Adalimumab medicine card
Content date: 11 November 2026
An anti-TNF biologic injection for some cases of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Your next step
Check your written prescription and monitoring plan. If anything is unclear, ask your care team before changing a dose.
Get urgent help: Difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or throat, fainting, or severe illness with fever: seek emergency care.
How do I use it?
- Inject under the skin with a pen or syringe after training, usually every two weeks after starting doses; your schedule may differ. Wash your hands and rotate abdomen or thigh sites according to your device instructions, avoiding inflamed or bruised skin. Use a sharps container. Do not double a missed dose; contact the team to arrange a replacement date.
How do I store it?
- Keep in the original packaging at 2–8°C, protected from light. Do not freeze or use after freezing. Permitted time out of the refrigerator differs between brands and biosimilars; record when you remove it and follow your product leaflet and pharmacist’s advice.
What tests do I need?
- Tuberculosis and hepatitis B screening before starting, with blood and liver tests according to the team’s plan. Continue monitoring bowel inflammation even when symptoms improve.
Possible side effects: what to expect
- Not everyone experiences side effects. Limited injection-site soreness or redness, headache or nausea can occur. A wrapped cool compress and rotating injection sites may help; increasing or persistent redness needs review.
- Infections, including serious infections, can occur. Tuberculosis and hepatitis B checks, vaccination review and follow-up help reduce risk. Your team also discusses allergy and cancer risks against the benefit of controlling bowel inflammation, considering your health and other medicines. Report an infection before the next dose.
Important points
- Do not change treatment yourself. Do not receive a live vaccine without the team’s approval. Arrange a plan for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
My prescribed plan - complete with the team
Brand / device: ........................ | Dose and how I take or use the medicine: ........................
Next dose: ........................ | Next blood tests: ........................
Team contact: ........................
Brand / device: ........................ | Dose and how I take or use the medicine: ........................
Next dose: ........................ | Next blood tests: ........................
Team contact: ........................
When to get help
Difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or throat, fainting, or severe illness with fever: seek emergency care.
Fever, a new infection or an antibiotic: call before the next injection so the team can decide whether to give or delay it. Also call for a persistent rash, unusual bruising or a storage problem.