How long do I try Humira

[Mtx]

I have been on Humira 5 1/2 months. When I started I was on entocort. I tapered off the entocort 3 months ago. For the last few weeks I have been feeling worse than I have in years. I don't feel any better the days after my injection than I do days before. I'm not sure weekly injections would help. I was hoping humira would work a little better than it seems to be. I don't go back to my G I until November. I am hoping this is just temporary. How long should I wait for humira to work better? Should I be looking at trying another medication? Any advice would be helpful.

 

[theOcean]

Can you book an appointment sooner with your GI?

I think you're definitely at the point where you can start considering another medication. Maybe you could ask about getting an antibody test to see if you built up any to Humira, which might explain why it's not working that well for you. You could also try doing combination therapy, where you're on Humira and an immunosuppressant (Imuran/6mp/Methotrexate). That's what I've been on because Humira on its own isn't enough for my illness.

 

[Mtx]

Thanks for responding! I wasn't able to take imuran because of a certain level in my blood (can't remember exact name). It seems quite a few people take methotrexate along with humira. I will see what my doctor says. I will also ask him about the antibody test. I did really well on entocort but it's not for long term treatment.

 

[Maya142]

My daughter took 8 months to respond to Humira (after 3 months we made the injection weekly, and after 5 we added Methotrexate). When it finally worked, it was like a miracle! After 2 years Humira stopped working (probably because she took herself off Methotrexate after a while -- teenagers:ybatty:!) and we were so sad because it really was a miracle for her.

Definitely ask your doctor about the antibody test, since you could have antibodies, but don't write off making the injection weekly or adding an immunomodulator. It really might work!
Good luck!

 

[MikeinBklyn]

I'll agree with the possibility of upping the dose to every week.

 

[Essieluv]

This is definitely something to bring up at your GI appointment. Humira can take a couple months to kick in, for some people even 6-8 months. I would mention the possibility of getting the shots weekly or every ten days. Another possiblity would be to add in Methotrexate or a short taper of Prednisone to help lower inflammation while the Humira is kicking in.

Just curious, have you had any recent bloodwork? It may be a good idea to get a set of CRP, ESR, and CBC with differential to get a clear picture of whether the Humira is lowering your inflammation.

 

[Patricia56]

I wouldn't wait until November. Call and tell them you are doing poorly and need to be seen sooner to discuss a change of treatment plan. And I wouldn't second guess what the doc will advise - it might be changing dose/frequency, adding another med or dropping Humira and doing something different altogether.

But call tomorrow. You don't want to get worse and have it turn into an emergency.