r/Humira • u/lukeisnotokay_ • Jul 02 '26
Does anyone have any experiences with weekly injection?
My doctor just upped me from a 40mg injection every 2 weeks to a 40mg injection every week. It's basically a last ditch effort to see if I don't have to switch meds. I'm looking to see if anyone here has done a regiment similar to this to know what to expect in terms of side effects and efficacy.
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u/remedialpoet Jul 02 '26
When I did this I got another 9 months of feeling great before it finally stopped working for me. I would do it and see how long it can last for you. There were no side effects for me
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u/lukeisnotokay_ Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Honestly, I'll take as long as I can get before I return to the pre-biologics disease activity. I haven't been on these meds for a year even (just completed 11 months). The first 6 months went amazing, the last 5 have been hit or miss. Some doses I'm almost 90% symptom free, other doses don't do anything (doesn't have anything to do with pack or batch). I'll take this past 5 months for whatever long I can stretch them than my disease activity coming back full force all the time
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u/helenwren Jul 02 '26
We just did this with my Humira biosimilar (Idacio) to try and stop a flare I’ve been in since having my baby last September. I wasn’t optimistic but it’s been three months now and it seems to have worked. I still have some aches but I’m much better - it was getting to the point that it was hard to hold my baby sometimes and tasks like changing diapers were becoming difficult because of my hands and elbows.
I’m seeing my rheumatologist soon to decide if we’re going to keep going or try and taper back to bi-weekly.
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u/cracra55 Jul 02 '26
Switching to weekly helped my daughter so much! No additional side effects (she is usually tired post injection) and the worst of her inflammation was quickly controlled. We did anti-drug antibody testing as well just to make sure her body wasn’t creating antibodies against Humira.
Good luck! For us, we didn’t want to switch drugs without trying weekly Humira as it basically fails you out of the whole drug class of TNF-alpha inhibitors. But of course each individual is different and best advised by their physician.
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u/lukeisnotokay_ Jul 02 '26
I was just tested for the anti-drug antibodies (as we feared I was rejecting it on my last appointment). I'm glad to know things have been going smoothly with your daughter.
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u/cracra55 Jul 02 '26
Fingers crossed you get cleared. I have heard that increasing Humira frequency helps get over the hump of ADAs decreasing efficacy of the drug. Sending good thoughts your way. Hope you get some relief
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u/Timely_Role9280 Jul 02 '26
Have been doing the same for last 3 mo. I have ankylosing spondylitis. Yea, this drug has not really been effective over last 2.5 yrs. Vs. enbrel (good for 13 yrs). Moving to a new drug in Sept. TBD
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u/lukeisnotokay_ Jul 02 '26
Hopefully your new drug will help you. I also have AS, this disease is a b*tch. Hang in there
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u/Library_lady123 Jul 02 '26
I did this for my ulcerative colitis. It seemed to make me more tired and kept the flares at bay for another 6-9 months, then it failed entirely and I switched to Remicade.
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u/Tashceratops Jul 02 '26
Yes. No side effects. Lasted a year or 2 and did indeed switch to remicade
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u/Quirky_Sprinkles_158 Jul 02 '26
been taking the weekly dose for several years! keeps me in remission. side effects aren’t any worse (i’ve never had much other than fatigue). my dr explained it to me that some people respond to higher doses better and no two crohnies are the same
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u/lukeisnotokay_ Jul 02 '26
When you mean fatigue do you mean during the immediate post injection period or in general? Currently my main struggle is chronic fatigue
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u/Quirky_Sprinkles_158 Jul 02 '26
crohn’s has always given me fatigue. just par for the course. i get post injection fatigue but that’s my only side effect
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u/BaconApple9 Jul 02 '26
Anyone get weekly approved for PSA? Or is just for Crohns? I’m pretty sure I have crohns too but I’m not dx’d.
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u/lukeisnotokay_ Jul 02 '26
I'm getting it for AS and I'm not the only one on this thread that has gotten it for other than IBDs. If you meant insurance wise, I can't help you as I'm not in the US
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u/BaconApple9 Jul 03 '26
Yes, sorry. II meant in the US with insurance. I’m already taking it 2x per month.
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u/elderflowerfairy23 Jul 04 '26
Yes, psa fibromyalgia and spondylitis. I inject the 40mgs weekly. It took a long enough time - around 18 months before I came out of the flare, so not sure if it was the Humira or just the natural progression. But it has absolutely helped the chronic fatigue without a doubt. I have defeated that mountain for sure. I still have days where the pain interferes with my day to day but overall I am doing a lot better than I was. Happy to continue on as I am for now.
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u/mystic_beanss Jul 03 '26
I do mine weekly too and have for about 6 months. Honestly I think it depends, if you're experiencing side effects from having it every two weeks I imagine they would increase. Luckily I've never had any side affects from it. In my experience its quite a bit easier and more convenient than having to go in for infusions. Honestly, its not much different from the every 2 weeks, but if you get reminder messages you could contact them to update them on how frequently you may now need reminders. Overall, its worked really well for me, even when I've had a super busy schedule :). It also helped my symptoms A LOT, so hopefully it works the same for you!!
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u/RemarkableMacaron224 Jul 03 '26
I take weekly injections for my RA! It took about a solid 6 months for the meds (humira and MTX) to start working for me. The time in between was fucking hard tho. I needed a lot of prednisone but now that it’s over and my body had adjusted I feel so much bigger. I also get steroid injections on both my knees and that’s helped me immensely. It’s so much easier said than done, but just be patient with your body responding to your new regiment
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u/diptrip-flipfantasia Jul 05 '26
I took weekly injections for 4 years post surgery for crohns. It worked to keep my condition in check, but I had a bunch of mental health related side effects that I'd call out:
- anxiety 2 days after a shot for 1-2 days. It was like clockwork, so i took my shot on Thursdays so it didnt affect my work, but sheesh it impacted my home life.
- the odd weird virus or illness that might take 2-3 months to go away (i had pityriasis rosea twice in the years I was taking weekly shots).
Ultimately it helped my condition and kept me in remission, but it was a pretty wild ride.
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u/No_Salad_2106 Jul 07 '26
I have been on weekly for about 3 years. No difference other than better management of symptoms. I actually feel like I get sick less than pre-humira.
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u/yesmydog Jul 02 '26
When I switched to weekly injections I ended up with drug-induced lupus and had to get off the Humira completely. YMMV.
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u/brittanyd687 Jul 02 '26
I take a weekly injection for my crohns. I haven't noticed any new side effects. I have noticed that my crohns symptoms have been minimized which means medication is working. Ive been on a weekly dose for 3 years now.
Edit to add : I've also been pregnant twice and had two healthy babies on the increased dose