Remicade side effects??

Are you pre-medicated with solumedrol (steroids) and benedryl prior to the infusion? My husband had a lot of joint and muscle pain and a fever (flu like symptoms) for about 36-48 hours after the infusion. Once he was pre-medicated with steroids, the joint pain got much more manageable - he still feels crummy, but it controllable with tylenol to keep the fever and joint pain at bay.

If this isn't an infusion reaction, you may want to check for markers of inflammation to see if perhaps you are starting to flare. And take it from there. I don't want to scare you with drug induced lupus if this is just an infusion reaction.

I hope you feel better soon.

PV

Hey Snivler. Glad you're feeling relatively better. If you don't think this is from the infusion (my husband's fever and joint ache starts about 6 hours after infusion), you should mention this to your doc and see if he wants to run any additional tests just to rule out that the remicade isn't causing you problems. I think you would want to rule out lupus (ana test) and drug induced lupus (anti-ds-dna test). This is what they did for my husband when he showed up with inflammation in his knees and back without a flare up of crohn's.

Also, are you close to an infusion now - ie. like heading into an infusion? If you are, the joint pain maybe an indication that the inflammation is starting up again, and you may want to talk to your GI about either slightly increasing the dose or the frequency of the remicade.

Sorry if I'm giving you information you already know. I hope you feel better soon.

PV

i would just get really tired the next day but that was the only negative reaction i had--

finally someone has same side's as I do with rem. really sore back muscles, now it's moving up into my neck and shoulders. I don't have lupus or any of that, I don't any pre med's, I don't have a reaction, except back and shoulders, neck. I do have chest congestion, and thats due to rem. as well. now that said, rem has helped my continious flare, it keeps it from having blockages, but I still get pain after I eat. just not to the, get me to ER for pain shot, type pains. they're taken care of with vicodin's. I have post op complications,from 9ft of small bowel removed, has kept me pretty much house bound, we have home based business, I can do at home, were I have use of all amenities, at all times, or I can lay down when i feel like crap. sorry you have to have those side effects. they are tough.

AG

I had an awful reaction to Remicade that involved joint pain. After about my 3rd infusion I started getting pain in my shoulder, which would get worse up until my infusion. It would get better for maybe 24 hours after my infusion and then start getting worse. After about my 5th infusion the joint pain intensified to every joint in my body. I couldn't sit down or stand up on my own, I was having trouble eating because I couldn't grasp utensils or lift my arm easily. I woke up one morning and had a terrible time getting out of bed, when I finally did I couldn't grasp and turn the doorknob to get out of the bedroom. My husband had to let me out. I felt like I was made of stone. I couldn't get a doctor's appointment the day it was the worst so I took some prednisone I had left over in desparation. The problem started getting better in a few hours, and went away over the next 2 days. I never had another infusion and the problem never came back. I switched doctors because I had called my doctor several times as the problem was getting worse and she wasn't getting me an appointment quickly. I definitely had a reaction to Remicade and would hate to see you go through the same thing. If you start to get pain in other joints I would call your doctor. Good luck!

OK, just remember rem has helped alot of people,it has also had some terrible side eff. on people as well, I would think it has helped more than hurt.(JMHO).

AG

NEw side effect of Remicade.
This Saturday past I was in the ER for severe vertigo and nausea. I felt like I was on a boat with things swaying from side to side.
The ER doc took care of it with some meds and by Sunday I was fine. It is apparently an uncommon side effect of Remicade but worth noting as most of us don't want to fall over or have a car crash because we don't know to watch out for vertigo.
Keep track of your side effects and report them to your doc.