What Is Humira Used For?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Humira to treat the following:

• Crohn’s disease (inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, affecting your digestive tract)
• Ulcerative colitis (IBD of the large intestine)
• Plaque psoriasis (autoimmune disease causing thick, red, scaly skin patches)
• Psoriatic arthritis (autoimmune disease that is a type of inflammatory arthritis)
• Rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune disease causing painful, swollen, and stiff joints)
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (chronic arthritis in children and teens)
• Uveitis (eye inflammation)
• Ankylosing spondylitis (autoimmune disease causing bones in the spine to fuse)
• Hidradenitis suppurativa (chronic skin condition causing painful lumps)

The FDA has issued a boxed warning for Humira regarding an increased risk of severe infections and cancers such as lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, a network that aids in disease-fighting. A boxed warning is one of the FDA's most severe warnings about a drug's side effects. If you are concerned about using this medication, speak with your doctor.

How to Take Humira

Humira can be given to you every two weeks using prefilled pens and syringes. A healthcare provider will demonstrate how to use it.

Take Humira out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before using it. This reduces the pain of the injection. While waiting for your medication to reach room temperature, do not heat it up or remove the cap or cover. Latex may be present in the needle cover for the pen and the cap of the prefilled syringe.

Before administering the medication, examine its appearance: Do not use the liquid if it is cloudy, colored, or leaking. Hands should be washed before and after use.

To administer:

• As directed by your healthcare provider, inject the medication under your skin (subcutaneously).
• Inject at least 2 inches from your naval into the fatty part of the skin on top of your lower stomach or thigh.
• Ensure that injection sites are rotated.

Inject into the skin that is hard, bruised, red, or tender. In addition, avoid injecting in areas of the skin with stretch marks, psoriasis plaques, or scars.

Humira vials are only intended for institutional use. They do not contain any preservatives. Throw away any leftovers after using.

Needles and syringes should not be reused. Instead, place used needles or syringes in a sharps (needle) container and dispose of full containers in accordance with local regulations. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Storage

Humira should be kept in the refrigerator but not frozen. If the medication freezes, do not use it again until it has thawed. Adalimumab can be stored at room temperature.

After removing it from the refrigerator, make a note of the date. Toss it 14 days after taking it out of the fridge. It should not be used after 14 days.

Keep Humira away from heat and light, and keep it out of the reach of children and pets. Throw away any leftovers.

Do not flush your medication down the toilet or drain. Find out where your local drug disposal sites are. On the FDA website, you can look for programs in your area. If you have any questions, please contact your pharmacist, who will be able to advise you on proper disposal.

Off-Label Uses

Healthcare providers occasionally prescribe Humira for purposes not approved by the FDA. This is referred to as off-label use. Although not approved for these conditions, Humira may be beneficial in treating them under the supervision of your doctor.

Off-label use for Humira are:

• Crohn's disease treatment after removing all or a portion of the affected organ
• Management of a severe form of Crohn's disease known as perianal/fistulizing disease
• Pyoderma gangrenosum (large painful sores on the skin)
• Alopecia areata (sudden hair loss with overlapping bald patches)