How do you get over the fear of side effects?

Anyone?

I was at a point where i was comtiplating surgery...no thats scary to me, maybe as scary as starting the new treatment for you. Anyways at the time that made me think one thing..."Have I done everything in my power to help myself" ie diet changes and such.

My suggestion to you is if you fear the "possible" side effects scare you so much that you dont want to take the drug and dont feel to horribly bad ask yourself that question. You will find that when your other option is something you dont want you will be very honest with yourself.

For me, when my quality of life becomes so low that I start wondering why I couldn't get a disease that kills me instead of just making me wish I was dead....then I'm ready for a new risk.

When I'm currently in the bathroom 20-30 times a day, bleeding heavily, in pain and have so little energy I find it hard to pick my foot up to take the next step, it becomes easier to contemplate the tiny risk of cancer sometime in the future.

For me........ I was scared to go onto Humira. I had a horrible reaction to Remicade, and I was scared of having the same reactions with this medicine. Before my first dosage, my husband had me buy benedryl and some stuff that was given to me when I was taking Remicade. He had me schedule my "teaching time" on a day that he would be home. So, I went to my doctors and a nurse taught me, and I gave myself the medicine, and went home. No reaction. I've been on it for a while and still no problem. I work in child care and I still don't have any real infection. I do talk to my doctor when I get a bug from the kids and the bug keeps hanging on. I mention to the doctor about my medication, and he immediately gives me antibiotics that won't effect my UC medicine. I guess, I'd say just take a leap. Trust God. This medicine is a life saver for me.

I wouldn't start a new medication if my symptoms were controlled well enough to satisfy me. We all have different ideas of what we'll tolerate; if I'm feeling well, I consider that I'm being adequately treated for now.

You are your best advocate. It is important for you to know your body best, learn as much about UC as possible, and the possible treatments and side effects.

When my daughter was first diagnosed and we learned all about UC and treatments, we swore she would never go on the more powerful drugs (6-mp, imuran, remicade, humira). Over 1-1/2 years she was either in remission or a full-blown flare. Each time another drug stopped working and prednisone was the only thing to get her into remission, we had to look at the next drug. By the middle of of her 2nd flare her doctor, who is very conservative with drugs, really thought 6-mp was the next drug to try. After being in an intense flare for almost 2 months, any drug was starting to look good if it helped her. It made it easier to accept a more powerful drug because we trust her GI and he started her out on the lowest dose he felt would work and tested her blood often. Unfortunately she flared again and remicade was tried. At the same time we decided to speak to a surgeon just to learn more. By then, Remicade wasn't helping and the flares were becoming more frequent and harder to get out of. She never wanted to start Humira.

She had her surgery while in remission. The best time to have it but also the most difficult time to make that decision. Why remove something that is finally working well again?!

One of the reasons she chose surgery was because of the damaging side effects the drugs could have. She is only 17. She would possibly be on these medications for another 50-70+ years. That was a big fear. For her, more than surgery. She hasn't regretted surgery.

It concerns me that the nurse is so pushy about you starting humira. I agree with others that maybe you should get another opinion. The final decision is still yours. You can say no to any treatment offered. It sounds like you need a doctor (and his office) who is more on the same page as you (move to the next drug if and only if you aren't responding to the drug you are currently on).

I am on remicade and i don't have that many problems. I would rather have the meds before the surgery. Except prednisone, have you seen some of the side effects? I am still working on my side effect problems. Now i am dealing with the scary thought of having some pituitary problems. It might be perminant...

But i face the fact i might have to have surgery, someday. I just don't want to do it till i need to.

You have never read up on Candidia or bacterial overgrowth? You are taking acidophilus so i assume you know some stuff about this bacteria and the damage they can cause. Best thing to do is read up on Candidia and bacterial overgrowth. There is a vast amount of info out there, and you may have a light bulb or two go off while reading up on it. I know i did.

I loved Remicade until it stopped working. I never had any side effects. not one! nothing!
I am looking forward to Humira. It will help me, it has to! but, I am not scared.
Your doctors weigh the risks and benefits. The risks are usualy less than 1% of people and the benefit is usually about 80% chance you will get better.

as for not feeling bad but having bad lab values. I had a liver disease for 20 yrs with no symptoms,but terrible lab values. When the lab values totally tanked, I had a transplant which was expected from the start. I worked the day I was called in to surgery - that is how well I still felt that day. I recovered in less than 2 months from surgery. My new liver was great within weeks. If I had waited til I was dying (as some of the people in the hospital had to) my recovery may have been slower or not at all. the people who were rushed to the hospital almost dead did much slower and were still in the hospital when I left.

also, just because you have no symptoms doesnt mean anything. high blood pressure = no symptoms until heart attack. high cholesterol = no symptoms until stroke -- osteoporosis = no symptoms until break your hip