Is cimzia dangerous?

[oKerrio]

I’m due to start this next month I stupidly googled and it’s scared hell out of me! The increased risk of certain big C’s keep cropping up!

[helixhelix]

Unfortunately we are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Having uncontrolled rheumatoid arthritis increases our risk of lots of things including lung cancer and heart disease - on top of being painful and damaging our joints!

And yes, many of the drugs we take do have risks associated with them. But if you look at the numbers these are very small increased risks most of the time. By far the biggest risks for getting many cancers are lifestyle issues - smoking, alcohol, obesity, high fat processed red meat diet, and sedentary lifestyle. So the fact that I love butter could well be as risky as taking an anti-TNF drug!

I have just started a similar drug, and my doctor advised me to pay attention to basic hygiene like frequent hand washing and be alert to any changes in skin - like moles that change shape. Which is what I'm doing, and not fretting about other risks of the drug.

[oldtimer]

Unfortunately all life has risks and we have to spend time balancing up which ones we want to take! The risks from untreated Rheumatoid Disease are high, the increased risks of cancer from the treatment are small which makes it a reasonable bet. But it's worth looking at other risks of cancer like obesity, alcohol, smoking - higher risks - which we CAN do something about.

[stbernhard]

I was put on CIMZIA in 2012/13 and it was the one drug that enabled me to get back control over my life! All drugs have side effects, but if the benefits far outweigh them I more than happy to accept them. There is no more risk in it than crossing the road. The NRAS website is an excellent source of information about all RA medication. Don't use Dr. Google, please. I hope that you can embrace the drug and that it will work as well for you as it did for me. Positive acceptance can make a big difference. I am in remission since 2014. All the best and keep in touch.

[sjhewitt42]

Hi

I was on Cimzia for 5 years.. I got a few infections and skin irritations but it was my wonder drug. Unfortunately I had to come off as the allergies and infections ramped up and I began to not tolerate the drug with it causing Lupus but I would try it in a heartbeat again knowing how wonderful my joints felt. Unfortunately there is always a trade off with these drugs. Good luck. Sarah xx

[Maria2008]

I loved cymzia because it allow me to eat diary and even wine. But I always eat healty. But when endometrian cancer stroke after 4 years of cimzia doctors took me off it. I don't know if it cause it, but they replaced with Tocizulab. I hope it helps.