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1st Remicade infusion reaction

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Posted 5/6/2015 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I had my first Remicade infusion for my pancolitis. They gave me a benadryl capsule, two tylenol capsules and steroids via IV before the infusion. 30 minutes into it my throat got itchy and started to close up, so they stopped the infusion, gave me benadryl via IV and waited 30 minutes. My throat reopened and the itch was gone, just very dry throat. They restarted the infusion at a much slower pace. They only reaction I got the rest of the time was the right side of my large intestine occasional had some spasms that were much more significant than I've experienced before. I slept through most of the infusion and once I got home slept for another 10 hours. This morning I'm feeling okay, except even though I took my anti cramping medicine which has always worked in the past, I'm still experiencing cramping throughout my large and some of my small intestine. Also, the harsher cramping on the right side of my large intestine is still persisting. After eating a granola bar, wasn't able to eat much of it, I became very nauseous, but my anti nausea med helped with that. Should I be concerned about this cramping?

Thanks for your help.
Posted 5/6/2015 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
I would be more concerned with your tolerance to remicade. How fast were they dosing it originally? I know lots of people get benadryl and tylenol with infusions. My doctor put me on only remicade from the get-go because if you have a reaction you want to know that it's from the remicade and not something else. There are lots of variables in your situation (benadryl, tylenol, steroids, remicade) and while it is most likely that the remicade is what is giving you problems, it could very well be something else.

Are you on 6MP or Imuran with the remicade? I hate to say this, but I have read that people who get allergic type reactions (like yours, but also hives, redness, itching) have a greater chance of producing antibodies against remicade. If you're not on 6MP or Imuran I would mention it to your doctor so that remicade can possibly be more effective for you. Also, you might have more success with Humira since it is all human protein.
Posted 5/6/2015 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
What other meds are you on?
Posted 5/6/2015 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
At my first remicade infusion I broke out in hives all over. They stopped the drip and gave me more Benadryl like you thru the iv. They started again slowly and I was fine after that and it never happened again during future infusions. Hopefully this was just a one time reaction for you.
Posted 5/6/2015 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Did you talk to your gi?

If it were me, i wouldnt go near remicade again but i am very sensitive to medications. Ive had two reactions to iv meds- iron (covered in hives) and ivig (coded-almost died). Ive never taken either one of them again.
Posted 5/6/2015 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
I had my second infusion on Monday. Tuesday I was feeling super nauseous at work and completely lost my appetite. I felt similar to how I used to feel on Prednisone. Two days later though and the nausea is gone. I would ride it out for a while and see how you go. Definitely also make GI doc aware of what's going on. Remicade has a long list of potential side effects, most of them minor.
Posted 5/6/2015 8:21 PM (GMT 0)
oneday@atime,

I wonder if your antispasmodic didn't work or play well with the Benadryl.

I just saw my GI yesterday and I've been approved for Remicade. I'm scheduled for the first infusion Monday. I'm in an awful flare and doc has hopped me up on a run of prednisone and gave me Bentyl (dicyclomine), an anti-spasmodic. Bentyl works great but it is constipating. After reading all the warnings online I saw that it might interact poorly with Benadryl. So now I wonder if I should just stop taking it since there is a possibility that I'll be given a dose of Benadryl with my first infusion.

Post Edited (ExcuseMeINeedToPoop) : 5/6/2015 4:51:35 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/6/2015 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
Try taking antihistamine further in advance of the infusion, they stay in your system for hours. The breathing reaction is kinda scarey, ask your gastroenterologist about it?
Posted 5/7/2015 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you everyone for your responses. As my day progressed, my symptoms got worse and spread through my neck and legs. Turns out I had an allergic reaction to Remicade, so I won't be going for any more infusions.
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