What's next after remicade?

I had my first GI issues in 1995. After a Barium enmea and coloscopy, I was told I hadnon specific colitis. In 2000, I had more issues and was diagnosed with UC. I began Asacol but stopped it after things got better. In 2005, I had severe issues, 12-14 x a day with blood, mucus, bloating and pain plus the inability to control things. I was doubled on the Asacol and after that didn't work did the Predisone which didn't help. Finally the Remicade came through. I  get it every 8 weeks and it has changed my life. I had my first reaction (flushed, difficulty breating) last dose and it was determined the nurse ran the IV too fast. BUt now, here's my question...if I get another reaction to the remicade, I'm done and I don't know what's next.

Any ideas? I'm diagnosed with UC for over 8 years, and have a family history of colon cancer.

i'm actually voluntarily finishing my remicade treatments (after 1 1/2 years) this month! hoping to get pregnant later in the year. my MD basically said that unless something flares up- then its just my IMuran for now.... she also said that 1. remicade could be started again but that htere is always a chance of it not working 2. humira....when i started remicade, humira was still in the trial phase for UC pts (in canada)...but she said likely by next year (if i need it), it will be available..lets hope my drug plan pays for it! 

maybe if remicade isn't working for you, humira might be a better option anyway? can do it from home- a lot more freedom.

good luck.

Yes, I was going to ask if you were taking any pre-meds before the infusion. I was taking Benedryl, but when my infusions were changed to the fast track, the Benedryl made me too sleepy to drive, so I changed to Claritin (or Loratadine) and a Tylenol before heading in for my infusion. Remi has been heaven sent for me too; I think about switching to Humira, but there's the "flare scare" factor going on in my mind. If the Remi stops reacting, I'll change over to Humira too.

I just did my 2nd Remicade infusion yesterday (I skipped the 6MP/Imuran step completely due to the severity and timeframe) and *fingers crossed* so far it seems to be helping even though I'm still freaking out about the poss side effects when I let myself think about them. I did discuss w/ my docs what would happen if Remicade didn't work and they indicated that at that point they can argue w/ insurance for Humira or another drug (I think one of the docs said Cimzia rather than Humira which surprised me) even though it hasn't been approved for UC. Like Sarah123 said my GI believes that Humira will be approved for UC next year. Based upon Nor_TX post it sounds like they can make modification/adjustments to your infusion that will allow you to continue taking Remicade even with a reaction. I know that I have read that there are many people that automatically get Benadryl before they get their infusions to reduce the reactions that occur (or to reduce the potential for reactions).

There also seem to be a lot of trials out there to get into (abatacept, golimulab, etc.) which offer additional med options (if you're lucky enough to get the drug) so there's more out there than just surgery as an option if Remi does end up failing or your reactions are too extreme. I know that in talking to my sis (medical statistician - not just a family member that thinks she knows stuff ) she indicated that the data out there is showing that the drugs that work on one autoimmune disease are working on all - they just have to deal w/ the testing and results for each disease to get it approved by the FDA so it takes forever and as we've all noticed, it seems like UC is one of the last diseases that the drugs are tested on. My objective is to keep my colon for as long as I can because it seems like there are new drugs and new information that can lead to new treatments coming out all the time and if I can keep it for long enough, there's a chance that I can hope to control this disease for good. I'm REALLY looking forward to that day!!!