HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Remicade complications

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/21/2012 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone else had problems with abscesses forming because of taking Remicade? I did last time I took it, and I'm starting to have the same pain, fever, nausea, and watery stools. shakehead
Anyone have any insight? confused
Posted 10/23/2012 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
I just wrote a longer reply and lost it, and don't have time to rewrite it now, but basically:

rapid healing (as you can get on Rem) can lead to an abscess forming, so I'd call my doctor asap and let them know that you think you have an abscess on its way, and they might be able to intervene before it gets too painful.

All the best to you,

Ivy.
Posted 10/24/2012 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Went to urgent care last night. Had a fever for three days, and that concerned me. They did a CT and didn't find anything. Here's to hoping that all goes well this time.
Posted 10/26/2012 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Interesting that you should ask. Humira stopped working and so I switched to Remicade. I don't recall exactly how long I was on Remicade, maybe several months or so and I ultimately developed a fever and subsequently ended up in the hospital for 5 days with an abscess. Although the abscess "healed" I was in bad shape after that. Two weeks later i went in for surgery. I'd hate to think that the Remicade had something with creating that abscess but considering I was on Remicade I wasn't exactly disease free.
If that is a potential reaction to Remicade that sucks on the other hand I had this DD for a dozen years and it was every bit a roller coaster so I avoided the knife for a long time but now that I'm on the other end of it I'm glad i had it done. Since surgery I have my life back for the most part. It's been over a year and although I have a few issues I'm still working on I grateful I had the surgery so in a round about way the abscess was a blessing?? Wow that's a messed up revelation. In any case i'm sure I rambled on to much already...hopefully you can pull something from this run.

Interesting how I don't recall the doctor stating that an abscess might be a side effect of the remicade. Maybe something i would have wanted to know.
JAB rolleyes
Posted 10/26/2012 8:06 AM (GMT 0)
My doctor never said that Remicade caused the abscesses. Legally that would have put him into an area where I could sue him. I wouldn't, although my sister in law wants me to. lol
Right now, though, I'm suffering in a whole new way from the Remicade. I seem to have had an allergic reaction. I won't know for sure until Monday or Tuesday, but I went to urgent care again last night because I was feverish, uncontrollably vomiting, and my throat hurt like heck. After we'd gotten there and got put in a room, I noticed that my arms were starting to get red splotches on them. And eventually my whole body was covered in hives! Face and all! And then my joints started to hurt. By the time I'd been at urgent care for two hours I was covered in hives and I couldn't move or lay down without being in excruciating pain. Even my jaw hurt and wouldn't open properly. Luckily my husband and I know ASL, so I was able to talk to the doctor about what was going on through him.
And from what the other people that responded to my post about that said, I should expect these symptoms to roll on and off for about two months. Great fun! LOL
I am now on Azathioprine. My GI was on call all week, so I shouldn't have been able to get an appointment with him (it's against Group Health policy for on call docs to see their patients at appointments), but given what I was going through, he wanted to make sure I was okay, and get me set up with an allergist. So he took me off of Remicade, and put me on Azothioprine. We're working our way to me eventually being on Cimzia, but I have to fail with Azathioprine, then Humira, and then I can get put on Cimzia. tongue
Posted 10/27/2012 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
nono "Remicade," is a very, very, dangerous drug! My brother and I have very similar diseases, and have been treated with, Remicade, and Both of us had serious issues, complications, and in my case, almost Passed away! They stopped the next Scheduled infusion for me, so I did not go through what my baby brother went through, but I, along with Crohns disease, I have accute/chronic hep.B,cirrhosis,and Factor5lydon(blood clotting disorder) So, due to my liver condition they had to stop my Remicade treatment,as I was slipping rather quickly into the Abyss... You must be in a pretty critical state for your Dr. to recommend such treatment? If Not, then I would seriously consider stopping the next treatment if at all possible? skull
Posted 10/27/2012 1:36 PM (GMT 0)
smhair I just got off the phone with my brother, to find out exactly what happened while on Remicade with him? He had reminded me of the;"HUGE BRAIN ABSCESS" that he ended up with as a result of the drug. I totally forgot that? He was being seen, and treated at Brigham & Womens, in Boston, Ma. They did admit to the fact that the abscess was caused by Remicade, they shaved his head, drilled into his skull and Drained the abscess. He was paralyzed, and in rehab for two years, he is doing great now!!!! smilewinkgrin
Posted 10/27/2012 3:00 PM (GMT 0)
It was actually my GI's first drug recommendation when just steroids didn't work. And after I got the abscesses, he had me start on it again, once I recovered from my surgeries to fix the abscesses. Now that I've had the allergic reaction to it as well, he's moving me on to Azathioprine. Have you or your brother had Azathioprine as a treatment? confused
Posted 10/27/2012 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
I have not ever been on Azathioprine, to my knowledge? I don't know about my brother? I have been chronically ill since Sept.1994. I'm now 47yrs. old, and have spent the majority of my life in and out of bathrooms, hospitals, surgeries,and bed. I have been on sooo many medications and Azathioprine doesn't ring a bell. I left a message on my brothers answering machine about the Azathioprine, maybe he can add some information to your concerns. I noticed you are having problems with iron? I ended up with the iron Infusions 2x's a month, which I did tolerate, and absorb. Iron is very hard on alot of people's system. I feel for you, and I hope your GI. gets you on something that works soon, so you can get back to Life as you used to know it. I will be in touch with you later on. Have a Pain-free day....!!!
Posted 10/27/2012 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
Remicade can have it's side effects, and I do believe a brain infection is one of them - especially when mixed with 6MP or the like. This is a very rare side effect and mostly seen in male patients. Koverkatie - sorry you and you brother had such problems on the Remicade. Mywowgirl - were you on Remicade before and then stopped? You can often develop antibodies after stopping Remicade, and then it can cause an allergic reaction or be ineffective. Either way, it sounds like Remicade is not the drug for you. Good Luck!

Post Edited (Myrne) : 10/27/2012 1:22:52 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 10/27/2012 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Myrne.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply