6-mp when will it work

[sickinlk]

Hi I probably sound impatient right now but im in my 5th week of 6-mp at 50 mg and I haven't noticed any difference apart form nasty headaches.
I started at a low dose because I had pancreatitis before and we're being cautious. how long does it normally take. is 5 to 6 weeks a maximum or minimum amount of time for it to work.
im flaring and my bms are so traumatic. the pain is awful and the bleedings back so i know im only gonna get worse as the days go on.
i want to give 6-mp a good chance as im running out of options. should I increase to 100mg yet or should i give 50mg a bit longer?
ju

 

[nogutsnoglory]

"These medications are slow acting, and can take up to 3 months to work." http://childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site1966/mainpageS1966P65.html

This timeframe applies to adults as well but I wanted to find a legitimate source to reference and found one with this pediatric hospital.

I would definitely wait a little longer to see if this dosage may work for you because the side effects increase as you up the dose.

 

[sickinlk]

yeah, you're right. i need to be patient.
the remicade has worn of so and itll be 4 weeks before next infusion so im panicking about getting very sick again. using suppositories for the inflammation in the rectum. might get some foam to reach higher.
ju

 

[kh216]

It generally takes 3 to 6 months for the 6mp to work. It took me 5 months for it to work. While I was waiting for it to work, my GI doctor had me take Entocort, which helped, and sometimes Prednisone when I was in a flare.

 

[sickinlk]

thanks for the reply kh126, but im steroid resistant. I do however, have some success with steroid suppositories and foams and it seems to be helping with the pain of "evacuation" at the moment.
ju

 

[kh216]

That is a shame, sickinlk, and I notice that you can't take 5 ASA drugs either. What about Bentyl(generic: Dicyclomine). It is not a Crohn's med per se but it is an antispasmodic drug. It might give you some relief from the pain and it is also binding, which might calm things down a little.

 

[sickinlk]

ok thanks for that ill look it up.
ju

 

[alex_chris]

3-4 months until it fully works. At your current dosage of just 50mg it will take much longer until it works because you need to reach the target effective dosage first. Your target dosage should be somewhere between 1mg and 1.5mg per kg bodyweight, below that will not work well (many people with too low dosage abandon aza or 6mp because they take the wrong dosage). I wouldn't jump to 100mg without intermediate steps. Also, always talk to your GI before changing a dosage.

P.S. meds are always only a piece of the puzzle, taking them and wondering when to expect to be in remission is like starting a company and sitting in an office and wondering why no business just walks through the door. You need to be actively doing something for getting into remission, 6mp can help you but not do it for you.

 

[sickinlk]

thanks alex,
the flare is getting worse as the weeks pass. im in the loo up to 14 times a day now with lots of blood and pain.
FYI, I am on a low residue diet and im also using steroid suppositories nightly for the butt inflammation. just talked to my GI today and we're gonna up the remicade dose to 10mg per kg or whatever it is and bring the infusions closer to every 6 wks.
he's gonna scope me afters to see the damage and we're discussing surgery. im not sitting about im being as proactive as I can.
any other suggestions?
ju

 

[kh216]

sickinlk, I am sorry that you are so sick and having so much pain. It is good that you have spoken to your doctor about this. It sounds to me that you are doing everything you can. I hope and pray that you feel better soon. Good luck with your future colonscopy. I hope the doctor will come up with a clear plan and I hope increasing the Remicade infusions will help you.

 

[rollinstone]

Hey there, sorry you're struggling ATM, my only suggestion would be to try going on SCD intro diet for a week and see if that calms things down

 

[sickinlk]

thanks for the support guys.
I've never had a look at the scd diet so I must look and see what its all about.
ju