Starting entyvio

Hey guys. I haven't posted on here in a long time, but I was hoping for some insight. I'm starting entyvio tomorrow and was wondering what to expect? Simponi stopped working on me after close to 2 years, and before that remicade only worked for about a year. Hopefully entyvio can be my long term solution. But what is your experience with it? What kind of side effects do you get? When should I expect it to start working? And any pointers for the infusions would be great to. Thanks guys!

I have had good luck with Entyvio . It took about 4 months to kick in but now I can say I am in remission .

The Uceris drawback is that it's just a single dose, and for some it's not strong enough. Prednisone or IV steroids might be necessary if you're not responding to uceris. I'd recommend calling your gastroenterologist and tell him/her what you're experiencing. You'll need a bridge to get to entvyio and that might mean, unfortunately, more corticosteroids.

I would like to think entvyio is your long-term remission solution. However, have you considered surgery? I don't think you need it now, but you've been through a lot of biologics and uc treatments, which doesn't leave a whole lot of options. Coming to terms with that eventuality/possibility is difficult for some, so, I figured I'd throw that one out there to keep on your "just in case" backburner. I'm a very analytical/research type person, who looks into all treatments as I hate surprises.

prednisone works A LOT better for me in the case of severe inflammation. Unfortunately none of the biologics did anything for me, including Entyvio, and I had surgery... On the positive side, surgery has been hugely positive for me. I am off all medication, and I have a better view of the future. I was always very concerned about getting older with UC, especially in my personal case, because it was so persistent and difficult to manage. I didn't want to have UC dictating everything I did for the rest of my life.

Of course, surgery is extreme and there are no guarantees, so you have to really get to the point where you feel like it's the right thing for you. You will see all kinds of negatives and positives and I guess, when it really comes down to it, it will depend on how much of this you can take and what options you feel might work for you. My UC was so severe, I couldn't imagine anything controlling it short of surgery. By the end i was so tired of fighting it and my life was at a stand-still...

Hopefully entyvio works well for you. I don't see any reason it wouldn't. if you can't wait, I think if I were in your shoes, I would switch to prednisone. You could also ask about cyclosporine to get you over that hump. At the same time, that's not a long-term solution - maintenance would still rest on entyvio working. It would just buy you some time. I think i'd also consult with a surgeon, just to wrap your head around it. You don't have to make plans because you consult. I felt better about surgery after i spoke to a real person who painted a realistic picture.

if you ever want to chat, i am here :)

With biologics you can run a Prometheus test to check for minimum biologic medication concentration within your blood, just before your next scheduled dosage (if it's insufficient then dosage can be increased to bring the patient back into response). That test also checks for the presence of antibodies created by your immune system against said medication. Antibodies might mean the medication is less effective (result, increase dosage) or no longer going to work at all, based on concentration. If one's developed sufficient antibodies then switching to another biologic makes sense.

If you're at maximum dose, not receiving a response, and don't have antibodies then you might've failed the tnf-alpha class of biologics (humira, remicade, and simponi) and therefore need entvyio.

Thank you ipoop & AbigailRose.