Has anyone gone from Humira to Remicade?

Remicade.
Liquid gold. (Jan..it was over seven grand per infusion...i took two pens a month.  Just going by my humira bill) 
I saw a bill from it one time.
I had the nurse get every drop of it in me from the IV tube.  Probably  a couple hundred bucks in the tube alone!  Quite expensive.  Not saying humira isn't.  That was about 1700 a pen when I was taking it.
I went from remicade to humira.
You get a big dose of remicade at once compared to humira. I don't know if that means anything.
Richard.

I've gone from Enbrel to Humira to Simponi to Cimzia, all because of diminishing effectiveness. But, I am on it for my inflammatory arthritis, not pouchitis. Still, my GI is in favor of whatever it takes to improve my pouchitis.

 

I have specifically avoided Remicade because I don't want to deal with IV infusions and the intrusion they would be on my life. Plus, it stays in the system longer, so if something comes up that requires stopping it, it will take longer. Overall, they are about the same cost per month.

 

Bottom line, I think they are all pretty much equally effective, but results can vary individually. Each newer type is more targeted. Remicade is the oldest and made from mouse protein, so more likely to cause allergic reaction, compared to the others, which are fully humanized.

 

Jan

Remicade worked great to clear up my pouch but I developed an awful reaction to it. I'm waiting for approval for Entyvio. 

AllyKat-how soon after starting Remicade did you have a reaction? Do you know if this is common?

Jan- did you develop arthritis before or after j pouch surgery? I developed psoriatic arthritis 5 years after pouch surgery. Now they tell me that I might have chrons 16 yrs later bc the pouchitis and the specific joints I have arthritis in are characteristics of Chrons.

I felt awful immediately but after the second infusion I lost feeling of my arms and legs. A lot of people have no reactions and take it for years. 

I had Remicade many years ago and it really helped me to control my UC when I used to have very aggressive flare ups.  I tried again in 2013 and had a bad reaction, so my GI put me on Humira and I spent a lot of money out of pocket, didn't control my terrible flare up, so my next step was a total colectomy and I'm glad I did it because just reading the side effects of these two biological drugs is really scary.  Now, I'm dealing with pouchitis, diahrreas here and there, but nothing compared to the worst UC flare up it last almost 3 years, it was the worst years of my entire life��

 

Every individual is is different and maybe in your case might work.  Good luck and hope you feel better.

 

Laurita

I had my worst flare and was on my last leg when I had remicade.  I felt better immediately.  The nurse said no way... But I could tell something happened.  Not to be gross but I had bloody diarrhea for a long time before remicade and after I was pooping a train!  Solid long pieces.  I couldn't believe it.  It was wonderful while  it lasted.
Sorry if I was gross.  I don't know any other way to explain it..... I was so weak sick and wore out before the infusion.
Never had or have had any side effects from any biologic.  Not  yet.

I probably had symptoms of arthritis 20 years before my colectomy, but I did not connect the dots. I was diagnosed about a decade post colectomy. So far no one has suggested Crohn's (not that it would change anything if I was diagnosed with it).

 

Jan