any body took certolizumab ? could you tell me if any side effects suffered if any?

My consultant is saying looking to put me on Certolizumab injection form togethr with small dose in tablet form of steroids , i am concerned about side effects has any one took this and what side effects if any were experienced please?

[Hidden]

hi not had it it is one of the three drugs being offered to me if I PASS 2ND DAS TEST, think iit can give good results nurse showed mt=e the device I rejected it it looked to bulky for me to use I dont have good hand dexerity any more and id a needle not a pen. it looks promising rseults wise though xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply i was impressed with the pen my thoughts are it would be easy to use and it is a pen so probably easier.

[Sailaway]

I took certolizumab for a while, and had no side effects at all. It was really easy to take, not painful and no problems with the injection site afterwards. Even the syringe is well designed. It didn't do a lot for me, but it was a good one to start on because it's a good way to learn how to inject (surprised me how easy it was, I was very nervous) and what doesn't work for one person works really well for another.

I'm on humira now, that's much more painful, and the syringe feels really flimsy (but it's starting to work).

[Hidden in reply to Sailaway]

Thank you for replying , You have certainly helped me good to know that its easy to use , i certainly hope this works for me but as you say what works for one might not work for another i'll let you know how i get on.

[Alderess]

Hi. I've been on this as Cimzia for nearly three years. I started it when Embrel stopped being effective and gave me painful injection site reactions.

I find Cimzia easy to inject, with the ergonomic design of the syringe and the fact it is a thicker solution than Embrel or injectable MTX. I have never had any adverse reactions, although I had an infection with a flare last summer. I continued the Cimzia and added Hydroxychloroquin and now I'm pretty good most of the time.

Everyone is unique, so I hope it works for you....

Susan

[Hidden in reply to Alderess]

Thank you sue for your reply. Your comments are reassuring Can you i go abroad whilst on this medication as they say you are prone to infection i'm worried if i got bit by a mosquito or picked up a bug whilst abroad what would i do? I am suppose to be going with my husband and son and daughter in law Sept for my 50th birthday as an early birthday present off my children i havent booked yet as i 'm not sure whether its okay. Do you think this would be okay or do i need to get the okay from the rhuemy team?

[Alderess]

I certainly haven't had any more infections than might be usual, although I still don't know what the infection was that caused a flare last year. Maybe just a sore toe! I've been to Ghana this year, just for a week, so didn't have to take the Cimzia with me anyway. No one asked for the yellow fever certificate that I don't have and I took antimalarials. I am fine and the heat seems to have improved my skin too!

I have not had any side effects on Cimzia. I hope it works for you...

[Alderess]

It is worth talking to the rheumy team - they'll know of other people's experienced abroad.

S

[Hidden in reply to Alderess]

thnak you sue i will, glad you had a good time abroad im hoping the warmer climate will help lol . good to hear you had no side effects I'll let you know how i get on . thanks :)) x

[cherry2]

Hi, I took cimzia for about 18 months and it worked really well for my joints- i could barely lift a mug of coffee before i started on it but it didnt help the lethargy much. I did have some tingling and twitching and had to stop but the neurologist didnt think it was related to drug, i restarted it but then had a bad flare so have now had to come off it for good. But i would say go for it, it did make a huge difference for a while. As its an injection every 2 weeks, think about what day to start it on. I went for midweek as i thought then if i want to go away for weekend i wont need to be taking it with me. I have been abroad with it several times, just need a note from GP and carry it as hand luggage in small cool bag as it has to be kept in fridge- also check there is somewhere to store it in a fridge when you get there. However as its only every other week you can some times get away between doses if you work dates out right.There are restrictions with having live vacinations. I have not found that i have picked up lots more infections.So go for it, you can always stop it if it doesnt suit you. Be patient it can take few weeks to kick in, and make sure you allow it to come to room temperature before injecting otherwise it can sting a bit. Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to cherry2]

Thank you cherry, some useful tips there i am all up for giving it a go my appointment is on the 27th March so will know if i get the go ahead for sure and learn what to do so will keep you informed how i get on. I would be just glad to be able to take something that doesnt give me severe side effects as the last 3 meds have . hope you are doing well and have been sorted with an alternative, thanks again lena

[Hidden]

morning i have done some research on this drug and they say that it can cause skin cancer really concerned about this worried now. com!!! what do you all think and also the steroid tabs are hard to ween off and cause mood swings is this true have had steroid injections and recently had one last Tuesday and i'm experiencing irritability , low and high moods would this be the steroids, if so should i agree to go on them? please help if you can any advice extremely grateful i need to make my decision by 27th March :(( lena xx

[Hidden]

Hi Ludlow

There has been a lot of research into cancer risk when on the anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (which includes certoluzumab, or Cimzia). The evidence suggests that there is no increased risk of solid cancers when on these drugs but there is some evidence to suggest a slightly increased risk of skin cancer. Fortunately, this is one of the most readily treatable cancers and one that is often caught very early. It is always a case of weighing up the potential side effects of these drugs with the benefits that may be gained. We have an article specifically on certolizumab that you might find useful to read at this time: nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

Changes in mood are a recognised potential side effect of steroids but of course not everyone will experience this and they can be very helpful at controlling inflammation. If you feel that you have experienced this type of side effect with your steroid injection it would be worth discussing this with your rheumatology team to see what they think. We also have an article on steroids use in RA: nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoi...

I hoep this has been helpful.

Kind regards

Sarah Kate

NRAS