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how long did it take for your biologic to work?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted Yesterday 2:06 AM (GMT 0)
I started Humira on 11/17 and went back down to 20mg of prednisone the same day. I did well the following week and ate Thanksgiving dinner etc. This weekend I weaned to 17.5 then 15mg and yesterday had the awful left sign pain come back/ saw blood again this AM but BM is formed. I went back up on prednisone this AM to 17.5 or 20 don't remember and didn't have another issue today. Prior to starting Humira I had this pain at 15mg then flared afterward only to find out via scope that I have Crohns now and not UC. I have some ulcers in the transverse colon that didn't heal on the steroids

spoke w/doc tonight and he says Humira works fast and was concerned. I do my second set of injections (2) this Friday and after that he wants me to wean to 15mg again. I am surprised that he expects this Humira to be working so quickly. He said if I can't wean the prednisone then we have to look into something else. How long did it take for your biologic to work and how much prednisone were you on?
Posted Yesterday 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
A lot of these meds work fast, but I don't think you can expect to be 100% in such a short time. You need to give yourself some time to heal. I wouldn't get discouraged, it hasn't been long at all. Maybe you should just stay steady on the prednisone for another week or two, then try to decrease very slowly. I think 2.5mg, like you're doing, is reasonable. Under 10mg, you may want to go even slower. People's responses are individual. You could start seeing a response right away, or it could take a month or two to see large improvement. I had no improvement, so there is always that situation, but it's pretty rare to be a non-responder.
Posted Yesterday 2:28 AM (GMT 0)
I began taking Remicade on April 3 of this year. I just this week had my first normal calprotectin test since diagnosis in February. All symptoms have been resolved since my last treatment on 11/2, but it took that long, and a dose adjustment, for me to experience a complete resolution of symptoms.

I saw improvements with every infusion. The symptoms slowly disappeared, one at a time, until this month, when I was able to pretty much forget I had UC (as everyone said). I'm so glad I didn't give up on Remicade a couple of months ago when things weren't perfect yet. Lots of patience and hang in there!
Posted Yesterday 12:24 PM (GMT 0)
It was about 12 weekly sessions before I saw any real improvement.
Posted Yesterday 1:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hold on there speedy, I wouldn't taper that fast! Give Humira at least 2-3 weeks before dropping your dose. And then only drop your dose slowly.
Posted Yesterday 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
I had quick results with Remicade that lasted until developing anti-bodies to it. But, there were other people at the infusion clinic that were not responding as well as I was. Most were there for arthritis but I met some that were there for UC.
Posted Yesterday 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Scarecrow - wow no meds - are your scopes clear of disease on the herbs?

Ipoop- its my doctor- he is fast on the meds and fast off- I have discussed this with him. He hates prednisone and he wants me off but I am stuck at 20 for the time being.
Posted Yesterday 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah seems like bad advice from your doc. I'd go rogue and stay on pred longer and be more cautious and slow on your taper schedule. As an example, I started Remicade at the beginning of September 2013, while I was on 20mgs of pred. I was off of the prednisone by January 2014. I'd expect something more along those lines.
Posted Yesterday 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor is speedy too, but listened when I started flaring more upon tapering. I suspect yours might as well
Posted Yesterday 6:02 PM (GMT 0)
ya T, it's commendable that your doc leans toward quick tapering ..... but, he also needs to be cognizant of the reality that everyone is different and his rule book might need to be tossed occasionally - you and your body will determine when and how fast to taper - not your doc -
Posted Yesterday 8:40 PM (GMT 0)
I think two weeks is definitely too soon for your doctor to be concerned. This weekend I’ll be on Humira 10 weeks, and while I’ve made a ton of improvements and I definitely feel like I’m on my way to remission, I’m not quite there yet.

I started 40 mg of steroids when I started the Humira and started tapering 5mg every 5 days after a week at 40mg. I think you’re probably tapering too quickly. My doctor doesn’t like to give steroids and likes to taper as quickly as possible, but she thought I needed to be on them while waiting for the Humira to take effect. Two weeks is definitely too early to say whether or not the Humira is working.
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