Does Humira work like Remicade

[carey]

my doc had me on remicade which works wonders for my crohns but for my 2nd infusion they couldnt get a line on me even after 4 tries. so my doc now wants me to go on humira instead. i should add here that before this infusion i have been off remicade for a yr due to problems with insurance. my question is should i be worried about switching medications? does humira work like remicade? has anyone encountered any issues with this drug? my doc really didnt give me any answers. it was more like, this is what were gonna do, have a nice day.

 

[ameslouise]

Hi Carey - I don't think you have to worry about switching, the drugs work pretty much the same way. You might even be better off going with the Humira. If you are off Remicade for any length of time, it's possible to build up antibodies to it and you could have a reaction or it becomes ineffective.

Take a poke around the Humira forum in treatments for more info/advice.

Good luck! -Amy

 

[Crohns08]

The reactions are the same I believe if you were to have an allergic reaction to the humira. You can pick the pens or the syringes, however I would vote for the pens. It's really just a personal preference and whether you can handle the sight of a needle. People switch from remicade to humira all the time. If there should be a time period before the switch, I don't know.

 

[beth]

Switching to Humira should not present any allergy/antibody problems, at least a fair number of people swap over and I dont remember much talk on here about problems. It works just the same way as Remicade, except it is a fully humanised antibody.

 

[LadyVik]

I was on Remicade and had a bad allergic reaction so got switched to Humira. You are less likely to have a reaction on Humira because of the proteins. Remicade is mice, Humira is human.. or something like that. Don't quote me on it But my Dr seemed a lot happier with me on Humira and I have been for over a year now, second try. I stopped it myself the first time. Anyway, I would ask about having it with Methotrexate as it works better, same as when they do Remicade with Az.... Can never remember the name, sorry. Anway, ask away on here and do as much research as you can.

 

[Manzyb]

I also made the switch from Remicade to Humira with no problems at all. The only thing I've noticed with both meds is that they seem to become more ineffective for me the longer I take them.