Guest guest Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 > Ron, > Does Humira work for you? Have you tried Enbrel first? > > Enbrel does not work for me. I might go for Humira, > and would love to hear your opinion! > > Thanks, > Hi , It's too soon to tell whether or not Humira is doing me any good. Right after my first Humira shot (and not long after my last Remicade infusion), I came down with a nasty cold my wife brought home from work that I can't seem to shake. My rheumy advised me to hold off on further Humira injections until I get rid of the cold. I was feeling pretty good right after my Humira injection while the Remicade was still in my system, but as both wear off I can feel the soreness in my hands and lower back beginning to return. Overall, I'm still in pretty good condition but thus far nothing has ever been able to get rid of the pain in my hands whenever I try to write or open bottles and jars, etc. Other than many, many NSAIDs and other treatments over the years, my progression has been: MTX, Arava (which I'm still on), Remicade, and finally Humira. I skipped Enbrel because it requires bi-weekly injections, mixing of the ingredients, and comes with large 24 gauge needles; whereas Humira only requires fortnight injections and it comes with 27 gauge needles (MUCH smaller than the Enbrel needles). Also, the Humira syringes are pre-filled so that no mixing is required. -- Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 Ron, Thank you very much for answering my questions. Are Humira injections painful? Do they really sting? Thanks, > > Ron, > > Does Humira work for you? Have you tried Enbrel first? > > > > Enbrel does not work for me. I might go for Humira, > > and would love to hear your opinion! > > > > Thanks, > > > > Hi , > > It's too soon to tell whether or not Humira is doing me any good. > Right after my first Humira shot (and not long after my last Remicade > infusion), I came down with a nasty cold my wife brought home from > work that I can't seem to shake. My rheumy advised me to hold off on > further Humira injections until I get rid of the cold. I was feeling > pretty good right after my Humira injection while the Remicade was > still in my system, but as both wear off I can feel the soreness in > my hands and lower back beginning to return. Overall, I'm still in > pretty good condition but thus far nothing has ever been able to get > rid of the pain in my hands whenever I try to write or open bottles > and jars, etc. > > Other than many, many NSAIDs and other treatments over the years, my > progression has been: MTX, Arava (which I'm still on), Remicade, and > finally Humira. I skipped Enbrel because it requires bi-weekly > injections, mixing of the ingredients, and comes with large 24 gauge > needles; whereas Humira only requires fortnight injections and it > comes with 27 gauge needles (MUCH smaller than the Enbrel needles). > Also, the Humira syringes are pre-filled so that no mixing is > required. > > -- Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 > Ron, > > Thank you very much for answering my questions. > > Are Humira injections painful? Do they really sting? > > Thanks, > Hi , No, it doesn't hurt at all - just a very slight prick the same as any other injection. It's virtually painless and leaves no mark or bruise whatsoever (at least on me). You just gather up a handful of flab... er, I mean skin tissue :-o, and inject into it subcutaneously. The needle is only 1/2 inch long and is very small (27 gauge). One thing the nurse cautioned me about is to be sure to withdraw the syringe plunger a tiny bit before injecting to make sure you haven't hit a vein. If you hit a vein, you'll draw a little bit of blood up into the syringe when you withdraw the plunger slightly before injecting - in which case you're supposed to try a different spot. Those of us who have had PA for any length of time are used to being treated like human pincushions and could probably be given an injection in our sleep without even waking up. ;-) Compared to the sharp shooting pains caused by the movement of damaged joints (not to mention the constant ache of a flare-up), an injection is nothing. If you're concerned about needles, just wait until the first time you have a knee aspirated. The doctor pulls out this HUGE syringe that can hold about a pint of liquid, with a very loooong needle attached that looks like something they might use on a horse! I think the idea is that you're supposed to pass out at the sight of it so the doctor can aspirate your knee while you're unconscious - LOL! Actually, the needle itself is just as thin as any other, and if the doctor does his job properly actually doesn't hurt much at all - except when he wiggles the needle around to suck up the last little bits of synovial fluid (sorry, I couldn't help myself! ;-). You have a lot to look forward to, . ;-) -- Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2003 Report Share Posted April 4, 2003 Ron, your answers are so informative! I am not afraid of needles for the same reason you described below accurately. Aspirations for one, constant pain as a part of my existence. I have PA for almost 30 years, so I experienced different tones of pain, and, nevertheless, still curious about additional pain that injections might bring. Each Enbrel injection feels more like a science project for me! I guess, pretty soon Humira will become one too Thanks, > > Ron, > > > > Thank you very much for answering my questions. > > > > Are Humira injections painful? Do they really sting? > > > > Thanks, > > > > > Hi , > > No, it doesn't hurt at all - just a very slight prick the same as any > other injection. It's virtually painless and leaves no mark or bruise > whatsoever (at least on me). You just gather up a handful of flab... > er, I mean skin tissue :-o, and inject into it subcutaneously. The > needle is only 1/2 inch long and is very small (27 gauge). One thing > the nurse cautioned me about is to be sure to withdraw the syringe > plunger a tiny bit before injecting to make sure you haven't hit a > vein. If you hit a vein, you'll draw a little bit of blood up into > the syringe when you withdraw the plunger slightly before injecting - > in which case you're supposed to try a different spot. > > Those of us who have had PA for any length of time are used to being > treated like human pincushions and could probably be given an > injection in our sleep without even waking up. ;-) Compared to the > sharp shooting pains caused by the movement of damaged joints (not to > mention the constant ache of a flare-up), an injection is nothing. > > If you're concerned about needles, just wait until the first time you > have a knee aspirated. The doctor pulls out this HUGE syringe that > can hold about a pint of liquid, with a very loooong needle attached > that looks like something they might use on a horse! I think the idea > is that you're supposed to pass out at the sight of it so the doctor > can aspirate your knee while you're unconscious - LOL! Actually, the > needle itself is just as thin as any other, and if the doctor does > his job properly actually doesn't hurt much at all - except when he > wiggles the needle around to suck up the last little bits of synovial > fluid (sorry, I couldn't help myself! ;-). > > You have a lot to look forward to, . ;-) > > -- Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 HI - does anyone have any information or preference on Enbrel vs. Humira - I just started Enbrel & I don't feel better yet, but it has only been about 3 weeks, trying not to get discouraged - thanks - (new) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 ...good luck. My rheumy told me it could take 2 months. I have a friend that felt a little better each day. I felt better the very next day so it is just different for everyone. I love enbrel. I had problems with the humira....the burn didn't leave my leg and caused a pressure sore that had to be treated at the wound care center...so my humira experience is not the best and very rare. even the benadryl after I called my dr didn't help much. But that is so rare and i did report it to Abbott and the FDA. I hope you start feeling just a tad better with each passing day. hugs..paula Ohio going to snow today...3 inches for our area. ************** A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221621488x1201450096/aol?redir=http:%2\ F%2Fwww.freecreditre port.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID%3D62%26bcd%3DAprilfooterNO 62) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Hi I was on Enbrel for 6 months, it just didn't help much. I take Humera now and it does seem to help my knees. I do know my Rhu said it would take 3-4 months for the Enbrel to work. So hang in there. Heidibug On Sun, Apr 5, 2009 at 10:04 PM, activegirl1968 <activegirl1968@...>wrote: > HI - does anyone have any information or preference on Enbrel vs. Humira > - I just started Enbrel & I don't feel better yet, but it has only been > about 3 weeks, trying not to get discouraged - > > thanks - (new) > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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