Vertigo with Humira

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Nov 13, 2011
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Ive been on Humira for about 6 months and I'm having a terrible time with constant dizziness. It's ok when I hold still but when I'm laying down or rolling over in bed at night, the room spins terribly. Is this a side effect? I really would hate to stop taking it, but this is driving me crazy!
 
Hi Janelle,

I've never taken Humira, but have experienced a lot of vertigo in the last 8 months myself, due to an unrelated condition/accident so I feel your worries & misery.

Humira can cause vertigo in around 2% of patients, and of those 2%, 75% tend to be female so you could just be in the unlucky 2%. All drugs have side-effects experienced differently by each individual but there are strategies for coping.

Be aware you may 'spin-out' whenever you move around, and plan ahead. I tend to take a brief thought just before I change position from standing to lying down(and vice versa)/changing position in bed etc, a deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, and hang onto something (just in case). Over time, controlling your breathing really helps. You could also speak to your doctor about the possibility of going on to a drug called Betahistine which is an ant-vertigo drug that I took for some months to get control of it.

Exercise also helps - I've found that the more I just sit around, the worse it gets. Moving more means less spinning in my experience so take walks when you can if you're not doing any other exercise as getting the blood flowing is not only good for vertigo, but also for your GI tract as a whole. Don't go crazy and go off running, or bike riding though - my doctors advice was always "do things you can't fall off!" Swimming is a big no no due to keeping your head above water or turning your head to breath so starting off with walking is a good place to begin. Lots of stretching/breathing exercises really help as well.

Good luck.
 
Wow...thanks for the great advice. I have been making a conscious effort to turn slowly and making sure not to move my head up and down too fast. I think I will ask the doctor about that medication also. I really hate to give up the Humira since Remicade stopped working and I was allergic to Cimzia. Thanks so much for your input! :)
 
Janelle, I have never been on Humira, but I have been so low on B-12 that I experienced vertigo. Have you had your B-12 levels checked?
 
I've never had anyone mention my B12 levels. I just had my first bowel resection three weeks ago but this vertigo has been going for months before that....I just figured it was due to Humira since it was new to me. Thanks for the suggestion....it's worth a try. Anything is better than having my head spin all the time!!
 

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