First citrate free injection given today!

Hello friends! I am VERY pleased to report that my kiddo got her first citrate free Humira injection today! She was very nervous and took some time to warm up to the idea. She still felt that the citrate free version would hurt. The induction dosing was so traumatic and each injection burned so intensely that her fear and apprehension was entirely understandable. Through every injection since induction my kiddo has been in charge of deciding when she is ready to administer the medication. Any sort of rushed or forced medical procedure will immediately lead her to an outburst of anxiety and panic. Once she reported she was ready for her injection she closed her eyes tightly and prepared to hold her breath as she typically does. The injection started and she opened her eyes and smiled. Very quickly it was over. I asked her what she thought and she said, “that was pretty great!” She does not report experiencing any pain. With the needle being reduced to a 29 gauge, the poke should be even less of an issue for those who are fearful of pokes. My kiddo has never reported pain with the poke, only the burn. On a phone call to report her experience to her grandma she said “I could probably get it in my sleep and not even wake up. It didn’t hurt.” I cannot tell you how overjoyed I am as a parent. I have been doing my best to answer all messages, Facebook messages, and comments here pertaining to issues with getting the medication for their child. Here is what I believe you need to know. 1. AbbVie began roll out May 1 as scheduled. 2. Humira without citrate buffers became available for pharmacies to order on May 7. 3. Accredo pharmacy in Nashville is who ships ours. Their shipment was received on May 8 and ineventoried May 9. We received our overnight shipment May 10. I spent 5 hours on the phone last week with all reps, pharmacists, corporate responsibility, a Vice President of AbbVie, our Ambassador with Humira, etc. It took a lot of work to get this accomplished because it is in the beginning phases of release. 4. The best way to resolve your situation quickly if you’re having trouble is to: A) get your GI to write your script for Humira without citrate buffers. They must do this. B) make sure if you need to get any prior auth from insurance that this is completed. We had no issues there at all. C) speak directly to a pharmacist with your filling pharmacy to make sure they have the GI’s script and make sure they have Humira without citrate buffers selected in their system. The volume is half of what it used to be due to the removal of the ingredient but this is the only change you’ll see on the box. D) if your pharmacy is not filling it yet (per a direct convo with a pharmacist NOT a rep) call over to Pharmacy Solutions and your Ambassador to reach out to the pharmacy. The pharmacy that fills has to order it to get it. These people can help. E) If all else fails contact Tracie Haas. She is lovely and truly cares. She’s head of corporate responsibility at AbbVie. 5. I’ve been getting a lot of messages from parents of adult children and adults who are very upset that they do not have access to the citrate free Humira. Pediatric release was prioritized because we have small children who are deeply impacted emotionally by this childhood trauma, on top of already having chronic illnesses. They do not have the capacity to understand why they’re being hurt in some cases. Priority was given to lessening the suffering of the smallest warriors. However, your pain matters! Your adult children are still your children. And as an adult, it still hurts. It’s still hard. It will increase compliance with taking meds by reducing pain. I hear you and because I’ve seen my own child go through it, my heart aches for you. I would encourage you to make your voices heard. Petition, be vigilant, reach out often to those in charge. Your voice matters. You matter. But please also celebrate for these sweet babies. Through this pediatric release, I truly believe a wider release will be on the horizon. I will continue to answer messages to offer any help I can to parents with peds patients! Also, please leave a comment below if your child has switched to citrate free, what pharmacy you use, and what your child’s experience is. I believe this will help us help one another. AbbVie held to their timeline and it is up to the pharmacies now to get these meds to our peds patients! So much love, warriors! Caity