When to give up on Humira? - was Re: New Enbrel user question

[Guest guest]

Dawn, I would take it slowly if I were you. How long have you been on the

increased dose? Have you given that at least 3 months to help? How long have

you been declining? Are there any other possible explanations for the setbacks

- illness, added stress, doing too much, etc.?

For 6 months from October through most of March, I was steadily declining on

Humira. I was back taking Tramadol for pain morning and night, which I had not

needed for a year.

But here are some factors that made me decide to ride it out - I had my

daughter's wedding in October and overdid it physically; I took 3 out-of-town

trips in November and December plus the holidays which are physically demanding

and stressful; I had out-of-town company in November and overdid it physically;

I had a cold in January; I eventually had to delay my weekly Humira injection by

4 days when the cold did not resolve after 2 weeks. Any or all of those kinds

of things can explain why I was hurting more and having the old severe fatigue

and brain-fog recurring.

Then, in March I discovered that my refrigerator dial somehow got turned up and

my fridge was only cooling to 46 degrees which is the max allowed for Humira. I

don't know how long that had been going on nor who much that could effect the

potency of Humira. But I did debate whether to order another 3-month supply or

give up and ask my rheumy for something else.

In the end I decided to give Humira 3 more months before considering a change.

I got my new shipment and within 3 days of the first injection I did a complete

180 degree turnaround. That was 3 weeks ago and now I feel like my old self

again. I don't which of the factors was responsible for my decline, or maybe it

was all of the above.

But I'm glad I stuck it out. I'm only 56 and expect to live at least another 30

years. There are only a small handful of medications available to help us, and

new ones are developed and approved very, very slowly. You don't want to get

behind the curve with your drugs. Made each one last as long as possible.

" S. Zorzi " <szorzi_1999@...>