Hi. I have had chron's since 2003 and since then i have tried everything. Started with asacol...6mp....azathioprine...pred after pred after pred ... Then in 2005 i was started on remicade and boy did it work. Everything was going fine until a couple of months ago my doc said she wanted do a colonoscopy just because they wanted to see how i was doing. I said ok...worst decision ever, the damn doc doing the proceedure perforated my bowel. I was hospitalised and woken at 2am telling me i had to have surgery. I had been ok until then so i fought and refused surgery. They told me if my bowel got infected it could be life threatening. But i didnt feel that bad really just pain. They put me on polymeric diet and flagyl/cipro. After 3 weeks my bowel healed but my chron's went mental. Since then i have been back in hospital 3 times because now the remicade has stopped working. Im on 40mg of pred and still in terrible pain also lots of D, which ive never suffered with before. My doc now says iust have surgery but i have convinced him to try me on humira. My question is if your body stops responding to remicade will humira work? My doc doesnt seem to think it will. Oh and if anyone knows the doc that perforated me throw rocks at him!!
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Last chance humira
- Thread starter Kopite
- Start date
I`m reading a lot about Remicade and Humira and it seems like it just stops working for a lot of people. Were you on anything else while you were on either Remicade and Humira?
I don't remember specifically, but I was on Entocort, Pentasa, Aciphex and possibly prednisone at some point while on Remicade or Humira. Entocort or Pentasa has never helped me, the Aciphex is for reflux, and the prednisone would have been used when I was flaring after the Remicade/Humira stopped working. That being said, I'm fairly certain it was the Remicade and Humira helping.
None of my doctors have mentioned that, but that's interesting. I'll be sure to ask soon.
The reason that I asked is because I've heard that if you're not on another immunosuppresant while taking Remicade it increases your chances of building up antibodies. As far as antibodies disappearing, I don't think so. It's like the saying, once you're sick with one strand of a cold, you will never get that same strand again. I tend to think that those that started Remicade again in the future stopped taking it in the first place due to another reason other than building up antibodies.
That makes sense. I did a bit of googling about restarting Remicade and there wasn't a lot about it (or I need better search terms). Numerous women stopped it in order to get pregnant and restarted after that, but didn't see anything about restarting it after you become immune to it. The women reported that their doctors were hesitant about restarting them because it can increase the chance of allergic reaction. Didn't find too much info yet.
Ya before I started Remicade I tried to research it as well, and couldn't really find much other than what I've read in forums and such sites. The only thing I've heard is that you have a greater chance of developing antibodies if you're not taking another immunosuppresant with it as well as if you stop taking it for whatever reason (ie: miss dose, or stop treatment for any duration of time) you can become resistant to it/allergic to it.
So it really seems like if you start the medication you're on it for life, if it helps. Because if you go off it, become immune, then you get flare ups again you won't be able to go back on it. Kinda scary when you think about it.
If u have a loss of response to remicade it will not necassarily mean that Humira will not work. Remicade contains a mouse protein and other things, while Humira is a completely humanized medication. Your body responds differently because Remicade can affect other organs in the body (ex. liver). Humira will not react the same way since it is a humanized TNF blocker.
I'm in a similar situation as you. Diagnosed in 2003, tried everything, eventually had surgery (7 years later). I was anaphylactic to Remicade, and non-responsive to Humira (landed up in the ER with 104.7F fever, I was hallucinating on the floor) as well as Cimzia. This time I'm on Humira post-op so I'm hoping it works, though my nurse said I may be class-resistant, as in biologic/TNF blocker resistant. I'm hoping that's not the case because like you, nothing has worked for me. There is a breakthrough in helminthic therapy but that's another story altogether. I wish you best of luck with Humira. Keep us posted
Why don't you try helminthic therapy? I was able to achieve a full remission using it.
humira was the miricle drug that put me in remission my insurence paid for all of it it kept me in remission even when i decided to take it periodidcally...i became alergic to it and because it was the one thing my docs found that worked for me they didn't want to switch and i read about cimzia...not allergic to it at all and so far produces the same results...i think better 
i pushed for the switch...it helps that my doctor humors my adventures because medicne is all about trial and error just know that there are other aproaches to help without the use of surgery
i pushed for the switch...it helps that my doctor humors my adventures because medicne is all about trial and error just know that there are other aproaches to help without the use of surgery- Location
- New Jersey
Hi, Kopite.
I'm sorry to hear of your bad experiences with your other medications and doctors. Like you, my GI had tried just about everything, including Methotrexate and Remicade. Both worked in the short term. I've now been on Humira for 2 years, and that has helped with the remission.
So to answer your question, yes, if Remicade does stop working, then Humira may help.
I'm sorry to hear of your bad experiences with your other medications and doctors. Like you, my GI had tried just about everything, including Methotrexate and Remicade. Both worked in the short term. I've now been on Humira for 2 years, and that has helped with the remission.
So to answer your question, yes, if Remicade does stop working, then Humira may help.
I was on Remicade from 2005-2006 when I got pregnant. Remicade was aweseom for me put me into remission and I had no reactions to it whatsoever.
When I got pregnant I decided to stop the remicade just because I didnt feel the drug had been around long enough and no one can say for certainty that it wouldnt affect my baby. Luckily I remained in remisssion until just a few months ago I even had a second child. (which I'm pretty sure is what kicked my butt out of remission..)
Anyway, Things got really bad fast and in the end we decided that it was either remicade again or try humira to get things under control. There was discussion that since I have been on remicade before it may not work this time around if my body has developed immunities to it. Needing to get things under control fast I've decided to try Humira. I like the convenience of at home injections as well since we now live 2 hrs to the closest place I could even get a Remicade infusion. I was told that because humira is human based it is less likely to develop immunities to it as well. So far i've had the loading dose and am due for my second dose ( the dbl shot) on Thursday.
Good luck to you on whichever you choose.
So all in all I'd give humira a try unless you'd rather try remicade again first. Many people have been able to go on or off either one.
When I got pregnant I decided to stop the remicade just because I didnt feel the drug had been around long enough and no one can say for certainty that it wouldnt affect my baby. Luckily I remained in remisssion until just a few months ago
I even had a second child. (which I'm pretty sure is what kicked my butt out of remission..)Anyway, Things got really bad fast and in the end we decided that it was either remicade again or try humira to get things under control. There was discussion that since I have been on remicade before it may not work this time around if my body has developed immunities to it. Needing to get things under control fast I've decided to try Humira. I like the convenience of at home injections as well since we now live 2 hrs to the closest place I could even get a Remicade infusion. I was told that because humira is human based it is less likely to develop immunities to it as well. So far i've had the loading dose and am due for my second dose ( the dbl shot) on Thursday.
Good luck to you on whichever you choose.
So all in all I'd give humira a try unless you'd rather try remicade again first. Many people have been able to go on or off either one.