Hi there,

I had to do some research of my own when I was deciding which drug to take. Unfortunately it seems like most of the side effects are close to the same. But for me the deciding factor was that I didn't think that I would be able (or want to) do my own injections.

So I have been on Remicade since October. I just had my fourth dose almost two weeks ago and I am feeling really good. My first three induction doses weren't amazing. I had some reaction so now I have to get some pre-meds of benedryl and hydrocortisone steroids. They had to slow my infusion down. I got some infections pretty easily after my first three treatments and this time I am feeling amazing and had no sickness or reaction after except for some body aches.

I hope that helps a little bit. My knowledge isn't for very long and it's really only Remicade based (and I did LOTS of research on it before deciding to take it). I work at a daycare with two year olds all day and this is the most energetic I have been in two years. It feels good for me so far!

Good luck! =)

I had to make the same decision you do and went with the Humira. You don't have too use a needle, I have an injector pen that's pretty easy to use and they get delivered right to my door and a nurse came out to show me how to use them. At first I thought it was a wonder drug, felt pretty good for a few months but not so much now. My doc just had to add another med, what he called 6mp to the Humira shots and i'm hoping for the best. All the drugs have bad side effects to worry about and everyone reacts differently. It's a decision you have to make for yourself. I wish you the best of luck with whatever you choose. I don't drive and didn't want to have to worry about getting to the doctors and back every couple of weeks for the injections which is why i went for the shots instead.
Good luck and hope you find some relief soon.
Hugs, Jean

I went through two courses of antibiotics to get rid of c.diff last year. After the infection was gone, I felt I was in a flare but my GI doc said you can have similar symptoms from residual c.diff recovery (pain and continued diarrhea). A flexsig showed no new inflammation. He suggested adding meta mucil and the pain and frequency diminished.
I developed a bad reaction to Remicade after about 10 months of infusions and switched to Humira and have not had problems since. Possibly because Remicade is rat based and Humira is human based.
Another drug to research would be Entyvio. It is supposed to be gut specific with less risks and side effects.
I hope you find relief soon.

I would give acupuncture and colostroplex colostrum a try first, overseen by a reputable acupuncturist. you can always go on biologics if it doesn't help. But there are NO negative side effects. That along with strict diet changed has helped me immensely. You must have realistic expectations and give it a fair chance.

I was on remicade for a while and it was helping until I got a bad case of c-diff. Then it stopped working. I switched to the humira self-injection pens. It didn't seem to help. The only side effect was that both significantly lowered my immune system. As result I keep getting c-diff infections. I've also tried simponi and entyvio with the same result. Just a lower immune system and a bunch of infections. Hopefully it will go better for you.

I have been on Remicade for about 2 years now. Along with Apriso and 6mp. I get a bag of pre-med (benadryl and steroid) before each infusion to minimize any possible side effect (though you have to deal with the steroid for a couple days) and my infusion of just the Remicade itself takes 2 hours. It can reduce your ability to fight infections once you get an infection but it does not necessarily make you more prone to catching things. At least that is what I have found. I know that once you try Remicade, if you stop it, that you cannot start it again. I do not know how it is with Humira. I have heard that Humira tends to work better for Crohns vs UC.

Did your GI give you any preference for which he felt would work better for you?

You can also get a second opinion to help narrow down which one would work best for you. I went to a University GI before I started my Remicade.

As for cost - Remicade has a program called RemiSTART that helps cover the cost of the medication. It will pay for the Remicade after what your insurance covers. You still have to pay for your pre-meds and office costs, but it does help lower the over all cost. So your really are not having to pay 4 or 5 thousand dollars an infusion. It sounds horrible and scary, but the program really helps a lot.

I don't know if Humira has a program or not. I would guess that it does.

Remicade has helped me a lot. If you have any questions feel free to message me. I hope you start to feel better soon.

Rachel

I did remicade for a few months after being hospitalized with a bad c-diff infection. After a few months of infusions I became allergic to remicade. During my last infusion I couldn't breathe and was turning purple. It was a bad scene. Benadryl in the bag fixed it. I was now left without a "wonder drug" and was depressed and anxious because remicade was working well for me. My Dr then put me on Humira with 6mp. I have been using it for about 4 yrs and it's working well for me. I even stopped the 6mp last week. Fingers crossed. Good luck with your decision and remember there are options.

Hi, I don't post much here either, but some really nice people that helped me get through the intro to crohns.

I was on Humira for 2 years. I had no known bad side effects due to it. I developed antibodies to it and was switched to Cimzia. For me personally, Cimiza was not good for me. No experience w/ Remicade. I did get C-Diff as well (3 times) .. I don't think it was related, as I came out of the hospital with it after surgery.

I've known these meds to all work well for different people. It's a very important decision, so just do your research, maybe talk to as many as possible and that way you can see how it does for you. Also feel free to pm me too anytime you like.
(Hugs).. Rach

Hi, sorry, looks like we've all done or are doing, the big drug scene. I've had all of the drugs mentioned in these replies, except Cimzia. I finally took a totally different road. All year long I have no symptoms, for the past 5 years, as long as I stay away from all wheat and corn. (That takes LOTS of research and determination!) BUT, every spring, at the end of February, I start getting symptoms. One year, when we had a very low pollen count, I had no symptoms. So that year I was symptom free just with diet. Is there anyone out there that's trying to do this without drugs and knows something about seasonal allergies? As for the drugs, they will ALL stop working after a while. I'm convinced, if you read a book by Dr Any Meyers, called the Autoimmune Solution you will learn a lot more about your disease than you ever have. Just a suggestion, wish someone had shown me a long time ago! I wish everyone the BEST with whatever endeavor you choose to live with this dilemma! I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy!
Maggie