If you stop Humira, can your Crohns return even worse?

[Steve_in_orlando]

Basically I want to know if there is a rebound effect where stopping Humira means your Crohns comes back even worse than before you ever took it.

My doctor told me that Humira helps my flare ups but I can't really see a different in how I feel from before I started it.

 

[ronroush7]

I am not sure but I wouldn't stop it.

 

[JackG]

I've been told its all about inflammation. After many years of occasional flairs and other Crohn's problems, I had two strictures in a couple of years. Given my history with other meds, my GI suggested Humira. Since then (about 4 years) I've avoided more strictures and most every other problem too.

Humira isn't a cure; but inflammation causes problems even before you have any symptoms. By then you're in trouble. Also, once you get away from Humira, you might develop antibodies and not be able to come back to it. There's only so many biologics on the market. If you're a young person, you've got your whole life to life with it. I've had it for 35 years.

Find out what foods bother you (like dairy) and avoid them. Also look into probiotics. It all helps.

 

[Ozboz]

YES DON"T STOP I DID BAD MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was on humira at first didn't work for few months I was ready to kick in the towel, then it started working less toilet trips less leakage no aches and pains felt great albeit I did get fatigue from it on and off. So I decided to stop and talked to my GI his response was well if you want to stop then stop bad mistake.
Now I'm totally FUBAR. Need a ileostomy cause my large intestine is strictured and damaged beyond repair from the crohn's and I was really sick just a few months after stopping humira if you feel it's working then I suggest you keep going with it Otherwise the consequences of stopping will be far worse

 

[Scipio]

I haven't heard that the Crohn's comes back worse after stopping than if you had never the Humira at all, but it will definitely come back. And after it comes back it will over time continue to get worse and worse since it is no longer under any control.

If the Humira isn't working very well I suggest having the doc look into dose optimization (maybe you need a bigger dose?) or switching to a another biologic. But as the others have said above, it's probably a bad idea to stop the Humira and go back to taking nothing at all.