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Remicade & Fatigue

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/21/2009 1:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all. I've been on Remicade since Oct. 08 and will be having my 6th infusion next week. My colon symptoms are 90% better, I have no blood or mucus whatsoever. I still have D, 6-8 BMs with urgency but overall I can live with this if this is as good as it gets. I'm still on all the meds listed below.

My main concern is that I am extremely fatigued. Comments please! :-)
Posted 4/21/2009 3:30 PM (GMT 0)
Zeebeez,

I have had fatigue from 6-mp (which is very similar to Imuran); the days that I do not take 6-mp I have more energy. You could be having a reaction to the Mesalamine or just the UC flare itself.... it is really hard to place blame for the fatigue just on one medication.

The fatigue problem is probably a good conversation to have with your GI.

I am stopping the 6-mp and starting either Remicade or Humira soon... hopefully my energy levels will increase.

--Keith
Posted 4/21/2009 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
Zeebeez, welcome to HealingWell! I too am on Remicade, and when I first started it I was also on Imuran. My GI took me off of Imuran because of the possibility of getting Lymphoma while using the two meds together. Now that I think about it, I don't have the fatigue that I used to have while taking it, so you might want to check with your doc about this. Also, B-12 with Biotin helped me quite a bit; you might want to try the supplement out and see if this gives you a bit more energy.

Posted 4/21/2009 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
Fatigue is a factor for my daughter too. Turns out she is Anemic, among other things wrong with her last labs. Have your full profile checked. Fatigue can also be a rare side affect of Lupus induced by the Remicade. That is another possibility for us, as her ANA is 640. Have your blood work done to be safe.
Posted 4/21/2009 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
I think fatigue is just a symptom of UC, even in remission. I'm not anemic and my ANA levels are normal, but I'm still exhausted all the time.
Posted 4/22/2009 4:07 AM (GMT 0)
I'm currently coming out of a really bad flare and am starting to feel great. I just had my 5th Remicade infusion and I don't notice any fatigue at all. This is probably because I was so exhausted during my flare that anything is better than it was. I agree that fatigue is more of a symptom of UC than anything else.
Posted 4/22/2009 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
Very true; fatigue is part of UC. I think I've finally trained my brain to realize that I can't push myself too far or I'll hit the wall. I still have my days, but not as often and when I do...I just kick back and relax. I used to feel so guilty for that... but not anymore!
Posted 4/22/2009 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for all the replies...and wishing everybody a speedy and long remission!
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