Humira

Humira also known as Adalimumab is an immunosuppressive medicine. It helps to suppress over activity of the immune system in rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, severe Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. It can help to reduce pain and swelling by limiting inflammation.

Most humira pen packs look similar to below depending on where you are from.

Humira also comes in a pen or syringe. Most people on humira choose the syringe when available as they have full control over it. I chose the pen as I hate the sight of needles.

The injectable areas for humira are shown below

When first prescribed it you are usually given a nurse who comes out to your home to show you how to store the humira in your fridge and also do your first set dosage which is usually two or four injections. 

Due to its effects on the immune system, people who have humira are more prone to getting infections. This includes serious infections such as tuberculosis and sepsis. It is for this reason that people who have Humira are monitored for infections.

Humira stays in the body for several months so the effects of this medicine will persist for some time after you have your last dose.
 
When I had my injection night I used Elma Cream which I had bought from the pharmacy for about £5.  I used it to numb the area as I found that the pen hurt me mainly because of my Crohn's and joint pains.

Elma Cream

Tips for using the Humira Pen:

• Do not use Humira if frozen, even if it has been thawed.
• The Humira Pen contains glass. Do not drop or crush the Pen because the glass inside may break.
• Do not remove the gray cap or the plum-coloured cap until right before your injection.
• When the plum-coloured button on the Humira Pen is pressed to give your dose of Humira, you will hear a loud "click" sound.
• The loud click sound means the start of the injection. Do not remove from your body or the injection will go over you and the surrounding areas and not into you.
• You will know that the injection has finished when the yellow marker appears fully in the window view and stops moving.
• Do not use and do call your supplier if:
  • you drop or crush your Humira Pen.
  • the seals on the top or bottom of the carton are broken or missing.
  • the expiration date on the carton, dose tray, and Pen has passed.
  • the Humira Pen has been frozen or left in direct sunlight.
  •Humira has been kept at room temperature for longer than 14 days or it has been stored above 77°F (25°C).
• If the Pen does not have the full amount of liquid, do not use that Pen.
• Check the solution through the windows on the side of the Pen to make sure the liquid is clear and colorless. Do not use your HUMIRA Pen if the liquid is cloudy, discolored, or if it has flakes or particles in it. Call your supplier. It is normal to see one or more bubbles in the window.
• Do not inject HUMIRA into skin that is:
  • sore (tender)
  • bruised
  • red
  • hard
  • scarred or where you have stretch marks
• If you have psoriasis, do not inject directly into any raised, thick, red or scaly skin patches or lesions on your skin.
• Do not inject through your clothes.
• Do not rub the injection site. You may have slight bleeding. This is normal.

 

Side effects of Humira can include:

• abnormal blood test results
• blood and bone marrow problems
• headaches
• high levels of lipids in the blood
• infections
• inflammation of the nose and throat
• injection site problems such as redness, inflammation, bleeding, itching, swelling or pain
• muscle, bone or joint pain
• nausea
• pneumonia
• sinusitis
• skin rash or rashes
• stomach pains
• asthma
• Vomiting
• bleeding problems
• blood in the urine
• breathing difficulties
• changes in blood clotting time
• chest pain
• dehydration
• depression
• dermatitis
• difficulty sleeping
• eczema
• eye or eyesight problems
• faster heart rate
• Anxiety problems
• fever
• hair loss
• healing problems
• Allergic reactions
• increased blood sugar levels
• indigestion
• inflammation of the eyelid
• flu like symptoms
• migraines
• muscle spasms
• psoriasis or psoriasis-like rash
• raised blood pressure
• urinary tractinfections (UTIs)
• vertigo
• circulation problems
• lupus or lupus-like problem
• lymphoma
• erythema multiforma
• gastrointestinal problems

I was on Humira from August 2013 to March 2014. I started developing really sore joint pains around that Christmas time and it got worse as time went on especially around injection day (fortnightly for me). Then when I was seeing my IBD nurse in the hospital at the end of February I had mentioned high temperatures and migraines so, she told me to phone or email her if it kept happening and it did. She told me not to inject until the high temperature settled but it was still spiking every few days. To this day 2months later there is still no answer to my spiking and dipping temperature. But I feel better in myself now including my joints :) hopefully that stays like that as I am in less pain now than what I was a few months ago. However, not all drugs have the same side effects on everyone so what does not work for me might work perfectly for someone else with Crohn's disease.