Hi- I don't blame you for being nervous. It is a lot to take in! I am the Mom of a 21 year old who has been first on Enbrel and now on Humira for about 10 years. He has been very lucky that Humira continues to work well for him and as a result he is able to live a very normal life. I do remember that he said the Humira injection is more painful than Enbrel- they use different carrying agents and Humira seems to be more painful for most people. His Humira started working pretty quickly- I think it was in about 2 weeks. However, he had been on Enbrel previously, and while it was not working as well for him as it did originally, I'm sure it was still having some benefits. It may take longer for you to notice any improvements; I think even when my son first started Enbrel he noticed improvement within the first 2 weeks. It took about 6 weeks for him to see major improvement. In the long run, he has not had any direct side effects from his meds. He has gone off of the meds a few times when he was sick but has not had any other issues with either drug. On the plus side, these meds have allowed him to be very active in sports, as compared to barely being able to walk when he was first diagnosed. He has had a few minor flare-ups, but for the most part has had great results. He is very careful about his diet and is very active- stretches every morning when he first awakens and exercises/plays sports. He finds that the activity really helps him maintain movement.
Best of luck with the Humira!
