. Many doctors feel that these drugs should be started earlier to prevent this damage and pain. It has also helped my IBD. Best regards, Connie (granny) http://drugdiscovery.biocompare.com/news.asp?id=26417 http://www.spondylitis.org/MedicalResearch/spartanguideline.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 RESEARCH raises more than one debate Palm Beach Post - Palm Beach,FL,USA .... called Humira, which treats some autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. ... solutions, then drips them into hundreds of test tubes containing reactive ... http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/news_04a43a\ 4f438850c2000e.html Rick Hahn rick@... http://www.risg.org ----- Original Message ----- From: <Firstwifek@...> > it is a sub-cutaneous injection 2x/month > for treatment of Reiters/ra . > does it help with Fibromyalgia? Is it something I should consider asking for > Adrienne? > K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 Hi everyone, I received Humira today and would like to take it for the first time. Enbrel did not help me and I am hoping this will. I am leaving NY Saturday to take a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale which will be a week and then I will visit with my mom and sister in Florida for several days after the cruise. I am going to hobble around the ship. My question is should I begin Humira now or wait to begin it when I get back home? My concern is flying on a plane and then being on a ship with hundreds of people. I know Humira lowers your immune system and I seem to pick up sinus infections on planes. I'm just wonder if one dose woud actually do that much to my immune system. I wanted to know if any of you had some advice on this. JANET Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Janet, I began Humira 3 days before a 5 day hectic business trip to Europe and had no problems at all. Since beginning Humira, I've only had one very mild cold, which is less illness than I've experienced in any other winter that I can remember. I am in NYC so it's not as if I live in a bubble and haven't been exposed! On the other hand, it is probably not a good idea to begin something new and powerful right before a journey IN CASE you have an adverse reaction. My experience has been very positive, but everyone's system is different. Best of luck to you with the Humira. Bon Voyage, Kathy F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Hi Janet, I'd go ahead and start it if I were you. It's going to take some time to get into your system before it starts working anyway. I've been on it for almost three months and haven't been ill at all. Have fun on you trip! Warm blessings, Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Is anyone having trouble getting approved for humira by their insurance? I have BC/BS and they have refused coverage for humira for PA. I've paid for 2 months worth of humira. and I saw results after the first shot. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Jan, I have really good insurance, TriCare, as my husband is a activated army reservist. My rheumy wanted to try to get me on Humira instead of Enbrel since he has seen better results with Humira clearing the skin. When we submitted the request I was denied, with the reason being that it is only approved for RA and I only have a diagnosis of PA. I'm sure that my insurance would grant my request if we appealed by my doc doesn't want to since they have already approved Enbrel for me. Axelrod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share Posted March 15, 2004 Hi Jan, I also have BC/BS, but the rheumy wrote down that I have RA to get Humira approval. How did you manage to pay for it w/o the insurance coverage - it's so expensive. Warm blessings, Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2004 Report Share Posted March 18, 2004 In a message dated 3/11/2004 4:15:52 PM Eastern Standard Time, Grannyof9@... writes: There is no question these drugs benefit and can prevent more damage to joints and slow fusion. This is most important for many of us. Many doctors feel that these drugs should be started earlier to prevent this damage and pain. It has also helped my IBD. Best regards, Connie (granny) AMEN... and skin conditions ... Amen Again ... essexhaus@... Just some input ...Walter...R.S.28years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2004 Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 Hi Janet, Hope your trip was wonderful, all-in-all. Yes, Humira injections sting but I not get so much relief that I welcome the sting. For me it goes away after 7 seconds (I've counted). It took me about 8 weeks before I noticed a dramatic difference after starting Humira. Wishing you wellness, Kathy F. Those of you on Humira, I would like to know how long it took to see improvement. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 27, 2004 Report Share Posted March 27, 2004 hi janet hope you had a great time - i also just started humira - and yes the " magic fire " is very different from enbrel - today was my second dose - but i did see a difference the first week - i also take mtx and prednisone - freeze the injection site first for about 5 mins - it didnt sting nearly as bad as the first time!! Wishing you luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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