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Posted 8/16/2008 7:47 PM (GMT 0)

Hi y'all - I have a new chronic issue showing up every time they do a CBC before I get my remicade IV... my white cell counts are abnormally low... over a full point.  I've had problems with hemoglobin over the past few CD dignosed years, but the low white blood cell count seems to be confounding the docs.  I don't have any bone marrow problems or diseases known for dropping the number.  Does anybody else on remicade have low white cell count issues?

If it doesn't go back up the next time I have a CBC, they're going to make me see a blood specialist.

Posted 8/17/2008 1:11 PM (GMT 0)
Yes when I took Remicade it took my white cell count way down. The third infussion was so bad it landed it me in the hospital for week
and thats when I had to stop. Also reason why I'm afraid to try Humira and all the others. My doctor is really trying to keep me away
from them due to my reaction to the Remicade.
Posted 8/20/2008 3:10 AM (GMT 0)

Thanks.

Did they ever give a reason as to why the remicade was doing that?

Posted 8/21/2008 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
Yes-my white blood count dropped so low they took me off of humira.  They sent me to a blood specialist

who couldn't find anything.  It has gone up a little since going off it, but not much-scary.  I won't be taking any of those types of meds anymore!

Posted 8/21/2008 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
Same thing happened to me when I was on Humira. MY WBC count was so low that my GI sent me to a hematologist. He did a bunch of tests, couldn't find anything and just told my GI to keep an eye on it. He said if it got below 3.0 that I would need to stop the Humira. Sure enough, it kept plumeting and I had to stop Humira for about a month. I went back on it and my WBC count went right back down. I ended up stopping Humira for good a few months later - I wasn't responding to it and all it was doing was botching up my WBC count.
Posted 8/22/2008 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
I guess I wonder what's worse... having a low WBC or being resigned to the couch on account of Crohns severely dropping your hemoglobin (among other things)?
Posted 8/23/2008 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
white cells can go down when youre in some antibiotics. thats what happened to me. it affected my white cells and platelets. i am off the antibiotics for nearly 2 months. ill have a blood test end of august hope everything is back to normal. unless the pentasa has affected them as well. grrrrrr never ending!!!!!!!
Posted 8/25/2008 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
LBJ, methotrexate will also lower your WBC count

How ironic is it that I had a WBC of 2.2 (reason unknown, thoroughly worked up) and never got sick and then I start on Methotrexate and my first blood test shows a WBC count of 3.7 (which is about what it ran for the last 25 years) and I get sick with a fever that lasts for days. Interesting, shows that it is not just the WBC that fight infection.

I suspect pentasa lowered my WBC from the usual 3.5 ish to 2.2 The hematologist said that as long as pentasa seems to be working and the low WBC count doesn't seem to be hurting me any, then its ok to stay on the drug.

I agree with you superspike, sometimes you have to choose between many crummy options.
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