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Anyone on Cimzia..... Could you please check in? Questions.....

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 3/18/2009 10:18 AM (GMT 0)
I seem to be in a downward spiral and have been flaring for quite some time.  It seems as if the Remicade is losing it's effectiveness.  My GI has recommended Cimzia.  I was wondering if anyone has failed on Remicade, and had success with Cimzia.  Thank you for your time.  Blessings, Julie
Posted 3/18/2009 11:43 AM (GMT 0)

My doc is taking me off of the Humira and asking me for my feelings on going with either the Cimzia or the remicade.   I have found that the humira and remicade have very similar information cascades so if one is not working for me the other probably won't.  I am leaning towrds Cimzia myself so I will be interested in any first hand information on this as well.

I am also looking into using the Tysabri (again)...has your doctor said anything to you about using Tysabri?

Posted 3/18/2009 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
I was on Remicade for about a year and then starting losing response.  We increased the frequency of the dosages, but I ended up having to stop it due to allergic reactions.  about a month later, I started on a clinical trial for Cimzia.  It worked much better for me than the Remicade had and it kept my Crohn's in remission.  The only side effects I had were injection site reactions and URIs.  My only complaint with it was that it didn't help the arthritis as much as I'd hoped.  I was on it for a year and then the trial ended when the drug was available on the market.  I have since switched to Humira, to see if it helps more with the arthritis, which I don't believe it does.  The only thing that worries me know about Cimzia is that I received it every 2 weeks on the trial and I know it's only approved for once a month...not sure why there is a difference between the trial and the approved dosage...and I don't know that once a month would cut it for me. 

Posted 3/18/2009 1:59 PM (GMT 0)
I believe CheerDad Randy is using this. You might want to search the forum for his posts.
Posted 3/18/2009 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
I had great success with Remicade for years. It healed up my abscess/fistula problems in the blink of an eye, and I never had anything more than the "day after" exhaustion really. I loved the stuff.

When we moved, our insurance caused a gap in my infusions of 3+ months. By the time I was infused again, the Remicade didn't seem to have any effect. Nothing bad happened, it just didn't work.

I started Humira, but hated so much I couldn't stick with it.

After a long year+ of bumbling around in misery, I am now on Cimzia and loving it. I am 3 doses in and almost back on my feet.
Posted 3/18/2009 2:23 PM (GMT 0)
I have had my first 3 loading doses. I thought I might be responding, but now I am not sure. I just don't know. I think it's hard to tell with concurrent steroid use and having not been able to taper. I suspect it's doing something, I just don't know how much. (I'm even journaling every day...) I know my symptoms are better, but I am still such a mess. So, maybe the answer is as Zena says, it may not be enough.

With every TNF med I cannot handle the maintenance dose. I seem to need it twice as frequently - Remicade I needed every 4-5 weeks. Humira I needed weekly. I can't imagine this will hold for 4 weeks, (as tenuous as it is) but I guess time will tell.

From my perspective, if you have insurance authorization, it doesn't hurt to try it. It's an easier/less risky med than Tysabri. If you fail you can always move up. Besides, it sounds as if you are in the early stages of losing Remicade. Maybe it's the best option time to make the jump. I'd go to Cimzia before Humira given the option. I only did the order I did because of approval timeframes!

Good luck!
Posted 3/18/2009 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Those little mouse proteins...yeah Remicade lost its effectiveness...Humira, might as well have spit in the wind, so now I do cimzia. It has allowed me to come down to 5 mgs of prednisone. Though I'm with SR5599, doesn't seem to last...I start jonesing for it at 3wks (at the end of Remicade was 10mg per kilo/4wks).

Oh, and when the nurse gives the injections, hurts lot less than the self-injectable pen. Man that would hurt for 3 or 4 days after, even if I iced before and after and let the stuff cool down. Think it's the forces involved to ensure that the pen injects...

hope it goes well for you...
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