As a supplement to my last post about Humira, here is a video of a guy using a Humira injector pen.
The Humira Injection Pen is a custom, disposable device that was created by the makers of Humira to make at-home injections as simple as possible. The following video demonstrates the fact that, while the device is easy to use, it is not painless.
Humira is the brand name that was given to the TNF inhibitor adalimumab. TNF stands for “tumor necrosis factor”. Tumor necrosis factor is the part of the immune system that regulates swelling, which is one of the main symptoms of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Adalimumad suppresses the immune system in a manner similar to etanercept (brand name Enbrel). I wrote an article about Enbrel here.
One of the main differences between Enbrel and Humira is how they were created: Enbrel (etanercept) was created by fusing a protein and a human gene together while Humira (adalimumab) is made entirely from a human monoclonal antibody (as opposed to treated animal cells).
Humira is prescribed for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, usually after all other available medications have proven to be ineffective. It is also prescribed for psoriatic arthritis, which can severely limit a person’s ability to use their hands and other joints.
Adalimumad is a type of biologic, or a drug that was constructed to carry out a specific task within the human body (and nothing else).
Since Humira inhibits the immune system, anyone taking this drug runs the risk of contracting diseases, including tuberculosis. The somewhat extreme risks that accompany this drug are a testament to how well it works for many people who are desperate for relief from their psoriasis symptoms. Most people with moderate to severe psoriasis report dramatic improvements after taking Humira.
Ongoing Humira treatment must be administered via at-home injections, every other week. The serum is prepackaged in either standard syringes or custom “Humira Injection Pens.”
The video below depicts a girl injecting herself in the stomach with one syringe-worth of Humira. By my understanding, it must be injected into fatty tissue.
Here is a five minute video of a man with somewhat severe plaque psoriasis who chronicled his experience over a month’s time of swimming in the dead sea and spending a lot of time in the sun (around 6 hours per day). So this is a month of dead sea / sunlight psoriasis treatment squashed into 5 minutes.
You’ll notice some drastic changes to his skin, especially about halfway through the month-long treatment period. What used to be extremely irritated, swollen looking skin fades away and goes back to normal toward the end of the video. You’ll notice that he gets pretty well tanned as well.
I learned from this video that sunlight isn’t as harsh around the Dead Sea because the elevation there (422 meters or 1,385 ft below sea level) thus allowing people to sit out in the sun without fear of burning. They don’t even use much in the way of sunscreen there, apparently — just basic oils.
Much of the lesson to be learned here is the necessity of complete lifestyle change in the battle against psoriasis. To recover from psoriasis for life, you will most likely have have to change your everyday routine (so you do things differently without thinking about it), including removing anything that is clogging up your liver or your immune system.
CariDee English is best known for winning America’s Next Top Model in 2008. Here she is talking about her experiences growing up with psoriasis, going to the public pool, etc.
She discusses having 70% of her body covered in psoriasis scales. Since she seems to be “all better” now, this begs the obvious question… what psoriasis treatment did she use?
Answer: According to this interview by IGN TV, she apparently used a medicine called Raptiva (produced by Genentech), which is administered through injections. Because of the some of the sever risks of this treatment, it has been discontinued in the U.S. (read more about what happened to Raptiva here).
The National Psoriasis Foundation is lobbying for a bill that, if passed through Congress, will make psoriasis research government-funded. Because CariDee English is such a shining example of how well people can do for themselves after overcoming psoriasis, she is an obvious pick to be the face of NPF’s lobbying efforts.
