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Have any of you heard of this new drug called Humira? Apparently it is being marketed for psoriasis but also is prescribed for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis and Crohn's Disease.
First of all, it's kind of weird to me that one medication is prescribed for these different conditions.
But there is something else that jumped out at me when I watched a commercial on television for Humira: The Side Effects.
The commercial warns that the drug can lower your ability to fight infections that spread throughout the body. Some of these serious infections have been fatal so tell your doctor if you've ever had tuberculosis or hepatitis b, are prone to infection or get an infection.
The website clarifies that "These infections include TB (tuberculosis) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body. Some patients have died from these infections."
And remember to not start Humira if have an infection such as an open sore or the flu. God only knows what happens then.
Oh and don't take the drug if you have any numbness, tingling, a disease that affects your nervous system, have heart failure or other heart conditions, are scheduled for major surgery, are pregnant, become pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding, or are allergic to rubber or latex.
Oh wait. But these aren't even in the list of SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS!!
You could also be stricken with:
- Serious infections.
- Certain types of cancer.
- Allergic reactions.
- Hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients that carry the virus in their blood.
- Nervous system problems.
- Blood problems.
- New heart failure or worsening heart failure you already have.
- Immune reactions including a lupus-like syndrome.
What. The. Fuck.
And all of this is being marketed for Psoriasis, which totally sucks and would be embarrassing, but to resort to taking a drug that could give you cancer or kill you?!
What do you think?
Song title: Death is Certain Pt. 2 (It Hurts) by Royce Da 5'9
4 comments:
Interesting. I have sporiasis and heard about this form of tx thru my co-worker. She told me the winning contestant on America's Next Top Model was 70% covered with sporiasis, after taking a tnf suppressor like Humira for only 3 months her skin was clear and she was able to not only compete but also win. Vanity doesn't rule my world, I put make-up on during the weekends only, my hair is down & straight on a daily basis. I prefer funding a lot of other things in life besides apparatuses to obtain the generalized idea of beauty. However there are a lot of discomforts that accompany living with sporiasis - I am closing in on my 10th year of putting up with it. I have consulted with my dermatologist and you wouldn't believe the revolving door that consultaion seemed to be. She really had nothing informative to add when it came to my concerns over the drugs side effects. Her exact response when I mentioned fatalaties was, "Okay if someone broke their leg while taking Humira they would have to include that in thier study as a possible side effect. I have patients who have been taking this drug for ten years and they wouldn't dream of stopping." lol Yes, (even though the drug was just approved to treat sporiasis in 2008) I am completely serious. Now, I haven't begun to use Humira as a form of treatment but with the nonchalant response I was given by my doctor, no wonder people choose to use it as a form of treatment. The pharmacist also didn't have much to add, they really say the research is up to me. I agree the possible side effects are scary but I can see how some would rather live without the nuisance of sporiasis, it can be painful and inhibit life's activities. So I suppose it comes down to the quality of life one is willing to settle for. Great blog though, I was searching for other people's points of view on Humira as a tx of sporiasis when I found your blog.
There are some pretty scary side effects on lots of drugs if you look at them. One of my "favorites" is for Viagra... let your doctor know if you have an erection lasting longer than 4 hours. I've never figured out whether that is a pleasant or unpleasant side effect.
What's scary is that you'll be watching Jerry Springer 2 years from now, and the class action lawsuit for anyone who's taken that drug will flash across the screen. (Like all the other new drugs on the market.)
(Not that I watch Jerry Springer.)
(Or Maury and his YOU ARE THE FATHER testing.)
Interesting to hear from someone who has psoriasis and takes the drug! I second that it is weird how they choose what side effects they have to list...but it is pretty much anything that comes up in clinical trials of the drug. That is why pretty much everything has side effects of headache, nausea, etc., because enough people during the studies experienced these things and you can't really prove that it's NOT from the drug. Also, the reason it's used for all those diseases is because they're all autoimmune diseases, so the drug obviously suppresses your immune system somehow so it stops attaching you already. Unfortunately whatever part is attacking you also attacks germs and stuff, hence all the infection warnings.
Such is the drug world. mwmw.
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