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Constant flares over the last two months , considering cyclosporine, remicade or humira

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/18/2014 7:20 AM (GMT 0)
I am currently on Aza and have been for over a year. It has served me well the majority of the time but i cannot seem to go more than 6 months without a flare.

Currently i have a lot of subconscious stress due to exams and papers to be submitted and have spiralled in to a severe flare.

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to start taking colifoam during this time until i finish exams (may 12th) and then see how i recover without stress.

If this does not work would it be wise to take cyclo or remicade\humira as a last resort ?

It would be good to hear peoples experiences with the drugs.
Posted 4/18/2014 7:37 AM (GMT 0)
If immunosuppressive drugs arent working than the next step is usually a biologic.

What are the symptoms of your current/recent flare?

Have you tried Prednisone or Uceris before?
Posted 4/18/2014 8:51 AM (GMT 0)
Currently i am having bad intestinal pains , the frequency is not terrible but if i need to go i need to go, im also loosing a lot of blood and there is plenty mucus. To be honest i wish i could just sleep at night, the urgency and pain keeps me up.

As for pred i have literally exhausted that drug since the age of 12 , it has zero effect on me unfortunately. Never heard of Uceris though.

I would say i am fairly lucky with my symptoms in that it is not debilitating 12 months of the year but i admittedly struggle with stress, and this time of year for a uni student is not ideal.

I am not the best at dealing with flares so any advice would be very much welcome.
Posted 4/18/2014 10:44 AM (GMT 0)
This is just my opinion from personal experience but forget the cyclosporine and decide between the other two. That stuff is nasty.
Posted 4/18/2014 10:25 PM (GMT 0)
Cyclosporine got me into remission when I was hospitalised and the steroids didn't work, and I would use it again as a rescue med if I had to, but for no more than about 4 to 6 weeks. I had raised bilirubin levels, the shakes, cramps, and burning hands while on a lowish dose of cyclosporine, but all of the symptoms resolved when I came off it. I wouldn't want those side effects while taking exams.

Are you taking oral and rectal mesalazine?

It's probably best if you talk to your GI for advice on what medication to take to get you through your exams. Colifoam might be worth trying if it's worked for you in the past but see what your GI suggests.
Posted 4/19/2014 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
I was on 6mp for years... like 6-7 years I think. It helped, and at times I was told I was in remission, but like you I had flares every 6-8 months or less.

I always thought that if I could just have less stress and a calmer life that maybe I'd feel better, but to be honest it was the other way around to some degree. Once I got on Remicade I was able to focus on the rest of my life instead of my gut all the time. I'm not living a calm life, but I was able to make my life better by moving on from the struggles.

In regards to biologics... I think it would be best to find a physician you highly respect, and talk with them about your situation. It's taken me a long time to really trust my GI specialist, but I do now. He had wanted me to go on Remicade for a few years before I started it, because he genuinely wanted me to feel better.

As far as trying a colifoam or something like that... I don't have a lot of experience with it I don't think. I would try things like steroid enemas, but nothing helped long term. The biologic did the trick.

Good luck.
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