Alternatives to Remicade

[jorm]

I was just diagnosed with Crohn's. I have inflammation of the terminal ileum and a fistula connecting the large intestine to the small intestine. I had severe pain which felt like appendicitis. Following colonoscopy, lower bowel xray, and barium enema was then diagnosed with Crohn's. Since that day, I have had no pain or any other symptoms.

My doctor wants to start Remicade. I trust his diagnosis but am not sure about his treatment recommendation? This seems rather extreme considering I have no symptoms but I am not in the medical field. He says the Remicade will heal the fistula and prevent others from forming. However, from my research, it appears Remicade is a life-long commitment and is not a sure thing in repairing fistulas. Also, it is extremely expensive.

Is there an alternative I should be asking him about, or seeking a second opinion? I just see doctors so rarely that I am unsure how to proceed.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Lydia]

Remicade closed my fistulas in 4 days and put me in complete remission after that. In my case it was very effective. My body doesnt like it anymore, but it worked really great for over a year and saved me from surgery.

Do you have coverage? Remicade cost me nothing with the plans I had.

You can try imuran, but you will likely need prednisone till it kicks in (about 3 months), and it may or may not heal the fistula. It helped me many years ago which is why I am trying it again after failing remicade. If that doesnt work I will move on to humira.

 

[dragonfly]

ive only just begun remicade just had my 2nd dose/infusion 2 days ago but so far so good. it has helped with my HS and fistula in just the short time ive been on it. have you ever heard of LDN?? ive read many good things about that, i spoke to my dr about it but he felt that it wouldnt do me as much good as the remicade. remicade has been proven to help heal fistulas better than humeria. your dr probably wants you to consider this to prolong anything else from happening. the decision is yours alone but dont be scared of what you read...honestly i was terrified of starting remicade after all the negative things ive read about it but everyone reacts differently and it might be something that would do wonders for you. either way whatever you decide i wish you nothing but the best!!

 

[jfmorg]

LDN aka Low Dose Naltrexone

Dr. Jill Smith, Penn State, Hershey, PA has had success in her Crohn's trials using 4.5 mg Naltrexone once per day. It has virtually no side effects and is very inexpensive. I finally got a doctor to prescribe Naltrexone for me. I dilute the standard 50 mg tablets into 4.5 doses and take before bed time. I am taking it to boost my immune system in an effort to destroy abnormal cells of multiple myeloma. I have zero side effects after 6 weeks. Only blood work will confirm the effectiveness in this application although the LDN.org site indicates effectiveness. I ordered from Global Pharmacy. 30 tablets cost me US $67 delivered and will last for 330 days. I dissolve each 50 mg tablet in 22 ml distilled water and each night meter out 2 ml in a syringe without a needle. It is taken by mouth. I refrigerate the solution.
http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/index.htm

It is difficult to find a doctor who will prescribe this as it is an off label application and they know nothing about it. They just don't read.

Also McGill in Montreal has had some some success using Vitamin D3. My take is that the D3 boosts and modulates the immune system.
That would make sense since Crohn's is an autoimmune disorder. They explain how it works:
http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/news/item/?item_id=114537

I have two friends in Canada who have Crohn's and their doctors just rely on Remicade. To me that borders on being criminal as there have been published papers on LDN and D3, both of which are generally good for your health and inexpensive..

Having Crohn.s is not indicative of a Remicade deficiency although it could be indicative, in part, of a D3 deficiency as most people are D3 deficient.

 

[jorm]

Thanks for all the information from all of you! I have been on Remicade since October but, honestly, I feel no different. But, of course, I had no symptoms except the one ER visit. I will find out in April if the fistula has healed as my doctor needs a barium enema to show it. Ugh. Interestingly, he also put me on a high dose of Vitamin D3 for 4 weeks, 3 times a week. I had not heard of the article you reference but that is very interesting news.

Thanks again!

 

[jfmorg]

Jorm. Good for your doctor for putting you on a high dose of vitamin D. I hope it is D3 rather that the useless D2. I am now taking 6000 iu per day. After having my health destroyed by a statin I have taken responsibility fore my own health. I subscribe to several health newsletters and spend at least 2 hours each day researching. Obviously, I learn a lot about disorders that I don't have but have friends that do. I was aware of LDN long before I was diagnosed to have the blood protein marker indicative of multiple myeloma cells and had already made a written request for a prescription. Fortunately a bone marrow biopsy indicated that my immune system has apparently kept the number of abnormal cells at bay so now I am doing everything I can to enhance my immune system. Western medicine has no cure and once it becomes full blown, the prognosis seems to be about 3 years.

Please study the LDN org site and follow the links. LDN seems to help the body in many ways and many disorders. It is an inexpensive preventative. One MD, in an interview, says that everyone should be taking it just like a daily vitamin. My cost, the way I do it, is about $0.20 per day. It is produced by an Indian manufacturer that Global uses.. Sun, also Indian, is another option. I have a chemistry background so making my dosage was intuitive after checking stability and solubility in water.
I later found almost the exact procedure on a producer's website. Doing it yourself saves additional costs plus it is pure with no fillers.

 

[Dr.Who]

Also McGill in Montreal has had some some success using Vitamin D3. My take is that the D3 boosts and modulates the immune system.
That would make sense since Crohn's is an autoimmune disorder. They explain how it works:
http://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/news/item/?item_id=114537

I have two friends in Canada who have Crohn's and their doctors just rely on Remicade. To me that borders on being criminal as there have been published papers on LDN and D3, both of which are generally good for your health and inexpensive..

Having Crohn.s is not indicative of a Remicade deficiency although it could be indicative, in part, of a D3 deficiency as most people are D3 deficient.

My GI is at mcgill.. he wont treat me with Vit D.. i dont think he takes that study seriously.

im on Humira.