I have taken 2 shots already. One shot every two weeks.
Has anyone experienced extreme anger and mood swings while taking Humira?
Question posted by RAlife84 on 17 July 2012
Last updated on 1 July 2023 by d lily
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
44 Answers
d lily
1 July 2023
Yes, I had 2 injections to start with, and then 15 days later another injection. A day after my last injection, I began feeling quite irritable, it's been 3 days now, and I'm even more irritable. Not a good feeling. This is why I'm on line now, to try and find some information on it. The doctors don't offer a whole lot. I'm sorry you are feeling this way, but it's good to know I'm not alone.
Peaceomind57
24 May 2023
I started Humira about 13 weeks ago. I was given this for my RA (inflammation) I also have PBC, sjorgrens and now told sclederma and degenerative disk disease. So I love the fact that my face is now cleared up but unsure of the trade off. I took my 6th dose last week and have been experiencing side effects this week. I am crying alot over nothing. I get pains that i never felt over doing something as simple as brushing my hair or writing this on my phone. Pain is sharp and sudden in middle finger, wrist, neck and shoulder, foot and hip. (All on my right side) I’ve suddenly got vericose veins in my calves, n my right ankle will suddenly swell. I will get a lupus looking rash if I get too hot or an in the sun as well. If I sit still for a minute n it’s painful to move. I get a sudden bloated feeling as well. Has anyone experienced any of this? If so does it pass? I want to stop taking but not sure what to take I just want to not be in pain over doing simple tasks like opening a door or crying over it.
Peaceomind57
24 May 2023
Oh yes by the way I also had the headaches in the beginning that has mostly subsided.
meditated
30 May 2023
i thought the crying was my processing childhood abuse cuz i forgot it's been going on 20 years since start of biologics. you describe stuff i have felt for over 20 years. felt the emotions week one. became mean too. i became mean. wow. i still can be cruel emotionally without meaning to. at 60, i hope i can get off biologics but my psoriatic arthritis is extreme. i have psoriasis as well. the remicade infusion was really bad bout 7 years ago. careful of tramadol. been given for pain ONCE - and tramadol has a psych component which does not exist- no such thing as an antidepressant. my doctors do not hear me when i describe the scary emotional aspect of biologics and psych meds. if you are capable- study the gut. for all healing emotions and body. wish to heck i had. lotta this stuff is intestinal and connected to leaky gut. there are holistic healing tools i never did for that; i love to tell you what to do as this drug removed anyone who cares from me. hmmm.
looking in the mirror is not easy. but maybe. maybe some part of me is still here? God, please hold me and help me find another solution for my p/a and psoriasis- for my last chapters? i do not wanna die alone and have never been able to co-habitate because of mood swings from biologics. it increased my childhood trauma feelings ten fold. feel best when doing tasks not with others. that- is sad, no? lol. still hopeful cause i can get outta self serving others.
Sassyme1980
4 April 2023
I started Humira on 3/20/23. I had a headache a few days the first week. Second week I went to the ER for severe head pain. It literally felt like my brain was swelling inside my head and I wanted to take a pon and pop my head just to relieve what felt like pressure. That's how bad it hurt. I've had migraines for 10 years and I've never had a migraine that felt that way in my life. Not to mention the mood swings. I almost physically hurt my husband because I was completely combative. It's like I was watching myself screaming and yelling and acting crazy trying to tell myself to stop but couldn't. It was the most scariest experience. Later that evening I googled Humira and mood swings and that's when I came across this post. It was kind of a relief to know I wasn't going insane and it was just the medication. I was supposed to take it again on 4/2/23 But I stopped taking it and I have not had mood swings since nor has my head hurt.
My Humira advocate called me to check on me and I informed her what went on and I stopped taking it and she stated "Well we don't really know if it was the Humira that caused it." Really? That's the first time in my life I've experienced that type of crazy behavior and such pain in my head until I took Humira. For me, Humira is not worth taking for what it did to me. I wish others the best of luck who can take it.
meditated
5 April 2023
biologics cause extreme anxiety, depression and anger. doctors must open their minds to help us and hear us. do not stack biologics with an ssri. antidepressants have recently been proven to be b.s. search "dr. irving kirsch of harvard; antidepressants are placebo and dangerous."
i could not stop taking biologics for some reason, and have ruined many a relationship and job. but heck- that skin looks good... and the level of deterioration in bones decreases. the methotrexate 5 years prior to 20 years on biologics... leave me tired and frustrated, hoping God will help me walk away as you did from biologics, and clean up my diet. blessings. med community does not hear us yet. namaste. world love.
ElectrocutionHazard
3 Jan 2023
I'm not taking Humira but I have a supervisor at work and a handful of coworkers who are. The anger from my supervisor targeted at me was so severe I called a lawyer about working conditions. There's 6 people in my department including my supervisor. She'll interrupt my conversations with customers to yell at me about unrelated issues that boil down to absolutely nothing that couldn't wait 5 minutes. She's been on it 2 months with her 3rd month being over the weekend. I spent 45 minutes today being yelled at by her rather than doing the job I was supposed to be doing. All because she didn't have enough patience to wait for 5 minutes to tell me she was covering a different department (She's never actually in my department being productive). It's just sheer lunacy at how easily upset those on Humira get over insignificant things, but significant issues are always, no problem.
Most of my other coworkers on it recognize the mental health changes and control it but not her. I want to thank whoever shared citations to medical journals. I will be supplying those to my lawyer and my HR person for use if needed.
moodswingsd
11 June 2022
Yes. I noticed feeling extreme agitation and annoyance after the second injection. I continued my injections for 3 months. It was like clockwork - angry feelings would start the day after the injection and continued the next 3-5 days. I yelled ar a few people, it felt too out of control for me. Prescribing doctor encouraged me to keep it up, suggested it could be something else and told me to try therapy. My eyes also felt like they would struggle to focus in the morning, I also felt heart palpitations, brain fog, had memory problems, and mild shortness of breath. It was too much. I stopped taking Humira and feel better. It did wonders for my psoriasis flaking, but I don’t think the mood was worth it. I don’t want to spend any more days life feeling foggy and angry.
notdoinggood77
13 March 2022
I have been taking Humira for 2 months now, been feeling angry, irritated can't be bothered with things, and I don't have any patience at all, which is not me I'm normally very easy going. Told my Dr how I was feeling she said she hadn't heard of this as a side effect, but I could stop the injection for a week or so and see if I'm feeling better. I have not taken humira for 2 weeks and I'm feeling much more like my old self. I had very bad psoriasis covering 80% of my body, it has cleared my skin, which is awesome but can't deal with the mental side effects of this drug. I just found this site and it has really helped me decide not to continue with humira as its seems a very common side effect for a lot of people.
akstuck15
21 Feb 2022
Yes, my husband has issues with anger on Humira and it tends to be ridiculous. I saw these comments and thought I am definitely not crazy. I don’t know if it reacts with other meds such as blood pressure or what. It is hard to say what triggers it and is usually over a stupid conversation. He won’t shut up once it starts, frustrating.
D a hicks
11 Jan 2022
My husband is on methotrexate and Humira and has really bad anger. I didn’t realize it was a thing until reading this and googling it. At first I read an article in paper saying liver disease can cause severe anger. That got me looking into his medications he’s been on a long time. He also used to be a heavy drinker but had to totally quit in order to be on these meds.
Kaftonator
7 Dec 2021
Yes! It’s ruining my life/marriage! Have added Wellbutrin (depression) and buspirone (anxiety I’ve never experienced before) since beginning Humira. It’s getting worse. But it’s helping the physical symptoms I began taking the injections for.
I also take Celebrex to offset the terrible flu-like symptoms I experience for at least 2-days after my shot. I’m so short tempered. So glad I’m retired. I can’t imagine being able to deal with customer service or coworkers.
Is anyone else out there experiencing similar?
Thank you
Educated1
30 Sep 2021
Where do I begin? My husband has been on Humira for 15 years and 3 years ago the medicine began to fail in helping his RA pain. His very reliable Rheumatologist advised him to switch from monthly injections to twice monthly injections. Within 6 months I started noticing behavioral and mood changes which have turned our lives upside down. I never suspected the Humira as the cause, because he had been on it for so long. By a sheer stroke of luck I did some quick Google searches and stumbled across the biomedical journal articles. There has been evidence in the journal literature for years including the fields of Rheumatology, Psychiatry and Pharmacology that TNF (tumor necrosing agonists) such as Humira (Adalimumab) and Remicade (Infliximab) can cause sudden (acute) psychiatric illness. These articles can be found in PubMed searches or via Google searches. Call your nearest academic medical library if you cannot locate the articles online yourself.
As soon as I took these articles to my husband's Rheumatologist, he instructed him to stop the Humira immediately and said it was a known but considered rare side effect. I am certain that the change in dosing recommended three years ago caused all of these horrible mood and behavioral changes.
It is my sincere hope that this information is helpful to other people and their families in understanding what is happening to their loved ones.
It has truly been a frightening experience to say the least.
Citations:
1. Frontiers in Pharmacology, April 22, 2020. Vol 11 Article 513 "Psychiatric Adverse Events Associated with Infliximab: A Cohort Study from the French Nationwide Discharge Abstract Database."
2. Int J Psychiatry Med. 2016 Aug; 51 (6): 486-493 (Case Report) "Mania induced by adalimumab in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis"
3. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2010; 64:442-445 "Induction of manic switch by the tumor necrosis factor-a antagonist infliximab."
4. Rheumatology 2008: 47: 1255-1256 (Letter to the Editor) "Acute psychosis in three patients receiving anti-tumour necrosis factor-a therapy"
Educated1
23 April 2023
An update as of March 2023. My husband has been off of Humira since July 2021. After 17 months in remission the hypomania/mania has returned. I believe the change to 2 monthly doses of Humira triggered a latent genetic predisposition to bipolar illness. Please post this as an addendum to my original post.
Educated1
30 April 2023
To all others to personally suffered or have watched a loved one suffer after taking Humira, I beg you to report it to the FDA's Medwatch website. We have to get the word out about the danger these medicines can pose. Otherwise more innocent people and their families will suffer needlessly.
Educated1
5 May 2023
Here is a new citation to a very current Review Article on the subject:
"Secondary Mania induced by TNF-a inhibitors: A systematic review." Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
76: 15-21, 2022.
Educated1
25 May 2023
Anyone interested in joining a Class Action Lawsuit against the manufacturer?
Diverman
12 June 2021
I had this same issue 3.5 years ago. I have AS. My doctor put me on anti depressants which I was reluctant to even try one. Nothing these doctors had done had really changed my life to the better. I was so angry, anxious and depressed. All things I never struggled with before meds. So I decided to go on a search. My journey on this led me to methods of healing our body that medical doctors that make money off these drugs they sling will never tell you. Started with diet. Got rid of all inflammatory foods and went whole food vegan. For mental well being the diet helps as well but I started meditating daily out my yard while being in skin contact with the ground.(grounding). Most don’t believe that in 3.5 years I’ve gone from barely able to walk and with violently angry out bursts to a calm passive relatively pain free person. No more of the issues the doctor told me I would never get rid of. Huh.
Anyway this broke my heart reading all these cases of people that have exactly what I had not so long ago. Things can change when we start doing what’s really right for our human bodies. Love and light to all of you and I hope you all the absolute best. Give what I did a try or not up to you. If you do give it time and you will have you life back and never regret it.
C-Perry-1981
24 May 2021
I am NOT on Humira. I am the spouse of someone who does. He has damaged bones from Psoriasis/Psoriatic Arthritis & had tried many treatments to treat his condition. He started taking his 1st dose of Humira & by the time we ordered his refill, his pain almost completely stopped, his lesions were healing & his skin even started to glow. But I’m here to talk about the ANGER & the MOOD SWINGS, that were bad enough that he became violent with me & anyone around him. Every time he takes his shot, he becomes ENRAGED with EVERYTHING & EVERYONE around him. This has caused him to REALLY hurt me, emotionally and PHYSICALLY!
My husband is GOOD to me, KIND to me & treats me well & with love and respect but SOMETIMES he would just CHANGE, like, snap all of a sudden. I started to notice a pattern of when he would get like this, it seemed to only be when he took his HUMIRA shot, EVERY 2 WEEKS! So this last time it happened, I went searching on public platforms to see if anyone else had experienced the same thing. Well, I sat him down & told him about it & what I found out & he could not have been more apologetic & thanked me for telling him. Idk but these Dr.’s are willing to brush this to the side & say they’ve never seen Humira do that before & WE ALL KNOW THEY’RE LYING!!!
ChristieElizabeth
25 April 2020
Definitely!! I’ve noticed extreme depression and occasionally I feel suicidal, but Humira is the only med that has worked so far for my AS and I unfortunately don’t have insurance for another month. I’m not sure if I should stop or continue until I can get in to see a doctor.
Sunninurse
15 March 2020
Yes! Yes! Yes! You are all right! On humira people become angry over little stuff and carry that anger for a long long time! My husband has gone on and off humira for 7 years and my life has been a roller coaster of PURE HELL Thanks humira!!! My children and I have seen a wonderful man turn into a monster! Not a lot of women will pick up and leave or have the means to but I have and he goes off and is back to his normal self but once that skin condition comes back he goes back on and its pure HELL all over again.
Susan Elaine
7 Feb 2020
My husband has been on Humira for years to treat severe psoriasis. He was a very good husband and a fantastic dad until Humira. He became more and more distant as the years passed to the point that I suspected he was contemplating suicide. He was very angry all of the time, 99% of the time his anger was directed at me even though there wasn’t any reason for it. He succeeded most times to conceal it around others. He has lots of other side effects as well but the personality change has been the big one to the point of almost being a complete stranger. He decided two years that he loved me but didn’t want to married any longer, than he decided that Humira was causing his feelings and he was good for a few months but I could tell he was struggling to keep the mood swings,rage, depression and anxiety at bay. He never went off of the drug because he knew his psoriasis would be back with a vengeance.
He was also unusually cruel and inconsiderate to our two kids during that time. He would say things like ‘ it’s time I started thinking about myself, you and the kids are strong, you will get past this. I need to take care of me’. However he could never bring himself to leave and he would still act like we were a family. He did start seeing a psychiatrist a little over a year ago who has helped him be calmer but nothing else. He has become so strange that the kids, friends and family and of course myself have been walking on eggshells around him. He has remained very cruel to me although he has no clue that he’s doing it. He is so emotionally detached from reality that it is very scary. I have reached the end of my rope and finally put him out of the house. I love him deeply but have tried everything in my power to help him but to no avail, he is truly not capable of thinking rationally. I worry about how this story will end. I KNOW Humira is the cause of this. There is no help out there and the drug company keeps getting richer while lives are destroyed.
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Further information
- Humira uses and safety info
- Humira prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Humira (detailed)
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