Starting Remicade 7/13/16 should I still take my other meds ?

So I am starting Remicade 7/13/16 & scared. I really don't want to take Imuran & my GI said that's fine. I asked him if I will continue my Asacol & VSL#3 DS- he said I can if I want, but probably not helping . What is everyone who has been there done ??? Is it safe to continue VSL#3DS with Remicade ?Thanks :0)

I'm sure someone else will come along with more knowledge, but I think you should keep taking the meds at lease for a while until the levels of Remicade are at the right levels in your body. I've seen sigs here that show people on all of those drugs and some who are only on Remicade.

Should I still take my other meds ? Yes, absolutely.

Do yourself a favor. Start taking Allegra or similar allergy medicine a few days before the remicade infusion. Some people can have an allergic reaction to the Remicade infusion. They will most likely give you IV benadryl 25MG. right before the Remicade also, to help with this. Then take the allegra or whatever you choose for a couple of days after. Something like that can be the difference between getting a reaction that may mean stopping Remicade.
The first infusion plan on being there around 5 hours. The first infusion itself should be set to drip for 4 hours. That is slow. That helps if there is any reaction to catch it it before too much is infused. After a few more infusions with no issues they will speed it up.
Now....The infusion itself will be VERY boring. Maybe try to get a chair somewhat close to a bathroom so you don't have to lug your IV all over. Bring a tablet/iPad, etc... with a power cord, or bring a book. I always brought a bottle of water and a banana or something light to eat. They had it there but sometimes it may not be that accessible. They used to draw blood before the infusion and get a simple cbc. I always asked for a copy of it and kept a file folder with all my bloods. Keep in mind this may alter your WBC and lymphocytes. I found that over the years having asked for copies of any blood test, it was interesting to see how my health was compared to my blood counts. Good luck. I am sure it will be uneventful but hope you get what you need from it.

You really should not get off the imuran. It will make the remicade more effective and work for longer as it helps prevent antibodies. IMHO patients on remicade should be taking concurrent immunomodulator therapy

Doggiedo said...
I haven't started yet- but it's in the works for the next week or so (hopefully). My doc already has me off the Imuran bc it's causing my body to do the same thing as the biologics? (Mind you, I think this is not accurate but I'm following her advice for now.

I'm on no maintainence meds right now, except for enemas at night. Idk if this doc really knows what she's doing, so I have an appt with another GI next week to confirm.

I've read on here that some docs suggest you stay on the Imuran. I hope your first treatment goes well and I'm curious to see how you make out! Good luck!

Continue taking the Imuran. Imuran and biologics are very different medications with very different mechanisms of action. They're often prescribed together for the best results (lowest odds of antibody formation to your new biologic and both medications heal you).

Immunomodulators (Imuran) intentionally lower the amount of white blood cells within your body. WBC are your immune system's attack dog. The less WBC you have, the less inflammation your immune system can create in your large intestine, the better your uc symptoms are.

Biologics interfere with your immune system's ability to signal an attack. Most Biologics are tnf-alpha blockers. Tnf-alpha is a signaling protein that your immune system creates to essentially say "send an attack over here". Biologics are proteins biologically engineered to dock with tnf-alpa, make it inert, and it'll pass harmlessly out of the body and avoid inflammation in that one instance. There's many proteins in one dose.

The only situation where you might want one and not both, is if you're an adolescent male. That demographic had an increased risk of a type of lymphoma when on both biologics and immunomodulators simultaneously. Something to discuss with your new gastroenterologist. It's an increased risk, not a certainty. So, if you're in that demographic only a biologic might be a consideration or at least good conversation to have and know more about. Cheers!