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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 7/14/2012 5:39 PM (GMT 0)
What are medication (I mean medically not holistic) that help with crOhns? Other than pred? Please tell me how it's taken (IV in hospital, stomach shots ect) and the major side effects.

Thanks in advance. Trying to do some research and feel lost
Posted 7/14/2012 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
It's different fro everyone. Some people respond well to the 5ASA's (basically aspirin that releases in the intestines). Some people do well with rectal meds (5ASA's or Corticosteroid). Some people only respond to prednisone (pill). Other people do well on the TNF blockers like Remicade (IV injection given at a hospital over the course of 2-5 hours) or Humira (an injection you give yourself every two weeks, I think?). There's also Imuran and 6mp (pills), which are immunosuppresants like prednisone. There are also a few other medications in between that fall into either of those three categories.

Are you on anything right now? What is your doctor recommending?

Wow - that's a pretty broad question! Here's what I'd suggest:

1. Check out ccfa.org (Crohn's Colitis Foundation website) http://www.ccfa.org/resources/types-of-medications.html. There is a an overview of the major types of meds there.

2. Spend some time browsing on these boards -- in people's "signatures" at the bottom of their posts you will see some of the types of medicines people are taking.

3. Talk to your doctor about the next step for you. Many people start with a medicine like Pentasa (or ASA) as they come off of a flare, but others go right to an immunomodulator like 6MP or Imuran. Some go straight to a type of medicine called "biologics." Some people take no medicine at all.

I would suggest that you do a little research without getting overwhelmed, talk to your doctor, and then do more research on the specific medication(s) if any that he or she suggests.

Good luck! You've found a good place - the people here are very knowledgeable and supportive but nothing can replace the conversation that you will have with your own GI.
Posted 7/14/2012 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
The best sites to check are reputable medical sites such as medicine.net, webMD.com, etc. and look up Crohn's disease. Their Crohn's sections will give you outlines of all the standard drugs, treatments, and so on.

That said, broadly speaking, there are 3 types of medication for Crohn's. The first, and mildest, are anti-inflammatories AKA 5-ASAs or aminosalicylates. They're your Pentasa, Asacol, etc. The second are immunesuppressants, which consist of Azathioprine, 6MP and Methotrexate. And the third are biologics, or anti-TNFs, which work by reducing suppressing the activity of Tumour Necrosis Factor, a protein thought to be responsible for the inflammation in Crohn's. They consist of Remicade, Humira and Cimzia.

The only ones of those which are given via IV in hospital is Remicade. Humira and Cimzia you inject yourself at home. Methotrexate can be injected or taken in pill form. Everything else: pills. Or, for rectal disease, there are 5-ASA or steroid enemas/suppositories.

Side-effects are massively variable, but not inevitable. Basically you'll just scare yourself if you google them, so better not to, really. The serious side-effects are rare.

And, finally, there are other meds which are used in Crohn's disease, but they are not standard ones. Antibiotics being one example. Or anti-diarrhoeals/spasmodics, such as loperamide or mebeverine. Those last two would be for symptom control only and have no bearing on the course of your disease.
Posted 7/15/2012 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
NCOT

you wrote

"Those last two would be for symptom control only and have no bearing on the course of your disease."

Do the other dugs you mention have a bearing of the course of crohns? If the mainstrean says the cause of IBDs is unknown then whats to say anything has a bearing on the course of it?

"

Posted 7/15/2012 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
Depending on the area you live they may have other places besides the actual hospital to get the remicade too. I don't go to the hospital for it. I go to a cancer / infusion center a block away and it's a co-pay and they take me back. Im usually there for 2.5 hrs.
Posted 7/15/2012 3:55 AM (GMT 0)

livingwell249 said...
NCOT
you wrote
"Those last two would be for symptom control only and have no bearing on the course of your disease."

Do the other dugs you mention have a bearing of the course of crohns? If the mainstrean says the cause of IBDs is unknown then whats to say anything has a bearing on the course of it?
"

The other drugs aid in keeping inflammation down, which would (ideally) buy time to keep the disease from spreading.
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