Skyrizi: My Infusion Experience

This week, I finished my third round of infusions with Skyrizi. Before Skyrizi, I was on Humira (self-injections every other week) for about six years. I got used to the flexibility of administering the drug myself and in the comfort of my own home. The infusion experience was completely new to me and honestly daunting. It didn’t make the decision to switch any easier, despite Skyrizi’s positive track-record. According to my doctors, it is the only drug on the market right now with the highest efficacy rate and lowest chance of side effects for ulcerative colitis.

Once I said yes to Skyrizi, here is how my care plan went:

1. Start with three infusions (loading doses) spaced four weeks apart.
2. Four weeks after my third infusion, I will administer an injection using the new on-body injector (OBI).
3. After that, I will do injections every eight weeks.

It is much less frequent than what I was doing with Humira, which is appealing. But both the infusions and the OBI are new to me and will require a learning curve. In this blog post, I will talk about my infusion experience.

Let’s start with what I liked about my infusions:

• The overall experience. My insurance brought me to Pure Infusion and I have to say that the level of service and care I received was top notch. There were no delays in scheduling and they communicated frequently. They also have private, clean rooms with TVs that include all streaming services, massage chairs, snacks, and drinks. They really want you to feel as comfortable as possible.
• Skyrizi’s nurse ambassador program. I have a personalized nurse that calls me every month to check on me and answer any questions I may have about the process. She is available 24/7 and was a huge help when I developed C diff over Christmas and my doctor was not available. She will also Facetime me to teach me how to use the OBI injector.
• The SaveOn SP program. This is a program through my insurance that helps cover the cost of my medication. Thankfully, I am paying $0 out of pocket for my Skyrizi thanks to my manufacturer savings card combined with the SaveOn SP program. Thank you, insurance!

Here are some of my gripes with the infusion process:

• The time commitment. My infusions took 3-4 hours each. It’s half a day and you don’t always feel great afterwards, which likely means taking a sick day. Luckily, I have a lot of sick time through my work, but it can be a major interruption in your schedule and you have to plan your life around it. It’s not the most convenient. On the bright side, it could be a great excuse for a self-care day.
• The side effects. It’s hard for me to say because I developed C diff after my first infusion, so I may have a skewed opinion on this but the overall fatigue and just general not feeling well after my infusion was tough to manage.

I feel like my experience has been so unique in that I’ve had a rocky road so far. Developing C diff after my first infusion significantly set back my healing process. I started to notice considerable improvement after my second infusion. Then, I caught a nasty head cold. Now, after my third infusion I am noticing slow, steady improvement. It’s been a journey. Despite the setbacks life throws, I still remain positive and hopeful moving forward that this is the drug that will put me into remission.

Let me know how your experience with infusions has been in the comments below!