Remicade for 5+yrs then PAIN

I have been on Remicade for over 5 years and it has been amazing. I recently switched to a doctor who rounds up for the number of vials and just got 1 extra vial this past infusion than I've had for years. My pain has increase dramatically and I am 4 weeks out from my last infusion and waking up in the middle of the night with crippling pain. Is this normal for increasing a Remicade dosage that had been effective and stable for years? I'm kind of freaking out about this as I may have ruined Remicade's effectiveness??

Thanks for any help!

What kind of pain are you having? Joint pain? Or is it like Crohn's cramping? I suggest calling your GI right away, or if the pain is bad, going to the ER. I think you are too far out from the infusion to be having serum sickness (I think, I'm no doctor). If you are having joint pain, I think the doc needs to check you out for lupus (ANA test) and drug induced lupus (anti-ds dna), check for antibodies to remicade (I think this is a prometheus test), and also check you out for RA (anti-ccp test)

I don't believe 1 extra vial of remicade would do this. From what I've heard of other people's experience, Remicade is a drug that over time stops working, or that over time, people build antibodies to, or have reactions to (like drug induced lupus - which usually goes away from a course of steroids, and stopping remicade). I am not saying you have any of this - I'm no doctor, but I am saying that if the body pain is bad, you should see the doc right away, and get some of these tests done, so you know what you can do next.

(((Hugs))). Hope you've got some relief from the pain, and that you'll have a good Christmas.

PV