Humira
8 Humira Side Effects and How to Manage Them
Key takeaways:
Humira (adalimumab) is a biologic medication that treats many autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and more. It calms inflammation by blocking a protein called tumor necrosis factor.
The most common Humira side effects are injection site reactions, headaches, and skin rashes. Upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold, are also relatively common. But more serious side effects are also possible. These include more severe infections and skin cancer.
Humira’s benefits outweigh the risk of side effects for many people. This isn’t the case for everyone, though, so your healthcare team can help you understand if Humira is a good option for you.
If you feel like you’re meeting more people in recent years who’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, it’s not just you. They’re becoming more common worldwide.
At the same time, many medications — especially biologic medications — are being developed for autoimmune disorders. Humira (adalimumab) is one of the most common. An injectable tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker, it treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, and more. It eases symptoms by lowering inflammation, which helps protect your tissues and joints from damage.
Humira is beneficial for many people. But as with any medication, it comes with some risks.
Humira can cause a range of side effects. Sometimes, these side effects go away on their own. Others may require you to stop using Humira.
Common and/or mild Humira side effects include:
Injection site reactions, such as pain, redness, and swelling
Upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold
Flu-like symptoms, such as fever and chills
Headaches
Skin rashes
Nausea
Abdominal pain
Back pain
Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Elevated blood pressure
High cholesterol
Rare but serious side effects include:
Serious infections, including sepsis or fungal infections
Hepatitis B reactivation (hepatitis B coming back after being inactive)
Changes in blood cell counts
New or worsening heart failure
Immune reactions, including lupus-like syndrome (e.g., fatigue, joint pain, and a butterfly-shaped rash) and liver inflammation
Certain cancers, such as lymphoma or skin cancer
Below, we’ll cover eight Humira side effects and how to manage them. For many people, the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. Talk with your healthcare team to decide if Humira is right for you.
The most common side effect of Humira are injection site reactions; they may affect more than a third of people receiving the medication. If this happens to you, you’ll likely notice some skin redness or irritation near where Humira was injected. Swelling and pain are also possible. It happens most often during the first month of treatment.
The good news is newer Humira products have been reformulated in a way to make them less irritating. Specifically, they’re citrate-free, which has helped to limit pain.
Here are a few tips that might also help ease discomfort from your injections:
Bring your Humira injection to room temperature before injecting it. Let it sit outside of the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Colder injections hurt more.
Numb your skin by applying a cold compress to the area for about 15 minutes before the injection.
Rotate injection sites by at least 1 inch. You can also consider injecting into your thigh instead of just your stomach.
Humira alternatives: Many biosimilars to Humira (adalimumab) are now available for use, from Amjevita and Cyltezo to Yusimry and Idacio.
Making the switch: Thinking about switching to a Humira biosimilar? Here are some questions to ask your pharmacist to see if a biosimilar is right for you.
Recommended Humira dosages: Pharmacists discuss how much Humira you should inject — and when.
Reach out to your prescriber if your skin is still irritated a few days after your dose, or if this continues being a problem for you.
Humira works by intentionally lowering your immune response. But there’s a downside: your immune system also has a weaker response to germs that make you sick. So you may be more likely to catch a bug or the latest cold that’s going around. Skin or urinary tract infections are possible, too.
More serious infections can also happen. Because of this, the FDA requires biologic products, like Humira, to have a boxed warning — their most serious medication warning — about their infection risk.
Tuberculosis (TB) is one concern for people receiving Humira. That’s why your healthcare team should check and see if you have TB before starting a biologic and routinely during treatment. Fungal infections are another rare but serious concern. The risk for infections is greater if you’re an older adult or take other medications that weaken your immune system.
Follow these steps to help stay safe:
Make sure your vaccines are up to date before starting Humira, including your annual flu shot.
Wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face.
Consider extra precautions when you’re in crowded places, such as wearing a face mask.
As a precaution, reach out to your healthcare team if you feel like you’re coming down with symptoms of an infection. But make sure to get medical care sooner if you have more serious symptoms, including:
Fever (100.4°F or greater)
Bad cough or trouble breathing
Burning or pain when you pee
Rash that has swelling or drainage
Headaches are another common side effect of Humira.
If you’re having headaches, be mindful of common triggers, such as dehydration or skipping meals. To feel better, you can also take an over-the-counter pain reliever, like acetaminophen (Tylenol), for short-term symptom relief. But make sure to ask your prescriber to recommend a product that’s safe to take with your other medications and health conditions.
In clinical studies, people receiving Humira were twice as likely to develop a skin rash than people receiving a placebo (a substance with no medication in it). Most rashes were mild and didn’t lead to treatment interruptions.
If you develop a rash during treatment with Humira, chances are it’s nothing serious — it might not even be related to Humira. There are many possible causes for skin rashes, including allergies, infection, and autoimmune disorders.
To be safe, it’s important to tell your healthcare team about any new, unexplained rashes you develop. They can help you figure out the cause and how to treat it.
If you’ve had hepatitis B in the past, there’s a chance the hepatitis B virus can reactivate in your body after starting Humira. Meaning, your immune system might not be strong enough to keep the virus in check. So the virus could become active again and make you sick.
Before you start Humira, your prescriber should check your blood work for signs of hepatitis B. If you have antibodies to hepatitis B through vaccination, then you’re considered immune and protected. But if the virus is still present in your bloodstream, then you might be at risk for reactivation. Your prescriber should consider this risk when deciding if Humira is right for you.
Studies show that people receiving medications like Humira have close to a 2 times higher risk for being diagnosed with a non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Basal cell and squamous cell are the two main types. They’re also the most common types of cancer in general.
Thankfully, NMSCs are highly treatable when caught early. Older people with lighter skin who’ve had a lot of sun (or tanning bed) exposure have the highest risk. But anyone can get skin cancer. Discuss this risk with your healthcare team and follow their recommendations for skin cancer screenings and sun precautions.
Keep in mind: This risk isn’t unique to Humira. Some non-biologic medications used to treat autoimmune disorders, such as methotrexate (Trexall), can also increase your risk for skin cancer.
Lymphomas are a type of cancer that starts in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. The FDA requires a boxed warning on TNF blockers, such as Humira, because lymphoma cases have been reported in adults receiving these treatments. Rarely, cases have also occurred in children and adolescents.
However, results from many clinical studies have been reassuring. A 2016 study of 15,000 people with RA found no link between TNF blockers and lymphoma. Similarly, a 2018 study found no increased cancer risk in the nearly 16,000 children treated with TNF blockers.
One thing is clear from both of these studies. People with RA and other autoimmune disorders have a higher risk for cancer, including lymphomas, even without treatment. Make sure your prescriber knows your full medical and family history before starting Humira.
Although rare, it’s possible for Humira to trigger antibodies against your own body. This could lead to autoimmune-related side effects, including:
Liver damage or inflammation
Nerve problems, including multiple sclerosis
Antibodies that attack Humira can also develop. These are called antidrug antibodies, and they can block Humira from working. Tell your prescriber if Humira doesn’t seem to be working like it used to. They may check your blood for anti-Humira antibodies before deciding on a change in treatment or Humira dose.
There are ways to save on Humira, which is available as a reference (brand-name) biologic and several biosimilars. GoodRx can help you navigate between GoodRx coupons, copay savings cards, and patient assistance programs to save money on your prescription.
Save with GoodRx: Anyone with a valid prescription, regardless of insurance status, can use GoodRx to purchase two adalimumab-adbm pens at an exclusive cash price of $550.
Save with a copay savings card: If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $0 for Humira using a savings card from the manufacturer.
Save with patient assistance programs: If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Humira’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of charge.
Weight gain isn’t a confirmed side effect of Humira. Some studies have linked it to gradual weight gain, but it’s unclear if the medication is the true cause. For instance, weight gain could be due to improved symptoms of your condition, which can lead to a better appetite and eating more. Weight changes may also be related to other medications you may be taking, such as corticosteroids. Sudden weight gain may also be a sign of a health condition, like heart failure, that Humira can make worse.
Weight gain isn’t a confirmed side effect of Humira. Some studies have linked it to gradual weight gain, but it’s unclear if the medication is the true cause. For instance, weight gain could be due to improved symptoms of your condition, which can lead to a better appetite and eating more. Weight changes may also be related to other medications you may be taking, such as corticosteroids. Sudden weight gain may also be a sign of a health condition, like heart failure, that Humira can make worse.
Cold sores aren’t a common side effect of Humira, but they can happen. That’s because Humira lowers your immune system’s defenses, making it easier for infections like the herpes virus (which causes cold sores) to flare up.
If you develop cold sores after starting Humira, or if they seem worse than usual, talk to your healthcare team. They can help you manage cold sore symptoms and figure out how to lessen them moving forward.
There aren’t any foods that interact directly with Humira. But since the medication weakens your immune system, it’s smart to be careful with food safety. Avoid raw or undercooked meats, seafood, and premade deli salads — these can carry harmful germs. It also helps to limit alcohol, which can weaken your immune system further. Washing your hands and cooking foods thoroughly are simple steps that can support your health while receiving Humira.
Humira can interact with other medications that weaken the immune system. This includes other TNF blockers, such as Enbrel (etanercept). It also includes medications such as Rituxan (rituximab), Orencia (abatacept), and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors like Rinvoq (upadacitinib). These combinations can increase the risk of serious infections. Live vaccines, including the nasal spray flu vaccine (FluMist), should also be avoided with Humira.
The most common Humira (adalimumab) side effects are injection site reactions, headaches, and skin rashes. Upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold, are also possible. For most people, these side effects are relatively mild. Rare but serious Humira side effects include more severe infections and skin cancer. Carefully discuss your side effect risks with your healthcare team. They can help you determine if Humira or a different medication would be the best choice for you.
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