Switching from Humira | Arthritis Information
Had a rheumie appt. today - On Humira, 25 mg MTX, 10 mg. Prednisone.....still swollen, stiff, etc., so he wants me to change meds. He wanted me to go right to Remicade, however I thought i'd try Enbrel first. Am I nuts? He also mentioned I could try Arava....it's really a shot in the dark to see what will work. He confirmed that it's a trial and error....some things work for some people and won't work for others.
I'm bummed. I decided not to do the Remicade next as you have to go in quite often in the beginning and I'm not up to it unless I have to. If I could do it at a local hospital I would, but he said most hospitals won't do that.
I thought I've read on here something about once you try something and move to the next drug there is no going back? Is this true? What if the next drug doesn't help as much as Humira? can I go back?
I really don't have knowledge on the subject but wanted to wish you the best in what ever decision you make. It 's so difficult, so many things to consider....
I was told that it's not entirely unusual to try and go back to a previous drug by my RD. That was after I had been switched from enbrel to remicade by my old RD only to have the worst flare in 15 years while on remicade. My new doc said we could try humira and if it didn't work then we might go back to remicade but on a much larger dose. She even mentioned the possibility of trying enbrel again but said she's never tried it yet.
I would say in all honesty that you'd probably have more trouble in this area from your insurance provider than convincing a doc to give it a shot. A lot of them are pretty tight with drugs that cost as much as enbrel, humira, and remicade. I can tell you that when I took remicade, it was at a dose of about 325mg and was around ,000 per dose. This is actually why I left my old RD and found a new one. I kept telling her that it wasn't working and I was starting to feel bad that maybe we should up the dose. She did nothing...so I left. In my opinion, enbrel was the best I've been on so far and would not hesitate for a second to try it again. It's a pain to prepare sometimes but sooo worth it if it works for you.
Bob H.
Hi Debra,
I went from humira to enbrel. I tried humira for 8 months and it didn't seem to help me. Then he switched me to enbrel and OMG!!!! I noticed after the first shot, that my energy level was up and I woke up without any stiffness! I have taking it now for 8 months. I still am doing well on it except when the weather changes or I over do it. It's worth a try and alot cheaper then remicade. Though still $$. My doc gave me a card from the manufacterer and they pay my copay, so I get if free for a year. I don't know how I will afford it in 4 months but I will worry about that then. I don't even take mtx. I had a reaction to it and can't take it but the enbrel is still my friend. LOL
take care and best wishes
Hi Debra, we never know which drugs or which combos will work. My first biologic was Enbrel with little success, started Humira and MXT with no success, then went to Remicade and was up to 500 mg. and still flaring with positive labs. My RD and I decided to go back to Humira and increase MXT and it worked like a charm. I'm in clinical remission for the first time in over 10 years. So yes, you can go back to a drug and fine tune the dosage, add a higher dosed dmard or even another dmard and it may work. Humira and Enbrel supposedly work better in conjunction with MXT or Arava
If your local hospital has an infusion unit (chemotherapy) then you can have Remicade infusions there. I think the cost will be more if you have them done in the hospital. My RD's infusion center charge for Remicade was approximately ,000 total. Good luck with your choices and I hope you reach remission. Lindy
LinB2008-08-15 20:03:19TAKE Remicade! It is one of the best infusions I have taken and Arava is also a good drug( but be careful what u eat, and u also can not drink while u are on it). Enbrel is just a pain and hardly works, don't waste your time on it. Be very careful with it though I had a reaction to it after a year of taking it where it was hard to breath.
Good Luck
Thanks for your encouragement!!!!!!!!!!!!
Too bad Enbrel didn't work for Will. Just goes to show not every drug works for everyone. The only biologic I've tried is Enbrel, and it has been an awesome drug for me. I love my Enbrel. Like CinDee, I too am getting it free for a year due to the Quick Assist program from the company.
Did you ask your RD why he suggested Remicade over one of the other biologics? There might be a good reason he is suggesting it. I only say that because when my RD wanted to drop my MTX and start Enbrel, I opted instead for trying to up the MTX. As it turned out, he was right. Upping the MTX didn't have any affect at all. I found out the hard way that my RD knows more than me and that he's always right.
kweenb2008-08-16 08:26:22Hi Deb
For me, I would want to try another anti-TNF rather than the Arava (Arava is a drug I personally don't want to try because I've read that it is more toxic than methotrexate).
Personally, I'd be happy to try any other anti-TNF, Humira or Remicade, because I've been so happy with Enbrel.
Anna
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