Ok, as some of you probably guess by my recent post asking about what people pay for insurance, I am shopping to see whats available. I happened to get onto the Aetna health insurance web site. I found a couple of interesting things trying to look up drug co pays-first, humira injections (most all injectable drugs) would have a 20%copay, Considering I use the humira weekly, thats a whole lotta money! I also read the humira can cause high amounts of cholesterol in blood, mine is 301!! I also read it can cause bladder pain. Now, its funny but I have been telling Will that my bladder hurts for about a month now! Its sort of like when you wake up in the morning and have to pee REALLY bad and it feels like your bladder has been stretched out too long but it always feels like that, I have to pee frequently and have difficulty controlling my stream. Like sometimes, I have to bend over to get all the pee out and I think I am all done but when I stand up a few trickles run out! I'm gonna have to look at home at the box or the invoice to get the name, but my doctor set me up with this mail order company for my Humira. I was in-between insurance at the time, but I don't know if they knew this. I had been getting it from Walgreen's for /month (that's 2 doses for me), but this mail order thing charges me /month and they send it to me through FedEx. I will look for the name later and get back to you...might be worth checking out.I have the bladder pain with the Humira.Its like a dead weight in my lower tummy area and as you say its like the bladder is being stretched, i also get lots of bladder infections and have a pee problem, i never feel like my bladder empties properly.I now have mouth ulcers and sensitive teeth, which the dr has put down to the humira as my dentist cant find anything wrong.I am due my injection on wednesday but my mouth hurts so bad that i am thinking of not doing it.
the bladder problem sounds like an infection. burning does not always happen
Pinnie have you called your doc about the mouth sores that are not going away? Don't let him shrug and say eh its just the humira. Make him do something about it.
Have you tried UnitedHealthCare yet Michelle? My co-pay for Humira is .
The copay...is that for a month - 2 doses?
I'm not on Humira now; but I was for two years. I've noticed that although it really helped me over a horrible hump; now that I'm off of it I don't miss it like I thought I would......and I feel like a few symtoms I had a lot of are gone. Two of those were bladder and UTI infections. I didn't have a lot of burning with bladder infections and I had numerous ones while on Humira and never one time was dx'ed with one before Humira. That's not to say I didn't have one. The symptoms can go unrecognized quite often.
I was on it weekly and I only paid for 4 doses. is the highest tier on my prescription coverage. I pay to see my RD and nothing for x-rays or blood work done in my doctor's office. I had to change to this current doctor because the one I was seeing before was in one of these hospital "networks" (You probable don't want that if you can help it) SO I had to leave my doctors office and go over to the hospital bad and they switched it so I had to meet my deductable before it would pay. I couldn't afford that with all the labs I have to have. I was upset with the change at first....but I love my currebnt RD. I hate I have to drive 45 minutes to get there; but it's well worth the savings.
I've had the same pee problems but never associated it with Humira. I just thought it was because of my Hysterectomy and a dropped bladder because of the heavy lifting I do.????
Have you guys had Hysterectomys?
Kat
I think you need to investigate what is going on a bit more. I have been on Humira now for about 1 1/2 years. No bladder problems, no other problems. I do start to hurt a bit more right before the shot is due. I did develop Athlete's Feet--or so my general practioner thought. I noticed blisters between my toes and they itched. She just said that fungus is everywhere and to use the anti-fungus stuff-can't think of the name of the stuff now. What I did notice was that slowly I was able to do more things that I had stopped doing--say bending certain ways, etc. Maybe I am just luckly--so far.
My thoughts on the bladder problems--maybe a dropped bladder or something pressing on your bladder?
Insurance--be careful in changing. I think a new plan would not pick up anything associated with RA for 2 years--as it is a pre-existing condition. If your work changes their insurance carrier--they have to cover you if you were on the old plan at time they changed. Just be careful.