Apriso

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Mar 26, 2012
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Has anyone taken Apriso? I was just prescribed it yesterday and I am very nervous about the side effects. I was on lialda but had horrible effects from it. Please advise. Thanks.
 
Momto3, curious what side effects you had on Lialda? I was on Lialda for about a year but was having trouble with weight gain. My GI switched me to Apriso and within a month about 5 lbs came off. I stayed on Apriso until it seemed it was not effective. But I don't think it was the Apriso, I think it was the Crohn's. I switched back to Lialda after about 1 yr on Apriso and still was flaring. I noticed no side effects on Apriso whatsoever. Hope that helps.
 
Thank you Patrickl. Unfortunately, after just 2 days of using these meds I have joint pain and headaches. I always feel just fine without the meds. The meds also bring on flare ups. I just don't know what to do.
 
Do you think any of it is psychological? Since you were worried about going on it, maybe you've induced a reaction? The mesalamine treatments are supposed to be on the milder side. I'm not suggesting it's in your head by any means, so please don't take that the wrong way.

You know, if I had my druthers, I'd try an inflammation-free diet, cut out wheat gluten, almost all fiber, alcohol, most sugar, and try to fight this disease naturally myself. But the long-term risks of unencumbered inflammation are too great to go med-free I guess. If I could get a GI to agree to a colonoscopy every year I'd probably do it, but they won't - they want to keep you on the drugs. It's the safe route for them. Now I'm on Remicade myself and am not exactly thrilled about it. But not having the expertise and wherewithal to take on treating myself, you're stuck with option B - trust the doctors. A sad sad state.
 
Patrickl- you may be on to something. I was questioning myself was it psychological. But when i cant move my neck side to side and get these headaches, im not sure. Im not a headache type person, i never get them. But when i take these meds, i get them. How are you responding to your meds?

I wish i could go med free but like you said the damage that can be done is so great. I ordered a book "Patient Heal Thyself" by Jordan Rubin. He suffered from Crohns and changed his diet and added some natural supplements and is doing amazing. I havent started it yet, but i hear its a good read.
 
Well that definitely sounds like a side effect. I know when I was on 6-Mercaptopurene, by midday I couldn't stand up out of a chair my joints were so weak and painful. I had to quit that I thought it was going to kill me. Now I'm on Lialda and Remicade... Lialda only until I've hit 6 mos. on Remicade. No side effects from either. I've kept the weight down too. I really do fear Remicade though - I was not happy about starting it, but my GI struck the "fear factor" and said she will no longer give me Prednisone to calm flares - which is fine with me, that stuff is terrible for you long-term as well.

My whole thing is this.. If a colonoscopy costs about a grand, and Remicade is going to cost 10K for the year, it seems insurace would probably rather have me get checked every year than pay for Remicade. And I'd love to be off the drugs. A case of staph can kill you if you are surpressed by Remicade. Not that I'm out cutting myself on rusty chains in the Nile River, but what if some freak thing happened? I would really rather establish a baseline, live in a sunshine vitamin D filled location, and eat and live right, and just take it year over year than be drugged up.

I will check out that book you mention. Another fear of mine is Remicade and Humira, these drugs are still relatively new. When Prednisone was created they thought it was a miracle drug. 20 years later everyone were hunchbacks with osteoporosis. What are present-day Remicade patients going to look like in 20 years? I don't want some rapid-killing cancer when I'm 55 because I started taking Remicade this year.
 
Yes, your reaction to 6-Mercaptopurene is how i feel from the liada and apriso. Like I'm a 100 yrs old and about to die, and these are supposed to be the mildest drugs. My doctor is hesitant to give me stronger drugs since my crohns is mild.

I'm with you, i'd rather get a colonoscopy a year than pay for these expensive meds that make me feel worst. I wasnt even having flare ups until i started these meds.


Right my dr. said Humira- is out of the question for me. He said the side effects are horrible. I dont like new drugs either, just not safe and worth the risk.

Good luck Patrickl I hope you find a natural cost effective solution that works for you!!
 
I'd be interested to know how things are going for you now. I tried to handle my Crohn's for years on my own, thought I was doing just fine, then a colonoscopy found a stricture in my colon. So I've just recently tried giving meds a second chance. Dr started me on Apriso - I tried it 3 times in a span of two weeks. The first three days were great, I was happy that it seemed I would tolerate it. Then I went in to one of the worst flares I'd had since my onset. And I had horrible unbelievable neck stiffness and pain - and I see a chiro every week and they couldn't get those muscles to relax. So I stopped it and improved, and then tried it again, thinking maybe it was some untimely bacterial infection from sushi or whatever. But next time, same thing. I ended up losing 7 lbs in two weeks. So the Dr then next tried just generic sulfasalazine. I've found that I've had a milder reaction, but nonetheless I go right in to a flare within a day, horrible joint pain and fever, within a couple of days of being on it. I'm reading now that any of the meds in 5-ASA class would probably cause this reaction if I had a reaction with one of them. I'm terrified of what he's going to try next!
 
Hi there. I'm sorry to hear about your Apriso side effects. I am having some too, but they are of a different sort.

I started Apriso about two weeks ago. It has really helped my stomach pain and made me able to eat normally. In the last two days, I have had a sore throat and fever. My GI is on vacation, but she and my PCP (who I then contacted after a too-brief phone conversation with my GI) say to go off the Apriso. I am new to Crohn's -- just diagnosed a few days after I was put on the Apriso -- and I'm wondering if the fevers and sore throat are merely indications of an oncoming flare (in which case I don't want to go off of the Apriso), or if they truly are an allergic reaction to the Apriso. I had a sore throat and fever before the second "flare" that led to my current diagnosis. Has anyone been through similar symptoms?
 
@LaLaNapa- sorry to hear about your issues. At the time I was thinking i should see a chiro to but wasnt sure if it would benefit me. However about a month or so ago, my dr put me on Asacol HD 800 and that has changed my life. No side effects at all!! We were both surprised since ive had issues with all other 5 ASA's and my dr wanted to put me on something stronger but I insisted on trying one last 5 ASA and wouldnt you know it worked out great!! I can eat whatever I like and have not had a flare yet. I have also put back on all the weight i loss from the other meds. Good luck!

@jeo223- I too had a horrible sore throat- the worst i ever had and there was no relief for it. I had to just had to endure it and it lasted over 3 weeks. I had a strep test and it was negative. Chrohns sucks!! Hope you find some relief soon.
 
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