Humira and azathioprine
Common Questions and Answers about Humira and azathioprine
humira
Its the worst its ever been and I am miserable. I was on Azathioprine, Canasa, and a taper of Prednisone with no relief. Just started Humira yesterday. Four shots to the stomach....ouch! Today along with my flare symptoms (lots of bleeding, constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, fatigue, dry mouth, occasional nausea) I have the chills with a very low grade fever and my fatigue is worse than normal. Is this normal after starting Humira? What do others do to manage all of these symptoms?
For the first month and I half I was moody and tired all the time. I felt so hungry and I ended up gaining about 60lbs, apparently most of it was water from the prednisone. Everything has precautions, but I think if you're doctor is willing to try it, it's worth it. I think it's a lot better then prednisone since the weight and insecurities don't play a factor as much.
You also have to remember that Humira may not be the cure all medication.
statistically 1 out of every 2-3 of us has hsv1 and 1 out of every 4-5 has hsv2 - a lot of folks who take humira, are already going to have herpes whether they know it or not! Of course you also can contract herpes simplex, either orally or genitally, while taking humira too.
It also can cause shingles to occur - you'd have to have had chicken pox in the past before starting humira in order to have a shingles reactivation.
I was just diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis 2 weeks ago. I too have started taking prednisone and azathioprine and have the same concerns you do. First off, how much weight did prednisone cause you to gain and how long did it take for you to notice the weight gain. How much were you taking? I am really concerned about that.
My doctor mentioned putting me on Azathioprine and I was wandering if anyone has ever been on this drug before for their Crohns disease??
13 years ago I was diagnosed with genital herpes which I contracted from my now ex. I married 8 years ago to a good man with a bad case of Psoriasis. About 6 months ago he was diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis after having his hands and body start crippling his abailities in daily living, and began taking Humira as treatment. Recently he has decided that we can no longer be intimate and we need to separate.
There are enough other sites and posts of the same complaint and also in the first 6 months on Humira. It was about my 3rd injection I think when I started having tooth pain in my upper front teeth. Within a couple of days, my bottom front teeth stated hurting. I skipped a week of Humira under Dr advice incase I was fighting a sinus infection. Symptoms got better. Then I started back on my Humira last night and my teeth are killing me again.
have you tried azathioprine? This is a more time tested steroid sparing agent than cellcept and there is really no concern on its use during pregnancy.
I have been treated for rheumatoid arthritis with Humira for 7 months including a combination of Humira and methotrexate for the past 2 months. I also take 5mg of prednisone, and 6 Azulfadine tablets each day. I was taking Humira once every fourteen days and I am on 15mg of methotrexate a week. About a month ago, I started experiencing numbness in my toes and feet. I mentioned it to my rheumatologist but she wasn't concerned and simply told me it wasn't rheumatoid arthritis.
However, when treated with corticosteroids and azathioprine, menstrual cycles usually return to normal and pregnancy can be achieved. Women with AIH generally have successful pregnancies and deliveries.
Flare-ups of AIH may occur during pregnancy, although such occurrences are usually rare due to the immunosuppressive effects of pregnancy. In fact, some women have even experienced a remission of AIH during pregnancy.
Hi Jaynbe,
thank you for responding to my comment to troubled cd - it is rare that anyone responds to me!
I don't understand your advice - how can I have a reaction to Remicade, if Humira doesn't work? Seeems illogical. As remicade is not bringing my Crohn's into remission (hence my high CRP - 53 and rising) I don't feel I have any other option than Humira. They have stopped using Ciclosporin here due to mortality stats).
At first Humira worked completely, but for the last 3 month I now have got again explosive Diarrhoea and bleeding. I spent a minimum of 10 times running to the toilet a day, and get anxious going out and that causes stress and then more flare ups.
I had a SeHCAT Scan for suspected bile acid malabsorption which I have not got and is not my cause for my Diarrhoea.
I also take 60mg and 16mg Loperamide a day but Diarrhoea will not stop, only with Prednisolone Steroids.
Hello,
Low WBC count shows some viral infections, immunodeficiency states, and bone marrow failure. Azathioprine is an immunosuppressive drug. It is used to prevent organ rejection following organ transplantation and to treat a vast array of autoimmune diseases It may be responsible for the immunosuppressive state and hence low WBC count.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided.
First he starts to feel terrible; his belly pain and diarhea become debilitating. Then he gets very hungry and starts eating, mostly carbs. He will eat off and on for several hours over the course of a day or evening. Next he starts falling asleep, no matter what he's doing. He wakes and falls asleep over several hours until he finally falls into a steady sleep. When we try to wake him he becomes agitated.
Anyone taking humira and feel like they are sick coming down with a cold for a week after injection? Not a full blown cold but the start of one. I feel like this always and this is my 3rd dosage ( counting the starter kit), so I'm new to humira. I've noticed if I'm stressed, I'll even get a sore throat. I know humira suppresses your immune system but are you supposed to feel like you're coming down with something every injection or will this go away with time?
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