Headaches and remicade

This is from clinical pharmacology for infliximab (aka remicade) (what doctors use to look up side effect profiles):


In general, the types and frequencies of adverse reactions observed were similar in infliximab-treated patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, or Crohn's disease. Of 1129 patients who had at least 4 infliximab infusions for rheumatoid arthritis, 21% had nausea (vomiting also occurred), 18% had headache, 12% had diarrhea, 12% had abdominal pain, 12% had cough, 10% had dyspepsia, 9% had fatigue, 8% had arthralgia, and 8% had back pain. A higher proportion of adverse reactions has been reported in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving 10 mg/kg than 3 mg/kg; however, no differences in adverse events have been noted in Crohn's disease patients receiving a 5 or 10 mg/kg/dose. Post-marketing reports of interstitial lung disease including pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial pneumonitis, and very rare rapidly progressive disease have been received.

Headaches are also a side effect of Cimzia, and I've had them much more commonly since starting that drug. For me, they don't get worse than moderate but often last most of the day.

I get headaches after my infusions, normally hits me a couple days after and lasts a couple of weeks (off and on..but really bad migraine type of headaches). It's happened the last 2 times I was infused. I have had 4 treatments, I go for #5 at the end of the month.

*Phoebe* said...
So you mean your headaches only last a day? Mine's been on-and-off but pretty constant since last Thursday (which was 2 days after my infusion)

Usually my headaches start off stronger in the morning and taper off over the day.

If your GP has any helpful advice please let me know. I saw mine a week ago. He wondered why I was taking so much tylenol (2-4 tabs/day) and I told him because of headaches I suspect are a side effect of Cimzia, plus GI pain/discomfort. He didn't have anything else to say on that. I've started exercising regularly again over the past couple of months and think my headaches have gotten milder (lower blood pressure surely helps), but as I type this this evening I have a mild headache. I see my GE in a month and will ask him.

Jusn an update - called the nurse and left a message but she didn't get back to me, so I called her again this morning and she is going to talk to my specialist soon, hopefully today, and give me a call back.... she said that off the top of her head, she doesn't recall headaches being a common side-effect of remi. It could also be a cold/flu/virus that I am suffering from (sinus perhaps?) We will see...

yeah I'm hoping maybe it's just a cold or something.....

My 16 year old son, who's on Remicade for Crohn's disease, started suffering from terrible headaches about two weeks after each Remicade treatment.  These headaches would be off and on for about two weeks.  Our GI suggested  taking Benedryl at bedtime beginning a few days before we expected the headaches to begin and continue for 2 weeeks or so.  It really seems to help. 

I've been having the same problem had a checkup with the GP and I have high BP which could also be contributing to the migraines. But yeah they are migraines... uhhh painful

i've had 3 infusions...no headaches to report.