Joint pain, swelling, stiffness in the morning that makes it difficult to stretch your limbs... Anyone who suffers from this pain knows how difficult it is to get through the day with symptoms like these. Sometimes, it is difficult to control these conditions with ordinary painkillers. In such cases, doctors turn to special drugs like Abatacept, which control the disease by affecting your body's immune system. So today, let's talk simply about this Abatacept vaccine.
What exactly is Abatacept (Orencia)?
Simply put, Abatacept is a drug that controls the activity of your body's immune system to some extent. Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis occur when the immune system, which is supposed to be our body's protector, mistakenly attacks our own joints. So this drug works by controlling that unwanted attack.
This medicine is mainly used for:
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: An inflammatory joint disease that occurs in adults.
- Psoriatic Arthritis: A joint inflammation condition that occurs with the skin disease psoriasis.
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: An inflammatory joint disease that occurs in young children.
- Graft-versus-Host Disease: Sometimes, after a stem cell transplant , the transplanted cells can act against the body. This medicine is also used to prevent that condition.
Things you need to tell your doctor before taking medicine
This is very important. It is for your own safety to tell your doctor everything about your health history without hiding anything. Pay special attention to these points.
- Tell us about any infections you have or have had in the past: anything from minor illnesses like the flu or a cold to infections like tuberculosis , hepatitis B , chickenpox, herpes, etc. Tell us about any recent contact with someone who has tuberculosis.
- Immune system disorders: Tell us about any other medical conditions that affect your immune system.
- Lung-related diseases: If you have symptoms such as shortness of breath and cough, especially if you have a condition like COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), let us know.
- Cancer history: Be sure to mention if you have had cancer before or are undergoing treatment.
- Diabetes: If you are diabetic, inform your doctor.
- Vaccinations: Tell your doctor if you have recently received a vaccine or are scheduled to receive one in the future (especially live vaccines).
- Surgeries: If you are going to have surgery in the future, please inform us about it.
- Allergies: Tell us if you have any allergies, not just to this medicine, but to any other medicine, food, or dye.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: If you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, you should definitely tell your doctor before starting this medication.
How to use the medicine?
There are two ways to administer Abatacept.
1. Intravenous Infusion: This is only done in a hospital or clinic. Just like giving saline, the medicine is given into the body through a vein.
2. Subcutaneous Injection: This is an injection that you can give yourself at home. Your doctor will give you a pre-filled syringe or a special pen (autoinjector) for this. Also, a nurse or doctor will teach you how to inject it correctly. It is very important to get the injection exactly as instructed, on the right day, and at the right time.
Very important: Never throw used needles and syringes in the trash. They should be placed in a sharps container . If you don't have one, you can ask your doctor for one.
What if the dose increases?
If you accidentally take too much medicine, do not panic and immediately call the National Poisons Information Centre at the Colombo National Hospital . Or go to the Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) of the nearest hospital.
What if I miss a dose?
If you are a person who gets the vaccine once a week at home, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at the scheduled time. Never take two doses at once. If you are being given the medicine at a hospital, call your doctor right away if you are unable to keep your appointment.
Other drugs that interact with this medicine
While taking abatacept, taking certain other medications may cause unwanted effects. Therefore, tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking (including vitamins and herbal remedies).
| Drug type | Description and risk |
|---|---|
| Category 1: Never take together | |
| Live vaccines | These are vaccines that contain weakened live viruses or bacteria. These can cause serious infections because your immune system is weakened while taking Abatacept. |
| Category 2: Drugs that should be taken with extreme caution (be sure to tell your doctor) | |
| TNF blockers | Medications like Adalimumab, Etanercept, and Infliximab. These also suppress the immune system, so the risk of infection is greatly increased when taken with Abatacept. |
| Other immune system suppressing drugs | Medications like Anakinra, Rituximab, Tocilizumab, Tofacitinib. These also increase the risk of infection. |
Special points to be aware of when taking the medicine
- Risk of infection: This medicine reduces the activity of your immune system, so you are at a slightly higher risk of developing infections. Therefore, if you experience symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, or burning when urinating, do not self-medicate and tell your doctor immediately. Minimize your visits to places where people are sick.
- Tuberculosis test: Before starting this medication, you will be tested to see if you have tuberculosis (TB). If your doctor prescribes medication for tuberculosis, you should start taking it and finish the full course before starting Abatacept.
- Diabetes and blood sugar: If you are diabetic and are receiving this medication through an infusion, your glucometer may show a falsely high reading on the day of administration. Therefore, talk to your doctor about the correct way to measure your blood sugar that day.
What side effects can occur?
Like all medicines, Abatacept can cause some side effects, although not everybody gets them.
| Side effect | Description |
|---|---|
| Serious side effects that should be reported to the doctor immediately | |
| Allergic reactions | Skin rash, itching, swelling of the face, lips, tongue. |
| Breathing difficulties | Difficulty breathing, chest pain. |
| Signs of infection | Fever, chills, cough, sore throat, urinary tract infection. |
| Other | Headache (dizziness), feeling unusually tired. |
| Things that are usually not serious, but should be reported to the doctor if they persist | |
| Digestive system problems | Stomach ache, nausea, diarrhea (bloating). |
| Headache | Common headache. |
| Pain at the injection site | Redness, itching, or slight pain at the injection site. |
How to store the medicine?
If you are given a syringe or autoinjector to use at home, keep it out of reach of children, on an inside shelf of the refrigerator, not in the door (between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius). Never store it in the freezer. Keep the medicine in its original packaging, away from light. Throw away expired medicine.
Take-Home Message
- Abatacept is a powerful drug that controls the activity of your immune system. So follow your doctor's instructions exactly.
- Tell your doctor your complete health history, especially about infections and other illnesses.
- There is a higher risk of developing infections while taking this medicine. If you develop symptoms such as fever, cough, or sore throat, inform your doctor immediately.
- If you are getting vaccinated at home, learn the correct method and safely dispose of used needles.
- If you have any questions, concerns, or concerns about this medication, don't keep it to yourself, but talk to your doctor.
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