No antibiotics with Humira?

[My Butt Hurts]

I am going to be starting Humira any day now, as soon as it arrives on the front porch.
However, I am on metro and cipro currently, and they can't be taken with Humira - true?
I can't seem to get a straight answer from my colorectal surgeon (who put my on the antibiotics) or my gastroenterologist (who put me on the Humira) when to stop the antibiotics. I can't ask the pharmacist, because I'm not picking it up there. Does anybody know??
I would assume that a day or 2 off of it would be fine, but I really don't want to mess up my first Humira dose.
Anyone?
(I know...... ask my Dr. again...sheesh.... )

Keep your fingers crossed for my first injections!!!

 

[Sojourn]

You could also call the Humira hotline 800-4-Humira. Or go to the website and request a call from a nurse.

http://www.myhumira.com/NurseSupport/Default.aspx

 

[My Butt Hurts]

I was going to try the Humira hotline next, but I thought I'd ask you "professionals" first. (I swear we know more than the doctors.)

I'd almost bet that the nurse wouldn't be allowed to tell me to stop the other meds. We'll see.

 

[katiesue1506]

Nope... I was put on Cipro for an infection and I had to skip my Humira until I was done with the Cipro.

 

[Kev]

I'd be interested to hear what the final, 'official' verdict is, and hopefully, their reasoning behind it. Yeah, like they'd ever be that forthcoming to us 'patients'

 

[saidinstouch]

I've been told it shouldn't make a difference as they interact differently in the body. The Humira hotline is your best bet, but in none of my reading the pamphlets with Humira have I seen anything saying not to take it with antibiotics. I don't want to say this 100%, but my feeling is that it just depends how familiar the doctor is with the medication and its clinical studies and how they feel about it. It could just be caution, but I know when I was on levaquin and flagyl a few weeks back due to a major flare, they didn't have me stop the Humira at all (though the doctors may not have known what it was).

 

[katiesue1506]

Here's how I think it works... technically you can be on Humira while taking other meds... however it is counter productive to take an antibiotic while your immune system is being suppressed... because antibiotics work in conjunction with your immune system

 

[saidinstouch]

The antibiotics actually don't typically work with your immune system. They often block a specific part of the bacteria's reproductive process. Some of them block the exit port of the ribosome which prevents protein elongation, others block binding of specific proteins involved in bacterial replication. I don't remember all of the specifics from my biochem class, but I do remember most of them seem to be more directly involved in their activity than requiring the immune system. The immune system would be needed to help clear the bacteria however so there might be some other roll, but I'm not sure if its because it requires the immune system. However, since I'm not an immunologist and I haven't focused on learning this stuff, I could very well be wrong about most antibiotics.

 

[Kev]

Pure speculation, but it could be a totally precautionary stance. anti-biotics kill off both good and bad bacteria w/o discrimination... and the bad seem to bounce back faster. W/o a 100% effective immuno response, seems plausible that it would leave one wide open (the lack of good guys & immune response) to nasty opportunistic infections. and once they gained a foothold (or colon hold, whatever) then it could be really bad. After all, many of the immuno suppressors we take are identical to the drugs taken by folks with leukemia, etc.. albeit in much lower doses. Even so, they are typcially held in clean rooms, wear surgical masks, have to be secluded away from opportunistic diseases, etc,.. Figure that we've got to watch ourselves too (even if to a lesser extent). compounding that with a/b (and their potential 'negative' effects - like, my kids had constant ear infections as little tykes - typically end up on a/b's, then afterwards it almost always followed a secondary bad 'thrush' or 'diaper rash' infection). It probably is an over-simplification, AND there MAY be further reasons for not combining humira (or similar) with a/b's, but this by itself makes sense.

 

[saidinstouch]

Hmm, Kev you make sense on that one. It's a shame that the field of pharmaceutical research is so vast because I'll never get to learn it all and it really intrigues me. It probably comes down to a judgement call in the end whether your current condition warrants the risk or if you are in remission and can afford to wait just to be sure.

 

[TammySue62]

I am going to be starting Humira any day now, as soon as it arrives on the front porch.
However, I am on metro and cipro currently, and they can't be taken with Humira - true?
I can't seem to get a straight answer from my colorectal surgeon (who put my on the antibiotics) or my gastroenterologist (who put me on the Humira) when to stop the antibiotics. I can't ask the pharmacist, because I'm not picking it up there. Does anybody know??
I would assume that a day or 2 off of it would be fine, but I really don't want to mess up my first Humira dose.
Anyone?
(I know...... ask my Dr. again...sheesh.... )

Keep your fingers crossed for my first injections!!!

I have taken cipro while on Humira to try and slow down the drainage of my fistulas.It did help a bit