1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Ankylosing Spondylitis

Anyone find Humaria causes depression?

Posted , 6 users are following.

dani_91330
dani_91330

My daughter is 19.

Her pain started at nine. At eleven she tested positive for HLAB27. At that point she began seeing a rheumatologist. She was put on relafen. It worked for the peripheral pain until last year. Now she has back pain and X-rays confirmed mild fusing in her lower back.

Started humira. Her first shot, no change in anything.

After her second shot, she has been having crying spells. Daily. She is depressed and out of no where just sobs.

Does anyone know if this goes away? I know she hasn't been on it long enough to know if it's going to work for her pain, but she can't go on like this either.

Has anyone experienced this? Does it get better?

0 likes, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • edward61102
    edward61102 dani_91330

    Posted

    Dani, be very careful with the biological drugs. I was on Enbrel and it started bothering me emotionally then it became neurological problems. It's rare but not unheard of. It actually left lesions on my brain. Get her to the Dr.

    • edward61102
      edward61102 dani_91330

      Posted

      You're welcome. I also have a daughter with AS. She was diagnosed at the age of six. She's now twenty three. She's in a study for early detection at the University of Washington. I wish you much luck.

    • dani_91330
      dani_91330 edward61102

      Posted

      I'm so sorry your daughter got it so young. It's nice she got into a study. Hopefully it helps.

    • ama38049
      ama38049 edward61102

      Posted

      Hi Edward, may I ask you about your neuro sympthoms? I had 6 shots of Enbrel which affected my mood, but moreover I started to feel like if one of my eyes is trying to look inside the head (I know that it sounds weird but it's the best description I can give). I started to be sensitive to bright lights and had "black out" moments - like fainting for a short time. After talking to my dr I went off the med and I am much better in this respect (unfortunately the pain feels better too). But I still have a strange sensation in my eye/part of the head. Would you mind sharing your sympthoms? I read that Enbrel may cause multiple sclerosis and I wonder if it's not this... Scared... Thank you in advance.

    • edward61102
      edward61102 ama38049

      Posted

      Hello! My symptoms were very strange. It just started with my eyes feeling like they had a cell phone buzzer in them. I felt buzzing constantly. I completely lost my appetite and only wanted to sleep and did sleep a lot. I think I was sleeping like 16 hours per day. Then came dementia and wandering like an old guy. I'd wake up and my family would tell me stories about the strange things I was doing. The last thing was my speech and balance. I couldn't get words out and completely couldn't walk. They hospitalized me and an MRI showed white matter lesions on my brain. Luckily all the symptoms stopped after a few months of being off the Enbrel.

      I was very disappointed, because I was feeling pretty good physically.

    • ama38049
      ama38049 edward61102

      Posted

      Ouch. So sorry to hear. Different than mine then and horrible. I slept through my first week on Enbrel but then it became better - was sleepy only on the last day before the next shot and with some energy on other days.. Although I do recall falling asleep midday but I addressed it to tiredness in general... On Humira, before Enbrel, I is was in pain but with TONS of energy...

      Did they put you on anything else? I got such cold feet (as well as my dr) that I am off anything at the moment. And the pain is bad...

      Feel well! And thank you for answering!

    • edward61102
      edward61102 ama38049

      Posted

      Thank you! No, we never did try anything else. I wasn't willing to put my brain at risk again. A few docs said it would be ok to try Remicaid, but I just wasn't risking it.

      I really hope you can find a good potion that works for you. :-)

  • ama38049
    ama38049 dani_91330

    Posted

    Hi Dani, it's a known side effect (take a look at the side effects list). I am so sorry, but it won't get better from my experience. But it wanishes after only few weeks magically in case that the med is stopped. You can write me a private message for more info. In any case, please call her dr - she is very young so I am not sure if the strength of her reaction is also hormones related and not just Humira induced... In either case, it's a severe side effect... So sorry :-(

    • courtney_56601
      courtney_56601 ama38049

      Posted

      I think it wise to bring it up with her Rheumetlogist.

      I would and have cried at the onset of early AS. It a very scary time for her and her moods need to be watched very carefully. Perhaps they can change the biologic to Enbrel. I have been on for twenty years and have had no mood problem.

      Go to dr ASAP . It's a very depressing chronic disease perhaps she needs meds for depression? Cymbalta helped w both my pain and depression and they added Abilify.

      Good luck.

  • gloria55119
    gloria55119 dani_91330

    Posted

    Hi Dani, I am not familiar with this drug so I researched it on the "net" and was very concerned about the side effects mentioned there. Just type in...HUMIRA and you will see why I am concerned. Hugs to your daughter.

    • dani_91330
      dani_91330 gloria55119

      Posted

      Absolutely concerned about the side effects! Cancer of all kinds and that is just the start. But my daughter's quality of life is diminishing. She's in constant pain. She made the decision to try it. But it's not working out too well. If anyone else got depressed on this, please let me know. She can't stay on it if she stays depressed.

    • gloria55119
      gloria55119 dani_91330

      Posted

      I suggest that you and your daughter have a consultation with a specialist and take a print out of the facts from the site on the "net" and discuss your concerns. Ask if she could be weaned off this drug and be put on some anti-depressants asap...Don't leave the doctors office until you are satisfied that all is being done to help her. Good luck and love too. G

  • gemma83759
    gemma83759 dani_91330

    Posted

    Hi dani, Um, I've been searching for your post as I was on holiday when I read it and thought I'd go back to it as it struck a chord with me and what's going on with my daughter. To cut a long story short, my daughter is 11. I initially took her to the gp about 8 weeks ago cos she was complaining of pain in her hips and suddenly I could see that the way she walks had changed. They sent her to a paediatric consultant who at that app was more interested in my ra and treatment than her symptoms! She ordered an ultra sound on hips an orthotics referral and physiotherapy. Last week the same consultant left me a voicemail saying she wants my daughter seen by a paediatric rheumatologist due to her ongoing difficulties and my medical history. I am so worried, they tested her for ra and it came back negative so I don't know why they want her referred. I'm worried they're looking at me and assuming it's ra? Does any of this sound familiar to you? I've since looked up hlab27 and I know the rheumatoid factor isn't always present, could they think she has that?

    • edward61102
      edward61102 gemma83759

      Posted

      Hi Gemma, I know you didn't address me, but it fits my family as well so I thought I might chime in.

      My dad had Rheumatoid Arthritis and when I came back negative, they quit looking for causes. I can't speak for the GP, but it's a very logical and prudent thing to do. Get the Rheumatologist to chase down any leads.

      I wish you all the best. I really hope it's not a autoimmune problem. Take care!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.