How long does humira take to work?

[sam1]

Hi my son has started humira 9 weeks ago and dosnt seem to be getting any improvement, he injects once a fortnight, how long does it take to work?

 

[nogutsnoglory]

It can take up to 12 weeks for a reduction in symptoms. After that I would discuss another option with the GI since it would appear Humira is not helping.

From the Humira website:

"Among patients who were not in response by week 12, therapy continued beyond 12 weeks did not result in significantly more responses."

http://humira.com/Crohns/Faq

 

[sam1]

Thanks for reply, getting worried that its not going to work and that theres not a lot else left to try!

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Sorry, I can see how it would be discouraging after 9 weeks. Who knows, maybe it will magically kick in one day soon? I hope it will.

Has he tried Remicade or Cimzia?

 

[Clash]

What other meds has your son tried? There are other biologics such as Remicade and Cimzia though I don't think Cimzia is approved in the UK although I could be totally wrong.

Has he tried any of the immunosuppressants like AZA or methotrexate?

I agree I would be discussing lack of improvement with the GI soon to see what else he may have up his sleeve.

My son went straight to Remicade upon dx, with a short stint of pred, while awaiting remicade approval and ped GI appt. He had no improvement with Pred and improvement right away with Remicade but when we got past the loading doses of Remicade he couldn't last the full 8 weeks without symptoms. His schedule was tweaked, his dose was increased and then we finally added Methotrexate. He was on both MTX and Remicade for 8 months then we dropped the MTX and now he only does Remicade, so far so good.

I do hope he is able to find a treatment to relieve his symptoms soon!

 

[sam1]

Hes tried azathioprine, 6mp and methotrexate all sent his liver enzymes sky high! Havnt tried remicade yet, so maybe his consultant will try that next, im worrying that it will be surgery!

 

[Clash]

I posted two links below, the first is a great article/thread on switching biologics and the second a good article/thread on optimizing biologics, you may want to check them out. I would give the Remicade a go if the problems are due to inflammation, if they are due to scar tissue then surgery might be the most feasible route.

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=42119

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=42140

 

[cosmic dave]

Humira worked for me from day 1. Guess I was lucky. .

2

 

[Careyearl]

I have been on Humira for 5 weeks and I am now noticing very slight changes so I feel it is slowly working. I find I'm not as tired as I was.

 

[sam1]

Ive been reading up on how long it can take to work, lots say bout 3 mths so we will keep going for bit longer! Thanks for your replies x

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Please keep us posted and don't be too discouraged if this doesn't work out. There are other options.