 [ Symptoms ] how long is one shot or pen of humira effective for rheumatoid arthritis [ Disease ] humira is used to slow down the progression of rheumatoid arthritis ra it is considered a biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drug therefore this drug must be taken for some time to make a difference in the outcome of ra some ra patients will see results as soon as 2 weeks for others it may take up to 3 months you will know humira is working when you notice less pain swelling and joint stiffness humira is packaged in a single use pen or syringe adults with rheumatoid arthritis are prescribed one pen or syringe 40 mg every other week for patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are not on the medication methotrexate humira may be taken every week