Remicade vs. Entyvio

So here i go again, another nasty stubborn flare. Started with a cold, then Covid, then upper respiratory infection, Noreau virus, and now colitis is out of control. All this in past 4 weeks.
So I had tried Entyvio two years ago I only gave it six weeks to work and as a bonehead I stopped on my own.
Now my doctor wants to put me on Remicade because it’s the most studied one she says.
Looking back and doing some readings, I wanted to give Entyvio one more try before remicade.
What do you guys think?
I am on 40 mg a day of prednisone, and I can’t tell if it’s working or not, bleeding continues

You are in a tough spot, why not try Remicade, then if for some reason it doesn't work moving to Entyvio should be hassle free with the dr. True Remicade has been around much longer & it has a good track record for some people.

When do you see your dr again, soon I hope. You say the prednisone isn't helping I would move to get on something sooner rather than later.

Hopefully you will be cleared to start Remicade on Tuesday. Be sure you are well hydrated the morning of the infusion, take a drink, a snack & something to entertain yourself with, phone or a tablet.

Keep us posted.

Here’s hoping remicade kicks in fast for you, or at least fast enough to get you some relief on the way to remission

Let us know how it goes.

Is it possible to overdo the rectal mesalamine suppositories? Prescription says once a day, I am going 3 to 4 times a day. They’re only 1 g

Not sure what you mean about your muscles, however, prednisone does have some unpleasant side effects for some people. Did you talk to your dr about starting Remicade tomorrow?

You asked about the suppositories, stick with them, I'm thinking that may be a low dose.

Thank you so much guys! Yesterday was a rough day, muscle pain all over. But at the end of the night my intestines were at pease, i though i was going to have a good night. So i inserted a mesalamine supp and went to bed. Long and behold… i now believe i developed a reaction to mesalamine supps. I only slept for 2 hours, blood and gass and poop all night. Backpain, i think my kidneys are hurting.. this was probably the reason i felt like crap yesterday too:
“ Some people may have a reaction to this medicine (mesalamine suppositories) that looks like the signs of ulcerative colitis. Call your doctor right away if you have very bad belly pain or cramps, bloody stools, fever, headache, or rash.”

P.s. my appt is today 10 am. No going back. Gonna bring blanket, h2o, snacks. Takes 2+ hours they said

Post Edited (D.Brasco) : 10/25/2022 6:25:04 AM (GMT-7)

Things turned bad. I did urine and bloodwork Monday 10/24. Dr calls me 10/25 in am to say i have a uti and tells me to go to ER to get a CT scan because she feared a possible fistula.
Came to ER, got admitted, CT scan not terrible, no fistula, but they started the IV with corticosteroids and antibiotic.. the normal by the book ER response to colitis.
CT scan revealed slight inflammation right kidney lower part.
I’m still here in the hospital. On solid/bland diet. I’m tolerating ok. Some discomfort. Pure diarrhea of course. Oh and incidentally they found out i’m Covid+ … still positive from Sept 27.
Well Last night was the first night i could sleep through it. So i feel progress.
Plan is to give it a week after discharge and try to start remicade.
Question: any contraindications to taking probiotics now while on IV antibiotics and IV corticosteroids?

Wow. So sorry you’re going through such a hard time. Being in the hospital is not fun. I hope your GI is attending you! I know there is an issue with hospitals wanting to have their own in-house “hospitalists” which can result (in my bad experience anyway) with an inconsistent and subpar level of care, especially dealing with UC.

I don’t believe steroids interfere with probiotics? However antibiotics definitely will do it’s probably best to wait til you’re home and off antibiotics and then double or triple up for a while to replenish your flora.

Hey I was on inflectra for a year it worked wonders. Im so sorry to hear about your hospitlization. Stay hydrated on infusion days, hopefully the remicade will help kickstart the prednisone and you should get some major relief soon. I agree with the Florastor as well. Try one pill a day at first, then 1 pill 2x a day, then 2 pills 2x a day it should slow things down. I recommend meditation and mindfulness to reduce stress, and try to find a CBD supplement. Eat as you wish and avoid foods, maybe roughage, that would aggravate things. Hope u get to feeling better soon.

Hi Sara and everyone, yes I am home now. Got discharged on 10/30 - after 5 days there. I have to say after inflectra, which from what i read is just a cheaper version of infliximab (Remicade), i have seen positive things already. My stools were already getting formed but looks like inflectra is helping a lot. I am down to 10 mg a day prednisone which i feel i can taper off in a couple days.
One side effect so far - i am constantly sleeping or wanting to lay down. I have to remind myself to drink more fluids.
Still have some left side discomfort.
Urgency is still there. Cannot hold it.
But no pain when going. I squat and put zero pressure.. just let the intestines push out whatever they want. When i was inflamed i was not always able to do this - my natural instinct to push would kick it and just make everything worse.
I’ll keep you guys posted.
I’ll try to pick up some weights - i’ve lost 25 lbs this year. I also do stationary cycle once a day. Energy levels slowly coming up.

D. Brasco, just checking on you to see how you are doing. Give us an update when you get a minute.

Take care.

I forget how long/how many infusions of inflectra have you had?

If it’s less than 4 months you still have plenty of time yet to see more improvements. Early on you’ll see some backsliding right before your next infusion. Having to postpone your infusion is probably why you’re seeing more symptoms right now. Rectals will really help tide you over at this point, if you can use them.