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Those Of You Who Have Been On A Biologic, 6MP & Pred At the Same Time

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 9/3/2014 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Guys,

I'm just curious any of you who have been on a biologic, 6mp or Imuran & Pred at the same time. What your experience was, how long so forth...

I recently started Simponi 3 weeks ago. I've been on 6mp for probably 9 months. It worked for a little while but then stopped. We tried raising the dosage a couple times with no avail. My most recent flare started about 5 weeks ago. I started Pred 20mg at that time. I didn't see any improvement and you guys suggested 40mg that 20 was to low.

So while I was waiting on the Simponi to get approved I went to 40mg . Was only on 40 for maybe 3 days and started the Simponi. My Doc said he didn't like me being on all the immune suppressants at the same time to ween off the Pred. So from that day I went from 40mg to 20mg for 3 days then down to 10mg for 3 days then off completely.

Needless to say I was not doing well at the end of this really fast taper. I still haven't seen any improvement from the Simponi yet and know that it can take 6 weeks +....

Just wanted to know if any of you have been on these 3 meds at the same time? I'm now back to 30mg of Pred and still having 7+ Bms a day. The first 1 or 2 in the morning are formed but I still have blood and the rest are watery...

Obviously I don't want to be on all these meds but need to be able to function and am not really happy with 7+ bm's a day??

Current Meds: 4Lialda, 125mg of 6mp, Simponi, 30mg of Pred & Hydro cort enemas at night for the last 2 weeks. I'm 32 year old male at 190lbs.
Posted 9/3/2014 5:40 PM (GMT 0)
I was there several months ago. Humira 1x week, 40mg pred and alternating 150 and 175mg of immuran along with hydrocort enemas and sulfasalazine. I did better while on the pred but once again you come off it and things slowly start regressing.

Just got approval for Uceris yesterday. Going down that road now. Been off pred for about a month now I guess.
Posted 9/3/2014 5:47 PM (GMT 0)
Dr-A, good luck with the Uceris. I thought about trying to go back there, about a year ago tried with little improvement. Are you still on the Humira and Imuran, and the enemas?
Posted 9/3/2014 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, that's my core meds right now. I just keep grinding away trying to find something that helps everything else. Seems like a lost cause at times. Doc wanted to bump me to 2 Humira injections every week, but insurance would never approve that, lol. I feel like it helps, but it just helps enough to keep me working and functioning. Been giving nicotine a go round last several weeks. Second week of the patch. Ups and downs but nothing to write home about.
Posted 9/3/2014 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hmm, I've considered nicotine of some sort also... Hope something gives for you Man! Simponi is the first biologic I've tried, if it doesn't work probably give Humira or Remi a shot... Hard to stay positive when were feeling like this all the time....
Posted 9/3/2014 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
Remi probably was most effective drug I have been on. Just took me years to give into it and finally start. I had a spurt of about 4 months with no real sleep and that was enough to change my outlook on a lot. Had short period where I couldn't get remi covered so had to go off of it. Then when I went back on it not the same effect. I also don't think my doctor at that time put me back on it properly so who knows.
Posted 9/3/2014 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
I hear ya...My doc wanted to try Simponi first? What nightmare all this crap all the time!!
Posted 9/3/2014 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
I'm in a similar situation to you guys. Sounds like I might be flaring a little worse and on stronger meds. I was having 15 bms a day until the last few days. I'm slowly starting to get a little better and keeping the bm's around 10. I've been on 150 mg of Imuran for about 3 weeks, I have my second loading dose of Remi (10mg per kilo) tomorrow, and I've been on varying levels of pred for about 2 months now. I'm up to 50 right now. I haven't noticed too bad of side effects yet (other than being a puddle of sweat). I'm still hoping to start tapering ASAP. I tried Humira with no luck then started Simponi, but had a different doctor take me off the Simponi and immediately start me on Remi.

I'm strongly considering surgery in the near future. I really don't want to be on these meds at all, but I've had such a rough year I'm just wanting a little relief.
Posted 9/3/2014 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Jacket Fan...I hear ya...I relish the thought of not having to worry about this all the time. hope the Remi starts working for you! I'm trying to decide whether to go back to 40mg of pred?
Posted 9/3/2014 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't want to go back on pred to start with. Had long convo before I gave in. Really accomplished nothing in end. I think I may just respond better to infusion vs injection. Seems I did in the golimumab study and also with the remi. Slowly cycling through few remaining options.
Posted 9/3/2014 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
My doc sent me home from the hospital at 40mg, but I was still doing awful. I increased to 50 on my own. Something is helping a little, I'm not sure it's the pred though. I've usually noticed a difference at about 4 days of either increasing or decreasing my dosage and this time it has not been consistent. I'm wondering if the Imuran can possibly be working that fast (3 weeks). I doubt it. All I know is I've only been to bathroom 4 times today and I'm pretty excited about that. Of course, I might crap myself on my way home from work and turn a really good day into a really bad one.
Posted 9/3/2014 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
Lol... its not really funny but I'm the same way. I have those days where its like its gonna be a good day and I can feel it, then it goes to crap real quick. It's taken some time to get some what mentally tough about it. It's hard, starts effecting my Marriage. Last night I crapped my pants...
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