First dose problems

[Juuh]

Hi!

I started Humira few days ago after problems with Remicade. I have been on Remi 2006-07 but after having it again early this year I had adverse reaction. So, couple of months break and I started Humira. First dose with pen and I managed to mess it up! After 8 seconds or so I saw the pen turn to yellow, took it off too quickly for some reason and it was still dripping from the needle. Whole thing with the pen was confusing at first! Second loading dose went fine, no pain at all actually. My question is, how important is this first double dose? It seems I got some of it but not all of it thats for sure. I feel bad for messing things right at the beginning.

Are you also taking Azathioprine? My doc told me I might have a break with Aza so I might have only Humira if it works for me.

 

[theOcean]

Oh dear! When I originally started Humira, my GI actually set me up at a clinic with a nurse to teach me the first time I did it. The yellow is supposed to be indicative of when to remove the pen though, like you thought. Maybe just wait a few extra seconds next time.

I've been looking it up on the Humira website, but I think it's mainly important during the loading dose to just try and get a response/get it into your system. I've definitely had weeks where I haven't given myself my Humira perfectly, but I've been fine. You can call your GI and doublecheck if you feel the need to, but I think you're fine.

I was on Imuran when I first started, but felt it was causing some side-effects and stopped. Now I'm just on Humira and I'm doing fine. My GI does eventually want to get me back on another immunosuppressant, but that's because my illness is so severe. (My loading dose was also four injections, not two, if that's any indication!)

Hope this helps!

 

[Juuh]

I had nurse teaching me also but there was nothing much to do when I took the needle out too quickly. I saw yellow, I took it off, on second pen I realized it goes yellow slowly... I told her that it would have been nice to actually test the pen mechanism before injecting with it. She had test pen but that just made the clicking sound, nothing else. I might switch to conventional syringe instead.

I am not having any symptoms at the moment so the only way to tell if Humira works is by checking results with colonoscopy, I am scheduled to go on early may. Lets see maybe after that I know if I am taken off from Aza as well! Never had problems with that though...

Four injections loading dose is for someone who has never had biologics before I think? Or with something really severe...

 

[theOcean]

Definitely try the syringe if you're curious! I tried it with a nurse as well, but I can't look at needles so that wasn't very successful for me. Some people prefer the syringe because you can inject much slower, or control the speed better than with the pen.

Good luck with the colonoscopy! When I went for mine in February, they also did a test to see if Humira was helping me/to check if I had built up antibodies or not. Maybe you can ask if they do that for you, too.

I'm not too sure... I was on Remicade before switching to Humira, so I think for me it might've been the severity.

 

[mallowpufft]

When the nurse taught me how to do the injectiom with the humira pen, she told me to wait ten seconds after pushing the button before I remove it.
I can hear it run out around the 7-8 second mark and the yellow is down, but I wait the full 10 count. And I occasionally have a drip or two from the end of the neede.

 

[Pam48]

I was told to count to 10 also.

 

[Juuh]

They told me that also but somehow I got it out too soon anyway! On second dose I held it more like 20. It was funny, it seemed that it was dripping from the injection site in my stomach, not from needle. Anyways, I won´t be stressing any more with that, not much to do about it at this point. Now I know how it works and its super easy from now on! Thanks for your comments.