Mex, and Humira

I have been taking mex for about 9 months along with prednisone.  The prednisone is the only reason I am able to function daily.  I seen my rheumatologist last week and she prescribed humira along with mex.  How are the side effects???  I've been taking prednisone to long and I have I gained over 100 lbs, blood pressure is up, feet and ankles are swollen due to the prednisone.  I hope the Humira works.

I take Methotrexate and Enbrel, not Humira, but the combination seems to be working for me. I'm sure others here who are on Humira will chime in. Hang in there - it's really important to try to get off the prednisone. The long term side effects aren't worth it, imo. [[hugs]]

I'm on humira, and I love it. I don't have any side effects (some people do, but I have never had any). It is much better than the pred, and for me at least it works amazingly well- I've been on it for almost 4 years.

i am on mtx and enbrel and when i am able to take them again will be a godsend!  i am not a fan of any steroids due to some of the short and long term effects.

I äm on mtx and Humira. It took almost 5 months of this regimen to see a real benefit, but I do have less pain and more energy than when I only took mtx. I also take Mobic at night. It seems to help keep swelling down when I awaken. The mtx has the worst side effects for me. I feel totally drained! So my rheumy lets me take 4 pills Fridaz night and the other 4 Saturday night so I feel less exhausted.

Hang in there!!!

Carol- I used to do the same thing- split up my mtx dose. it did help with the fatigue. now I do the injections (which I like soooooo much better- no more nausea!). I take them at night- like at 6pm. by 9pm I'm exhausted, but then I sleep through the worst and by the morning I'm fine! if you get tired of it, you might want to ask about the injections

it's interesting how these meds affect us differently.   I would occasionally get the fatigue with the pills, but can't say I've had that problem since switching to the injectible.

I will ask about injections. Is it something I do at home, like Humira?

Yes, you can self-inject mtx at home. I find it next to painless and very easy to do!

Hey Valencia,

I have been taking methotrexate for about 8 months and Humira for 3 months. I'm feeling much better with both of these treatments (I was getting close to being unable to walk before I finally got to the right doctor and got treated). The Humira is working really well, but I am having a frustrating side effect: because of the 2 meds diminishing my immune system I am constantly battling a cold. I work at an elementary school and my immune system just can't keep up with all of those little germs. I think I've been coughing and sniffling since November (when I started the Humira) and it's driving me royally bonkers. I go back to the doc on Thursday and I'm going to see if she has any suggestions, but I'm ready to try something different if something DIFFERENT is available. The injection burns/stings (I am excited to read about the candy and drying/skipping the alcohol!!) but I haven't experienced any other side effects besides the lack of immune system. I really hope that the Humira works for you - let us know!!

Wendy,

Have you upped your doses of Vitamin C, B Complex and Vitamin D with taking the MTX and Humira to help with the immune system? They also state magnesium helps with the immune system and fatigue. I personally haven't seen it help the fatigue, though I still believe it is because I am on so many meds that cause fatigue on top of it. 

When I started my regiments of MTX and Enbrel, and having grandchildren that are always sick (nothing like you being surrounded by what I call "germ worms" all day).  I also keep on my belt the small hand sanitizer's and a can of lysol all over the house. 

Good luck with the immune system and your regiment.

BTW I love my Germ Worms!!  (Kaylee Rae and Kody Alexander).

Tess

Germ worms - lol!

Just a word about B vitamins... if you're of a, ahem, "certain age", one of them can exacerbate hot flashes. I think it is niacin/B3. As far as I know it's not harmful, but can be annoying.   My daughter took niacinamide for her acne for a while and she had to monitor her blood pressure and deal with blushing more easily than usual.

Hey Wendy- that stinks about having colds all the time- I know its hard working with kids, they are like little germ factories! I would be careful with immune boosting stuff though- when I boost mine I get an immediate flare (which makes sense since the system is overactive and the whole point of the meds is to knock it into submission). I tried echinacea ONCE and holy smokes, that was a flare I still remember!!

Hi Kate,

That's interesting what you said about taking vitamins to boost the immune system.   I've often wondered if they would be more detremental than helpful due to the immune system already being overactive, as well as being purposly supressed by things like MTX and Enbrel.

I still wonder about supplements and if I should be on some, but whenever I ask a medical professional they say that it is not their domain and cannot comment on alternative therapies.

I was certsinly warned very early on to be extremely careful with natural anti-inflammatories like Devils Claw and Green Mussel as they can still be harsh on the tummy like synthetic drugs.

Dozey.

I was on Humira for 6 months with some benefit, and when I began taking both MTX and Humira my life turned around quite quickly!  For me, these two are a wonder combo!

Unfortunately I had a bad case of strep in the last couple weeks, and I had to quit taking my meds for 6 weeks!!  Its been rough, so my rheumy put me on prednisone for a bit while I start taking the MTX and Humira again....I hope this stuff kicks in soon....

I am actually on MTX and Humira. I was taking 1CC (25mg, but I use the injections) of MTX and was still having a lot of symptoms so I went on Humira at the beginning of the month.. my appointment was 30 Dec... anyway, I'm already feeling the difference! It's an amazing drug. My pain levels are the lowest they've been since before I started seeing a rheumatologist (2+ years ago) and my energy level went up (my pharmacist boyfriend said that an effect of not having all the pain.. I just call it FABULOUS or My Miracle Drug!)

I've had 0 side-effects from the Humira which is fabulous, because even with using the injectables I still get nausea from the MTX and feel like I've been hit by the onset of the flu the next day (i.e., I feel like CRAP every monday), not to mention the hair loss, which I've grown to accept.

-- Lisa

Lisa, This might be an elementry question for you are you taking any Folic Acid for some of the MTX side effects?

I started taking magnesium to add the extra energy and vitamin E and D to help with the any hairloss issues.  I have extremely thick hair so the hair loss is still there but not noticable.

Lisa- I'm so glad your energy went up, to me that is the best part of the biologic meds!! My doc explained to me that they are TNF-alpha inhibitors, and TNF-alpha is one of the factors released when you're sick and that can cause that sort of tired flu-like feeling. I guess if you just inject a normal healthy person with TNF-alpha they'll feel exhausted and sick (or, like we feel all the time, because our levels are too high). So, thats why they help so much with that.

As for the mtx, I'm also on 1cc and its definitely a big dose. Like Tess said, are you taking folic acid? Other than that, I take mine at about 6:00 at night, pretty much collapse by 9:30 or 10 and sleep about 9 hours- then I feel ok. I still have a low energy day the next day, but I found out that if I give myself that planned time to sleep it really helps a lot (I even bring the dose with me and inject at work if I think I'm going to be coming home late).

god luck!!