Remicade Adjustments

Hello everyone,

I started Remicade in January of this year. I was slowly improving with each infusion. at my best about 7 weeks ago I'd say I was 80% of the way to remission. However, I had been taking Uceris for 8 months. I did a very short taper off of it and two weeks after a complete stop I started to notice my symptoms declining. More frequent BMs, looser stool, increased urgency, small amounts of blood. I expected a decline in my condition after removing the steroid from my regimen but not this much. It's been 5 weeks without the Uceris and things keep getting worse. I called my doctor and told him I needed my infusion sooner. The next was only 2 weeks away. I got my Remicade on May 30th (I now get it every 6 weeks). Now a week after receiving my treatment, I am still not noticing any improvement. I am continuing to grow more and more frustrated. I was close to living a normal life only to be taken back down.

I don't know if I want to wait for my next infusion to see if I just need more time to readjust. I am strongly considering asking for a higher dose on my next infusion. I want to hit this hard and calm down my colon.

I am on 150 mg of Imuran daily, I doubt I have built up anti-bodies to Remicade yet. I haven't had blood work done in a while too.

Has anyone else in the community had a similar experience? I'd greatly appreciate any advice or remarks that may be encouraging and I can discuss with my doctor on Monday.

If you have a response to remicade, then the frequency of infusions and/or the dosage can be increased. The dosages are 5mgs, 7.5mgs, or 10mgs per kilogram. Frequency is 8 weeks, 7 weeks or 4 weeks. So, the max is 10mgs per kilogram every 4 weeks.