Who knows the side effects of remicade?

Side Effects of Remicade,

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

More common
Chest pain; chills; fever; flushing of face; hives; itching; troubled breathing
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Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

More common
Abdominal pain; cough; dizziness; fainting; headache; muscle pain; nasal congestion; nausea; runny nose; shortness of breath; sneezing; sore throat; tightness in chest; unusual tiredness or weakness; vomiting; wheezing

Less common
Back pain; bloody or cloudy urine; cracks in skin at the corners of mouth; diarrhea; difficult or painful urination; frequent urge to urinate; high blood pressure; low blood pressure; pain; pain or tenderness around eyes and cheekbones; skin rash; soreness or irritation of mouth or tongue; soreness or redness around fingernails or toenails; vaginal burning or itching and discharge; white patches in mouth and/or on tongue

Rare
Abscess (swollen, red, tender area of infection containing pus); back or side pain; black, tarry stools; blood in urine or stools; bone or joint pain; constipation; falls; feeling of fullness; general feeling of illness; hernia (bulge of tissue through the wall of the abdomen); infection; irregular or pounding heartbeat ; pain in rectum; pain spreading from the abdomen to the left shoulder; pinpoint red spots on skin; stomach pain (severe); swollen or painful glands; tendon injury; unusual bleeding or bruising; weight loss (unusual); yellow skin and eyes

Incidence not known—occurred during clinical practice
Area rash; bloody nose; burning, tingling, numbness or pain in the hands, arms, feet or legs; change in mental status; clay-colored stools; continuing vomiting; convulsions; dark or bloody urine; difficulty breathing; difficulty speaking; difficulty swallowing; fast heartbeat; general feeling of tiredness or weakness; heavier menstrual periods; hives; hoarseness; inability to move arms and legs; itching, puffiness, or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips or tongue Light-colored stools; loss of appetite; loss of bladder control; lower back or side pain; muscle spasm or jerking of all extremities; noisy breathing; painful or difficult urination; pale skin; redness, soreness or itching skin; seizures; sensation of pins and needles; severe abdominal pain; severe muscle weakness, sudden and progressing; slow or irregular breathing; sore throat; sores, welting, or blisters; stabbing pain; stomach pain; sudden loss of consciousness; sudden numbness and weakness in the arms and legs; ulcers, sore, or white spots in mouth; unpleasant breath odor; upper right abdominal pain; vomiting of blood

From: http://www.drugs.com/cons/remicade.html
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Keep in mind all medications have known side effects, some get them, some don't. I never taken Remicade, but i'm sure i'll be on it one day, or something like it.  I hope the best for you on Remicade, I heard from a lot of people on here it works well, however some can't tolerate it at all.  If it doesn't work usually a GI will put you on Humira as it uses a different protein.

defubateky watch out for the side effects that thenay posted for you. I started about a year ago and haven't really had any side effects except that it wipes me out for about 24 hours. I usually sleep the most of the afternoon after my infusion so I alwyas take that day off work. I would suggest taking off the days you get it in the beginning just to see how you respond.
I respond very well to the remicade, it actually helped my inflammation A LOT. so far I've been able to avoid surgery for a stricture. the inflammed area opened up about 3 months after I started the remicade. However, I can't go 8 weeks between infusions. I was ending up in the hospital with a flare around week 6 or 8, so my doc switched me to getting it every 4 weeks instead of every 8 and it has made a HUGE difference. I was scared to death teh first day I got mine. I was so afraid that I would have a bad reaction or something, but I didn't.
My father is a pharmacist, actaully the pharmacy director for the hospital we go to, so I was able to get lots of information on the drugs I'm taking. I would suggest looking carefully at all the info about remicade. some of the stuff sounds scary, but they have to tell you all the possibilities, and every one is different. I wish you the best!
Molly

Hello. I have had really no side effects and I think the remicade really helped me heal. It sounds like one of the more common problems happens during the infusion because this is a drug the body can object to right away -- you can get an alergic-type reaction. They start infusing just a small amount of remicade, wait 20-30 minutes, give you more, wait, more, etc. (which is why the infusion takes about 2 hours). Then you are OK because your body has adjusted. I like my GI doc because he takes no chances with an adverse reaction. I take 25 mgs of benedril right before the infusion (I like the fast-acting, quick dissolve films you can buy over-the-counter). Then they infuse a steriod before the remicade. I've had no reactions and attribute that to the steriod and the benedril. Definately ask your doc about these pre-meds!

I usually have a mild headache for the rest of the day so I go home and take it easy. I find hydration really cuts the severity of the headache -- drink A LOT the day before and the day of the infusion.

Let us know how it goes for you!

Hello, I was on Remicade three and a half years. I did fine until the third infusion, nurse had just increased the flow rate and suddenly had chest pain and felt like I could not breathe. I truly thought I was having a heart. From that time on, I was always give pre-meds and had no problems. They did stop the infusion and gave me pre-meds, waited a bit and resumed the infusion. It helped me alot.

One thing I did, was when I got home, I took extra strength tylenol for 2 days. That warded off any joint pain or headache. Try not stress too much. My doc was ok w/Tylenol. If something does not feel right it to the nursr

Be sure to take book, puzzle, anything to help pass the time. You might take a little snack, dvd player. It can  get boring. By the way, I am  Imuran, dr says it enhances the effects of the Remicade. It took my infusions 3-4 hours. Good luck and let us know how  things go.              Susie

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Well, I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old so I don't have the luxury of not running around. :) Actually, I keep up quite well. So, hopefully you will too.