Humira for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance User Reviews

• GAW...
• February 3, 2014

"My husband has had a severe case of Crohn's since he was 33. He was on and off of Remicade for 7 years. Last January, we found out he built up antibodies to the Remicade and it was no longer working properly. Humira has been a Godsend for him. He loves that he decides when to give himself the shot, and he only has side effects for 24 hours compared to 48 or 72 hours after an infusion of Remicade. He has been in remission for a year, the first time in years. We feel very blessed there is a new medicine helping patients with this very difficult disease. He also has learned to eliminate gluten and dairy. As his diet gets better, he feels better."

• doc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 24, 2014

"Humira has really been a life saver. I wasn't sure if I was going to see another day in my life without pain, and then I was introduced to Humira. It truly is a blessing. I don't have any side effects from the shot at all."

• pro...
• July 26, 2013

"Diagnosed with Crohn's 15 years ago. Medicine varied with poor results for 9 years. Over 60% of my colon is bad. Prescribed Humira 6 years ago. On Humira, I have recovered and stayed in remission. I have had no negative side effects. I have been able to manage the shot every two weeks very well. (Previous medications, such as Pentasa and prednisone, did cause significant and bad side effects along with no help for the Crohn's symptoms.)"

• Ste...
• March 6, 2011

"I have been taking Humira for 5 months after having had surgery for 3 fistulas. Humira has changed my life drastically. I am a senior in high school and prior to Humira, I was constantly in pain. When I wasn't in pain, I was worried about when I would be in pain, and I had fistulas for 2 years without any surgeries. Since I have been taking Humira, I almost forget I have any disease because I feel normal again. I can go out without worry and am pain-free. I haven't gotten any fistulas since then either. I really can't say enough good things about Humira. Love it!"

• Squ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 9, 2015

"As a new Crohn's patient, I had read a lot of horror stories about this disease and the medications used to control it. Myself, I went on Azathioprine first, but it stopped working gradually. Humira has honestly been a godsend so far. I have my life back and no symptoms 99% of the time. I'm so thankful! Only thing I'm worried about now is if it stops working, but nothing has happened yet, and I am past the danger zone apparently."

• Fio...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 12, 2013

"Humira gave me my life back. I was sicker than I had ever been, and this is the first medicine that consistently made me feel better. I take it in conjunction with Pentasa, which seems to be the magic formula for me. I don't like giving myself a shot, but I am so grateful for how I feel. Diet is a big part too, but this has been a miracle for me."

• TNP...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 22, 2016

"I have been a Crohn's sufferer since I was 18, I'm now 47. I have had two bowel resections, multiple blockages, and bowel symptoms that left me housebound for days at a time. I have been on Prednisone so much that I have maxed out the lifetime exposure limit, have tried Methotrexate (nausea+++), Pentasa (no change), and Remicade (serum reaction). I have been on Humira now for over 8 years, and aside from a few minor flare-ups, I have a life back. Bless all of the programs and benefit companies that have recognized that this medication has restored some people to being productive once again."

• Anonymous
• October 19, 2011

"This medicine has given me my life back. I was initially very afraid because of all the potential side effects, and I tend to react severely to medicines. But my Crohn's Disease and rheumatoid arthritis progressed to the point where I couldn't function anymore. I started Humira in conjunction with Plaquenil, and it has completely turned my life around. The pain and stiffness are gone, the fatigue is significantly reduced, and I have lost weight and have the energy to exercise again. The injections are not pleasant, and the initial side effects of nausea and flu-like symptoms were pretty rough for the first couple of injections. I got worse after the first one, but I'm glad I stuck it out because I'm doing fantastic now."

• Tha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 1, 2014

"I had forgotten how it felt to be normal and healthy, to have energy. I was experiencing this after three months on Humira, only to be abruptly dropped from my insurance plan. I am so thankful for the AbbVie patient assistance plan, which has now approved me for a full year! I am looking forward to getting better again in the months ahead. I was afraid I was going to lose my job because of the flares, but now I am hopeful. Thanks."

• Ren...
• February 25, 2008

"I have had Crohn's disease for six years. I had surgery a year ago. I had a flare-up a few weeks after surgery. My GI put me on Humira, and it has been a miracle drug for me! No pain or flare-ups. I get to lead a normal life :)"

• Rie...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 8, 2013

"I've had Crohn's disease since '05, and I struggled through high school with flares, pain, and just an unbalanced white blood cell count. My doctor put me on Remicade when I was a junior. A few days after, I could barely walk, my legs were killing me, but to me, it was worth it because I had somewhat of my life back. The summer I graduated, we decided it would be easy to switch to Humira since I was going off to college. It's my senior year, and this summer will be my fourth year on Humira, and I'm actually just having my first flare since starting Humira. They say they don't work forever, but I at least got 3 and a half years out of it. Plus, Humira helped pay for the cost of the medication."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 30, 2014

"I have had Crohn's disease for about a year and a half, and Humira has been amazing. I felt relief within one month and was in remission within nine months. Life is pain-free. The only side effect is yeast infections every week, and I feel like I have the flu the week right before I'm due for the shot. The shot is painful for 10 seconds, but it is worth it. Remicade is the only other option, and I would use it as a last resort. Otherwise, I am very satisfied."

• Vim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 24, 2015

"I currently have severe Crohn's disease and started Humira about 4 weeks ago. I got kind of scared when I saw all the reviews about the pain. My experience was the opposite. It just feels like a normal pinch. When having Crohn's, you endure much more pain than the shot."

• Bre...
• May 17, 2015

"I have had Crohn's symptoms for about 10 months. I was in severe pain with the constant inflammation. I was vomiting, and the nausea was unbearable. I recently started Humira. After one week of starting my injections, I immediately noticed that I had no more pain. I am able to eat without feeling awful afterward. The only side effects I've experienced are headache and fatigue, but nothing too unmanageable."

• Lua...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 18, 2019

"I’ve had Crohn’s disease for 3 years now and have been on Humira for 2 and a half years. I love this drug. I am currently 19, and it has let me go to college and live a regular life. The only problem I had with it was the stinging pain I felt when it was injected, but they have recently changed that, so now it’s painless."

• jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2013

"Was on Remicade until October 2012, after my last colonoscopy, and the doctor saw blockage, and he felt it was no longer working even though I felt fine. He moved me to Cimzia, which didn't work for me, did that until January when I was switched to Humira. Didn't think it was working, but now, three months later, I finally feel like it's effective. Wish they could make a pill form. The injections aren't extremely painful, but they don't feel good. Maybe it's different for people with body fat, but I have close to none and won't inject anything in my legs."

• tal...
• November 2, 2009

"I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 1993. In 2006, I began to flare really badly. I had a bowel resection, but was still having a lot of problems. Finally, after spending 21 days in the hospital, my doctor recommended Humira. It saved me. Since starting Humira, I have not been back in the hospital for my Crohn's. I was even able to compete at a national sporting event this summer and deployed with my unit for the hurricanes last year. If nothing else works, it's worth a stick in the belly every couple of weeks to be able to be as close to normal as possible."

• BMa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2016

"This medication has been a miracle for me. After the loading dose, by day 5, it was like a light switch was toggled. I've been 95% better and feel normal again for the first time in 15 years (I'm 36). Nothing else worked, and I was miserable with a low quality of life. I still have to change my automatic way of thinking: scouting out nearest bathrooms, foregoing meals before social events, etc. I'm gradually branching out from my safe foods list (very small by the time I started Humira). The only side effect had been more severe allergies than usual and a few headaches here and there. The shots are extremely painful for me, but 10-15 seconds of extreme discomfort for 15 Crohn's-free days seems like a very fair trade. So thankful for this medication."

• Nic...
• July 28, 2016

"Humira has been amazing in treating my severe Crohn's. I used to suffer almost every time I'd eaten 7 days a week or unprovoked, but now it's gone down to only once or twice. The only reason I'd rate it a 9 instead of a 10 is because the initial injection burns very badly (the medication, not the needle) and can interrupt my day for an hour or so. The pain is worth the long-term result. I highly recommend going for it if the option has been made available to you. I have two family members who use it too, one for Crohn's and one for arthritis, and it's given them great success as well :)"

• Sal...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2015

"I've not been on Humira for long, for about 4 months, but for me it has not helped with anything. Sure, I might get a little less pain every now and then, but I still feel like I'm being torn apart from the inside out after I eat or when I try to sleep. I'm experiencing many side effects which aren't pleasant. A rare one which I have is being on my period for 2 months, coming off it for a week or two then it coming back on! I still get stomach pain, nausea, joint pain, soreness under my ribs, dry mouth and trouble swallowing, feeling lightheaded, night sweats, trouble sleeping and much more that my consultant decided to look right past and keep me on this damn thing! I had higher hopes for this, I'm quite disappointed to say the least."

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2010

"I am only 20 and have had Crohn's for about 3 years. I tried a lot but seemed to not work very well. I have never had a bad flare-up, but Humira has made me feel almost completely normal again. It's a great drug, and even if you are scared of needles, it's worth it! Ask your doctor about it!"

• Ohi...
• January 5, 2015

"Had ulcerative colitis/Crohn's disease for 20+ years. Was on sulfasalazine, taking prednisone for flare-ups. Switched to Lialda 3 years ago. It had fewer side effects, but did not control my condition. After 2 serious bouts of anemia (one hospitalization and 5 units of blood), my doctor decided on Humira. That was 6 months ago. No side effects at first, but recently got a sinus infection (congestion, coughing, very sore throat). Took prescribed antibiotics, but it won't go away. I felt better while taking the antibiotics, but the symptoms returned after they were done. Hope this is not a sign of things to come! Decreased ability to fight infections, right?"

• lee...
• April 8, 2018

"I've been on Humira for probably four years now. It's the only drug that has worked for me, and I've tried many in the 20 years since being diagnosed with Crohn's. I'm in remission. Now I live an active life, raising kids, and I'm very thankful because my life no longer rotates around my symptoms. It's very sad to think back to when I was so sick. Of course, I worry about the side effects, but I had minor ones, and it completely outweighs having acute Crohn's flares and multiple complications, hospitalizations. I hate the shot, but can't even complain compared to what I've been through in the past."

• Sis...
• September 17, 2017

"Just 2 days after my 1st injection, the bleeding, fever, and vomiting stopped. With time, the diarrhea settled down to 1 to 3 times a day, all the mucus and excessive gas stopped. Six months after starting, my colonoscopy showed the ulcers and inflammation had cleared and healed completely in the entire large colon, and there was just chronic inflammation in the rectum."

• cda...
• February 20, 2009

"This medicine caused me to have very high blood pressure over a period of 10 months, and even though it helped with some symptoms of my Crohn's disease, the disease itself continued to progress and led me to my resection surgery."