Xeljanz vs. Humira

Xeljanz (tofacitinib citrate) and Humira (adalimumab) are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Xeljanz is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have not responded well to methotrexate, or cannot tolerate it.

Humira is also used to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and plaque psoriasis, and to treat Crohn's disease after other drugs have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.

Xeljanz and Humira belong to different drug classes. Xeljanz is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor and Humira is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker.

Side effects of Xeljanz and Humira that are similar include headache and stuffy nose.

Side effects of Xeljanz that are different from Humira include upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, and cold symptoms such as sore throat and runny nose.

Side effects of Humira that are different from Xeljanz include injection site reactions (redness, itching, pain, bruising, swelling, or bleeding), sinus pain, and stomach pain.

Xeljanz may interact with aprepitant, bosentan, conivaptan, haloperidol, imatinib, isoniazid, St. John's wort, ticlopidine, antibiotics, antidepressants, antifungals, hepatitis C medications boceprevir or telaprevir, heart or blood pressure medicines, HIV or AIDS medicines, medications to treat excess stomach acid, medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), other arthritis medications, seizure medications, and steroids.

Humira may interact with abatacept, etanercept, anakinra, azathioprine, mercaptopurine, certolizumab, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab, and live vaccines.

Side effects of Xeljanz include:

Common side effects of Xeljanz include:

• upper respiratory tract infections,
• headache,
• diarrhea, and
• cold symptoms such as sore throat, runny or stuffy nose.

Tell your doctor if you experience serious side effects of Xeljanz including:

• feeling very tired,
• yellow skin or eyes (jaundice),
• loss of appetite,
• vomiting,
• dark urine,
• clay-colored stool,
• skin rash,
• clay-colored stools,
• skin rash,
• fever or chills,
• night sweats,
• weight loss,
• changes in bowel habits,
• pain or burning when you urinate,
• sores in your mouth or throat,
• stabbing chest pain,
• shortness of breath,
• cough with mucus or blood, or
• skin redness or swelling.

Side effects of Humira include:

• injection site reactions (redness, itching, pain, bruising, swelling, or bleeding),
• headache,
• suffy nose,
• sinus pain, or
• stomach pain.

Tell your doctor if you have serious side effects of Humira including:

• fast/irregular/pounding heartbeat,
• stomach pain,
• blood in the stools,
• mental/mood changes,
• severe headache,
• easy bruising or bleeding,
• dark urine,
• yellowing eyes and skin,
• leg pain or swelling,
• numbness or tingling of the arms/hands/legs/feet,
• unsteadiness,
• unexplained muscle weakness,
• difficulty with speaking/chewing/swallowing/facial movements,
• vision changes,
• extreme fatigue,
• joint pain, or
• butterfly-shaped rash on the nose and cheeks.

Xeljanz (tofacitinib citrate) is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor used to treat adults with moderate to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not responded well to methotrexate, or cannot tolerate it.

Humira (adalimumab) is an injectable protein (antibody) used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and plaque psoriasis. Humira is also used to treat Crohn's disease after other drugs have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.

Xeljanz may interact with aprepitant, bosentan, conivaptan, haloperidol, imatinib, isoniazid, St. John's wort, ticlopidine, antibiotics, antidepressants, antifungals, hepatitis C medications boceprevir or telaprevir, heart or blood pressure medicines, HIV or AIDS medicines, medications to treat excess stomach acid, medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), other arthritis medications, seizure medications, or steroids. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

Humira may interact with azathioprine or mercaptopurine. Asacol may also interact with pentamidine, tacrolimus, amphotericin B, antibiotics, antiviral medicines, cancer medicine, or aspirin or other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

Humira may also interact with abatacept, anakinra, infliximab, etanercept, certolizumab pegol, golimumab, or rituximab.

The recommended dose of Xeljanz is 5 mg twice daily.

Humira is given by an injection under the skin. Your doctor will tell you how often to take an injection of Humira. This is based on your condition to be treated. Do not inject Humira more often than you were prescribed.

Do not try to inject Humira yourself until you have been shown the right way to give the injections. If your doctor decides that you or a caregiver may be able to give your injections of Humira at home, you should receive training on the right way to prepare and inject Humira.

Do not miss any doses of Humira unless your doctor says it is okay. If you forget to take Humira, inject a dose as soon as you remember. Then, take your next dose at your regular scheduled time. This will put you back on schedule.

In case you are not sure when to inject Humira, call your doctor or pharmacist.

If you take more Humira than you were told to take, call your doctor.