How long does it take for remicade to really work?

I`ve been on remicade since late july. I had previously been on imuran but it was affecting my blood so my GI had to stop it. I`ve been in-and-out of remission since august of 2009 and never fully went into remission when I started my remicade. I was on prednisone for my first two sessions so I could never really tell if the remicade was working. After the steroids wore off, my crohn`s symptoms started to reappear. I recieved my 4th infusion roughly three weeks ago. I felt amazing for about a week after it but started to feel a little ill again.

I feel better than I did before I started the remicade, which I guess is a good sign. Neither the doctors or remicade people can give me an answer as to when I`ll feel 100%. I was wondering how long it takes to fully get into remission. I know a lot of people are on another drug with remicade so I was wondering if there was anyone out there whose just on remicade like I am and how long it took you to feel normal again.

Everyone is so different. I started going into remission after 4 days, and I have been fine ever since.

I became allergic to it real quick, but I noticed a difference in about 3 days.

Is your doctor planning on putting you on another medication with the Remicade? Generally from what I've heard, they try to keep you on another immunosuppressant to keep your immune system down to help prevent your body from building antibodies to the Remicade. I've got 2 infusions under my belt, but it's really hard for me to determine how well it's working since I was on Prednisone for most of the time. (Just finished my taper a week ago). Has your doctor told you how your blood tests have been? They can tell from your blood results if the Remicade is working or not. Also, if it is working but you start to get pain before your next infusion is up, they can also up your dose or up your frequency.

I will be interested in getting everyones opinion on how many infusions of Remicade they needed to feel the maximum wellness, Im sure it varies with the severity of the Crohn's and each patient's physiology.

I have had two infusions thus far and am feeling a bit better than before I started, at least no more blood in my stools, still a lot of cramping during the night and many trips to the bathroom. I have just been able to advance my diet to soft solids so far, paying close attention to stay far away from any of my trigger foods. Hoping that the 3rd infusion will be the 'golden one,' will keep you posted.oo:

To provide more info regarding severity. I was having a severe flare with a few fistulas. My inflammation was so bad, they had to use a pediatric scope. I went into remission so fast from it and my fistulas closed in about 4 days.

I stopped taking my immuran a few months ago because it gave me headaches. My GI said it wasnt a big deal. He says he likes to see people on immuran with remicade if their funding for remicade is uncertain or if they cant get their infusions on time. It reduces the chance of getting a rebound flare if they have to stop remicade for whatever reason.

My 4 year old had his first severe flare up with that came mouth sores (about 30) after the endoscopy and colonoscopy we discovered these sores continued down his esophagus intestines and in his colon. With these symptoms he had ankle pain, fevers, weight loss, diarrhea. He had his first dose of Remicade in the hospital October 12th, within 2 days the mouth sores were healing, the diarrhea and ankle pain were gone. It was like a miracle we had our 4 year old boy back. We just went in for his third dose of Remicade and is in a full remission and doing great!! He is not taking any other medicine.

Im sorry it hasnt started working yet. I am just done my third infusion and I had felt mine start to work litterally th day of my first one. But everybody is so different I talk to people at the clinic who take months to have it work so please dont give up hope on it. Good luck.

im starting remicade this thursday, i have a fistula that im praying will close with remicade.

It took me months for it to finally work. I went back to the hospital for extreme pain/nausea etc. after my 3rd infusion I think it was, then it started to work.

I was/am also on 150mg of Imuran, which I would definitely suggest you get on if you aren't already.

It took a while but I feel the best I have in my entire life, and have for the past 5 months or so. I hope it lasts.

I wish you the best of luck. I hope it works for you.

I had quick results with Remicade, probably within a week of my first injection. Unfortunately the results wore off and the Doc told me last summer that I had developed anti-bodies to it.

At the infusion clinic there were usually about 3 people there. Of the people I talked to, I was surprised at the percentage of people who were not seeing results (I would say 30-50%).

I am interested in reading the responses too... I just had my third infusion last Monday and I am tapering off prednisone (im down to 15 mg) but my symptoms are coming back most notably the pain. Im also waiting for entocort to take effect. So far...nothing...

Remicade only

My 18 year old daughter receives Remicade treatments only right now.
Like you see feels great for about a week or two after the treatment and then the symptoms start to return again. She doesn't have her next treatment for 2 and a half weeks and she has been in a lot of pain and is worreid she can't wait that long.

She went to the doctor yesterday and he is considering adding Azathioprine to her treatment plan. I am very worried because I read about the increase risk of cancer but my daugther is in so much pain she just wants what ever will make her better.

I felt the effects of Remicade within the second day or so after the first infusion (had my first solid bowel movement in months). I had been on 40mg of Prednisone daily for about a month prior to starting the Remicade, which definitely helped speed up the efficacy of the Remicade I think.

I've been on an eight week interval schedule since the loading period and haven't had any issues since starting (knock on wood).

remicade update

i had my first infusion in sept 2010 and though my crohns is still moderate/severe, i was lucky enough not to have fistulas, abcesses...none of the complications just severe pain, blood and constant diarrea. i definately noticed an improvement but never really that great. I started having solid stool for the first time in years and much much less frequently but i overall still feel crummy. lately i feel like it is not working as well. i have been in alot of pain and have been having diarrea again but not even close to as bad as before the remicade. i am not on any other med for crohns. i tried everything azathioprine gave me a bad reaction and i tried humira prior to remicade but saw minimal improvement.
i have read people talk about how sometimes remicade stops working for them. when do i discuss this with my dr. i dont recall having any bloodwork in at least 4-5 months and havn't even seen my dr. i just go in to the infusion place. whats up with this, i looooved my dr but now i wonder if he forgot about me. am i just being impatient, or did you guys drs see you frequently while getting infusion treatment

About 6 months before I noticed a large effect, but they all had some degree of response even if it was barely noticeable.

I was very very sick though when I started.

started september 2010 at 5 vials, hasn't worked, last infussion is this march 7th. it has given me nasty side effects including psorasis type rash all over (never had it before) and phantom joint pain. back to square one :ymad:

Thanks for all the replies. I finally am feeling a bit better for longer after each infusion. Slowly, but at least it's something!

I'm 18 turning 19 and I've been on remicade since September 2010. I was sick since Christmas 2009 and it was pretty sevre at times affecting my senior year and first year of university.

I have the same question, it's April now and my next infusion is may 17 I think. The first infusions I received were too low of a dosage and only lasted like 3 or 4 days so it never really healed anything. The last infusion I received (5th or 6th one overall) was the doubled dosage of the original. I felt AMAZING, for at least a week and a half. I received very intense dull pain in my bowels, which only lasted for a day or two. The pains were like nothing I've ever felt, which led me to believe it wast bowels healing too quickly (If there is such thing haha). After the dull pains is when I started feeling great. No more sharp bowel pain and I started having solid poo's again after at least a year and a half of constant diarrhea.


Anyway, it's now a week into me feeling amazing with the solid poo's etc, etc... And I'm starting to get diarrhea again, and some minor bowel pain. I still have the energy and hunger from feeling good but, is it always going to be a downward spiral halfway through my infusion where I heal then crash again; rinse and repeat. Or will the treatments catch up on eachother and give me my constant good health that I've sought over for the past year?

I am 62 so I have a lot of years on most who responded. Because I worked for a company that had a pharmacist that kept me informed way back when they were working on getting Remicade on the market, I avoided biologic totally. Realize, by that time I had so many surgeries to remove bowel simply because of the time period and allergy problems with medications my problems were tenfold.
I have very little of my large bowel, a bit over half of my small bowel. Pretty much everything goes right through me, or used too. Now I have active Crohn's again. It's been over 4 years since my last surgery. I have some scar tissue that may have to be removed but I'm going to try the Remicade first to clean up the rest of my bowels. I HAVE to hang on to what I've got left. Remicade can't help scar tissue but hopefully it will help me not have more to deal with. I don't know how well I'll deal with the Remicade. I don't have good luck with drugs. Most of them go right through me without stopping to be any use. The only time I am pain free is when I've been hospitalized and they take pity on me. I prefer not going to the hospital. I've spent a lot of time there over the years. I was diagnosed in 1973. Sounds like forever ago. It feels like forever ago.
I'm happy to read the different responses to peoples results with the remicade. Each and every one seems to have a different experience with it. I worry about the side effects. I get my first dose Nov. 18. I'm suffering a lot right now so I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm on Morphine and Dilaudid but they can't touch the pain when they goes right through me. I'm hoping to have a better quality of life for me and for my family. Wish me luck.....oh and to the person that's doctor hasn't done blood work, or seems to be following his progress...I wouldn't put up with that no way...no how...not only is it dangerous....you need to remind yourself, YOU are PAYING him for a service...not the other way around. He/she owes you a lot better care than than that. Just saying.

good luck on the Remicade. It worked for me immediately. Are you going on combination therapy? Remicade is more effective when given in combination with an immunosuppresant. I take Cellcept with it with no issues.

A week or two I had over 20 ulcers and have chrowns I have had my 5th remicade infusion done but my firs it took a week or more for my stomach to feel wayyyyyyyyhuyyyyy better believe me I lost 80 pounds from not being able to eat and it was so horrible it hurt so bad! Just do a brat diet if u still have pains toast Apple sauce rice with chicken broth or what ever kind you like or potatoe broth is supposed to be really good for us but it really depends on our own bodie very one is different in this chrowns disease