Humira & Hope – and Despair: Annette’s Story

Editorial Note: Many people have wonderful responses to Humira and other biologic drugs like Enbrel (Phil Mickelson in the case of Enbrel). Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease and the other conditions these drugs were first used for are debilitating disorders that need a potent treatment. But if a drug is potent it will have the capacity to cause significant harms.

Lots of people take part in clinical trials of new drugs believing they are helping to map out these risks for their families, friends, and communities. Doing so in the 1950s and 1960s when we had access to clinical trial data did a huge amount to save lives especially the lives of our children and to free us from disability. No longer.

Those who are injured by new drugs in trials end up unwittingly further injuring their families, friends and communities when their data is hidden – because companies like AbbVie then go on to claim that the science does not support a case that their drug can cause harms.

Annette McKinnon (@anetto) got in touch with us after reading some of the recent posts about Humira – saying that we were not letting people know how helpful Humira can be. We agree and invited her to paint the positive picture – what happens when the drug works well. This she has done here.

Annette’s Story

When I first developed RA the treatment plan given by my Family Doctor was to take a maximum dose of aspirin (12 pills a day) for a three months to see if that would have a beneficial effect. Over those months damage continued to occur. Since this treatment did not seem to make a difference I found another doctor. His treatment was NSAIDs, specifically Indomethacin: That resulted in gastro problems added to the pain, swollen joints, weight loss and fatigue.

When I finally saw a specialist over a year later he outlined the possibilities The most aggressive treatment in his Pyramid of Possibilities was immune suppressant drugs. I was prescribed gold injections and then transitioned to methotrexate. Over the years the methotrexate was combined with almost every other DMARD (disease modifying anti rheumatic drug) possible. I kept trying all the combinations hopefully over the years until I became more involved and informed about treatments and possible choices. Once I was aware that methotrexate does not actually stop damage to the joints and found out there were other choices that did stop joint damage I campaigned for treatment with a biologic drug.

In my reading I had learned that biologics produced a greater sense of well-being and a better quality of life at the same time as they stopped progression of damage. I saw the info above in online CME (Continuing Medical Education) courses during the time that pharmaceutical companies were the major sponsors of many of them. Reports of drug trials like the PREMIER Study and ARMADA were a further influence on my desire for biologics.

I combined this knowledge with the facts of my life. I was working full time but all other areas of my life were neglected because of pain and fatigue. Most of the time I was not at work was spent resting up to be able to continue to work. My exercise tolerance was very poor. It used to take me two days to recover from any efforts beyond isometrics. Now with Humira my recovery time from exercise seems normal and I am able to do more in a day than just work.

There has been great progress in the treatment of RA over the past years. Prior to 15 years ago there were only 7 new treatments found in 70 years. Now it is hard to keep track of all the new alternatives. The improvement in treatment is noticeable even by the look of the people waiting at the rheumatology clinic. No wheelchairs and very little visible damage can be seen now.