Humira

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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)

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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?

[Guest guest]

" 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,

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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.

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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.

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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.

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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...

[Guest guest]

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

[Guest guest]

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