Progression and biologics

Hi,


How have you been feeling on Humira? Will you be considering changing to Cimzia? Hope your doing well.


Nicky (Team Member)

@CommunityMember8450973 - The one person to answer that question is your treating physician, and it seems she has answered it, as you stated "She said we don’t want to see any inflammation and to stop progression." Seeing she wants to switch you because you've been on Humira for a while and you are still having progression, it might indicate that it's not the right medication for you. Any progression in AS is not good, as progression to fusion due to inflammation can take years to develop. I believe the better this disease is controlled, the better outcome in future years. It seems she wants better control and less inflammation and Cimzia may give you that. Hoping this helps - and wishing a low-pain day. Rebecca (community moderator)

There's so much to take into consideration in making these decisions isn't there?


It sounds like your doctor is wanting to be proactive and stay ahead of any progression, so their insights will definitely be valuable in helping you decide your treatment plan moving forward.


Could you ask them some more questions around the rate of change they think you're experiencing, and bring up any concerns you might have in relation to changing your medication?


It's always hard to know how your experience compares to others, I know my own doctor has also talked about 'slight changes' on an MRI and I wasn't sure how to interpret that terminology!


It really does seem we all have different symptoms, rates of progression and response to treatment in spite of our common diagnosis. Wishing you all the best moving forward and I hope you and your doctor can work out the best next steps together. Please let us know if you find out more!


Warm regards, Anne-Marie (Patient Leader)