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6mp won't work...remicade?

A

aisenburg

My doctor tried me on 6mp again and it still won't work for me. I am not in the therapeutic range on one side of the chart and way over the hepatoxicty on the other side. So I am back on the stupid prednisone because I was starting to get a flare up. My doctor wants to put me on remicade. I am okay with that, but I was wondering about the whole liver problems that can be caused with remicade. Since 6mp caused my liver to be in the hepatoxicity range will remicade not work or cause more liver problems?? Did anyone else experience 6mp problems?
 
K

kpratte

Guest
Imuran is metabolized in the liver into the substance that the body can use. Remicade is done via IV transfusion so there is no obvious metabolizing. Thus it sounds as though the remicade should work, but bring up your concerns with your doctor.

- Ken
 
Mazen

Mazen

I have the same problem but with Imuran; I'm not on the proper level, but over the hepatoxicity. And now I'm flaring and back on Prednisone. My doctor is suggesting Remicade or another immunosuppressant that starts with a C.... But I decided to wait a little bit, try to change my diet, and taper gradually the Prednisone and see what happens before I start a new med......
 
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K

Kev

Senior Member
Location
Halifax, NS, Canada
Well, personally speaking, I can't go the Imuran/Azathioprine or 6 MP route.That was pretty much the conclusion of my meeting yesterday with my GI. options I have open... methotrexate by weekly injection. Remicade or Humira by infusion on a 4 - 6 weekly process. Do nothing, taper off pred & keep my finger crossed. Convince my GI to go way out on a limb are prescribe me LDN on a trial basis. Or I could opt to have my remaining colon removed, hope I avoid a permament bag, and pray that my colitis is simply ulcerative or crohns colitis, and isn't yet to be determined conclusibely crohns disease. If your IBD is confirmed to be the latter, then surgery isn't a prospective cure. Of the non surgical options, IF my GI decides LDN is too risky, and I can't get it some other way (the jury is still out on that), then that leaves me either a weekly injection (most likely) or one of the infusion therapies (very costly). I don't have insurance to cover or offset any of the costs of infusion therapy.
I have looked at the odds, and both are pretty comparative/similar. Neither is guarranteed to work... think it pretty well breaks down to 2/3 good Vs 1/3 no good.. i.e. 66% of folks treated respond favorably in their 1st year treatment
AND of those, another 66% respond favourably in their 2nd year of treatment.
If you do the numbers, after 2 years, you've got roughly a 50/50 chance of a sustained remission. (not exactly, but close enuff for arguments sake, okay).
The long term potential health hazards, related side effects, they are pretty similar too. I dont' know if focusing on the negative potential is the best way to decide, figure one has to concentrate on and hope for the best outcome.
That's how I've handled it.. Thats' why personally, I'm keen to try the LDN. It has about an 80% success rate (altho only very preliminary studies so far) & it has far fewer potential negative connotations, as it's extremely low dose. I am willing to trade off the unknown risks of long term use, lack of studies, etc
 
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