That is what I do. I aim to have a treatment in January and the cost of the treatment maxes out the deductible for my plan. The patient assistance program then reimburses the drug costs, which is...
Hi there I have both AS and UC. Years ago I was on Humira and that helped a lot for my AS. Unfortunately, I don't think it helped my UC that much. I've been on Remicade for the last year and a half...
If you are set of balsalazide, you could look into the product 'Giazo'. Salix, the company that manufactures Colazal, reformulated the drug into high dose tablets. If you would like to avoid taking...
I just came across this. For those of you that are interested, the FDA is making considerations of this new drug today. The meeting is almost over, but can be accessed at this site: The meeting...
I would try sulfasalazine if you tolerate it. I have tried Asacol, colazal and Lialda. All of these seemed to be the same for me, no big differences among them. Sulfasalazine is the only one of these...
Thanks for the feedback on the antihistamine premed. Do people still take the solumedrol premed even if there are no issues with the remicade? The nurse who administers the remicade always asks if I...
Been on it for a year. No side effects. Initially at every 8 weeks, but every 6 weeks at 5mg/kg is doing great for me. Do people substitute the benedryl premed for another non-sedating antihistamine?...
I have been on Remicade for a year now. I was in a bad place with my UC when I started. I noticed some improvements when I started remicade, but never a drastic improvement. It took about 4-5 months...
Hi Sherry,I think i saw from other posts that you are also taking oral mesalamine (Apriso). Do you attribute the zero inflammation to remicade alone or to the combination or remicade and a...
To all the remicade users who are in remission, So I have been doing well on remicade (every 6 weeks), lialda and rowasa enemas (a couple times a week). A year ago I was flaring very bad and was...
When I started Remicade every 8 weeks I would see symptoms slowly creep back at weeks 4-5. I then went to every 6 weeks and that seems to have done the trick....
I've been told by several drs that remicade or humira are safe for men to be on while trying to get pregnant. I guess you need to decide what you are comfortable with. The message I received is that...
Yes, remicade can work if humira does not. I was taking humira for years for my arthritis and it did not prevent/treat UC symptoms or flares. Remicade has worked very well for my UC and arthritis. I...
I am wondering if any people on this forum are from British Columbia, and more specifically the Okanagan (e.g. Kelowna). What is the type of medical care in the Okanagan? Are there enough GIs to...
I recently increased the frequency of Remicade from 8 weeks to 6 weeks (still at 5mg/kg). I noticed gradual improvement with remicade over time. After my loading phase, I would notice symptoms come...
This is what my dr suggested when I was on it in the past: Week of Treatment Number of sulfasalazine tablets Morning Evening 1 - One 2 One One 3 One Two 4 Two Two I had no issues when I followed...
I was on Humira in the past and it did not do much for my UC. I have to say that I was primarily taking Humira for my arthritis and never did the loading dose that is recommended for UC. I am on...
Twice in my past I quit taking asacol and Humira and both times I flared. It is nice to think you can get things under control if a flare occurs, but it seems that each flare seems to be harder to...
I was on Humira for a number of years for arthritis. I was never on prednisone and was on asacol or colazal. Humira not seem to help my colitis but did help the arthritis. Last summer i had a bad...
Very interesting that your dr prescribed Xeljanz for UC. I have read good things about it for UC. The exciting thing about it is that it is a completely new medicine that has a mode of action that is...
For those of you taking balsalazide, you might be interested to learn that it has been reformulated into a high dose tablet called Giazo. Interestingly, the tablet is only indicated for males with...
i took the capsule form for a while. Didn't notice a difference so I stopped taking it. I took double the recommended dose on the bottle (I can't recall what it was)....
I grew up eating peanuts and peanut butter without any issues. Now if I eat peanuts, I will have UC symptoms the next day. I don't have any allergic symptoms like you. I think this disease changes...
This is the first time that I heard of this new drug. Well I am not sure you can call it new if it is just a reformulation of 5-ASA....
I started on remicade in September. It is going well so far. I was expecting it to cure me, but alas a cure it is not. I noticed it helping after the first dose. No side effects so far. I am also...
I think that Asacol (not Asacol HD) should be available in generic form in the summer. According to the FDA website, patent protection for Asacol expires July 30, 2013. Lialda has a patient...
Thank you so much for the feedback! Very useful to know. Interesting to me that your dr did not remove other 5-ASA agents when placing you on sulfazine. I have been thinking of that type of treatment...
kazbern - it is interesting to me that you are taking both balsalazide and sulfazine. Is this what your dr suggested or did you suggest it to the dr in order to maintain effective levels of 5-ASA but...
When is the best time of day to take probiotics - morning or evening? Also, is it better to take it with food or on an empty stomach. I have been taking VSL for some time now, and have been wondering...
I would stay away from NSAIDs. It is what started my ongoing battle with UC. Take tylenol instead. I would never again consume another NSAID, even at a low dose. Ask for tylenol 3 or tramadol or a...
During my internet searching I came across a company called Avaxia that is investigating oral antibodies for the treatment of UC. From what I gather, they isolate antibodies from the colustrum of...
My dr says that remission would be no inflammation detected in the colon during a colonoscopy. What I also found to be useful in describing stools to my dr is the Bristol Stool chart:...
Found this on the following website: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/health/healthguide/esn-ulcerativecolitis-expert.html Q: How is remission defined? A: The definitions of remission differ. In ulcerative...
The last flare that I had was the worst flare that I had experienced since being diagnosed. I had been taking oral mesalamine (Asacol or balsalazide) and meslamine enemas quite regularly before the...
I wish I did not have to consider taking more than 1 medication. I am one of those lucky people who has more than one autoimmune conditions to deal with. Besides my UC I also got spondylitis to deal...
Hi, Are any of you on this combo? I was on sulfasalazine years ago and it worked great. I went off sulfasalzine because of its effect on sperm. Now I am thinking of going back on it (currently on...
Hi I just had my 4th remicade infusion. I am doing well on the remicade. However, after the third dose at 5mg/kg, i am on the maintenance schedule of 5mg/kg at every 8 weeks. When I was at 6 weeks...
Oral plus rectal delivery is the best way to put the fire out. I have been using balsalazide and nightly mesalamine enemas for the last 1.5 years. It was fine until July, when I took a round of...
For those of you that had positive experiences (babygoose, red_34, ...), were your stools solid or still loose when you noticed improvement? I was like babygoose and going 15+ a day (diarrhea all the...
I've had mild left sided UC ever since I was diagnosed 10 years ago. When I would flare it was often, but not always, accompanied by D. And my flaring usually followed me not taking my meds...
Thanks for all the feedback. You've all confirmed my thoughts. I do regret taking the antibiotic. I am going to be super careful in the future in terms of what meds I put in my mouth, especially if I...
Hi, Have any of you experienced a flare shortly after using an antibiotic? I had a terrible cold in July, and my dr prescribed a round of azithromycin (suspecting that I had strep). I did fine on the...
How did it turn out? Experiencing the same and dr says so long as it is not getting worse, then should be fine....
Hi, I was wondering how many males have been prescribed Colazal while trying to get their wives pregnant. Did your doctor say it was safe to use while trying to get pregnant? Did any males...
Hi, Anyone heard of UC flares occuring shortly after treatment with a biologic? I have been taking Humira for the last 3-4 years, but not constantly. The Humira was prescribed for my spondylitis (I...
For any FDA approved drug, you can check the "Orange Book" to see what patent(s) cover the product and when patent coverage will end. s/cder/ob/default.cfm]http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/script[b]...
Any of you experience hemorrhoids while using enemas (rowasa). If yes, how did you treat it. My UC has been under control, and I've been using rowasa every other night. thanks....
"I squeeze the bottle and it is meeting so much resistance that it leaks out around the bottle neck." In my experience, some of the enema bottles (depending on which generic manufacturer made the...
I am currently taking Asacol as well as rowasa enemas. The meds are doing their job of keeping flares away. I notice much more control with the enemas. I have left-sided UC. Because my copays are...