Just got back from the doctor and need help

[CorvetteSteve]

Hi everyone, last week I had my colonoscopy and the doctor said the entire GI tract was extremely inflamed and that I most likely had Crohn's. He put me on 40 mg a day of prednizone. Today I went back to talk about other medications and he had the biopsy results that lead him to believe that it is more so ulcerative colitis and not Crohn's, regardless, he said the treatment process will be very similar.

There are a few dilemmas that I am having. He gave me the option of going on remicade (2 week dose to start, then increasing to eventually once every 2 months) or taking 6mp daily. I have read a lot on the forum of each, but would like to get some feedback from others of the two compared. It sounded like he wanted me to go on remicade.

As for the other issue, he also put me on lialda, which as I found out when I went to the pharmacy is extremely expensive. I am a college student and had to take a leave of absence from my job because this flare has become too harsh to work with so money is tight. I did some quick research and it looks like there is no generic for the drug, but possibly are there any alternatives?? Continuing on the money subject, I know it varies per person and per health insurance plan, but on average what would be the cheaper route the remicade or the 6mp. I know my life is more important than money, however, I still need to be able to afford essentials and if I have the choice between two that will be close to equal in effectiveness according to my doctor I would probably take the cheaper route as long as the side effects aren't too bad.

I still have a few more days to decide so I really encourage input and really want to hear what everyone has to say about it. Everything is happening extremely quick and has become extremely stressful to me.

 

[DougUte]

You might want to check with the manufacturer of Lialda http://www.lialda.com/lialda-savings.aspx?mid=L002018 and check out their savings card. They advertise paying no more than $10.00 per month for the med.

 

[my little penguin]

Remicade would be covered as a procedure under your medical insurance
So if you have an 80/20 plan then you would be responsible for 20% of the cost of the procedure ( which varies from place to place ) the cool part is remistart covers a large majority of the remaining 20% so your bill is low .
Remicade works in 6 weeks max son do better after first dose other need all three loading doses
6-mp has a generic and is cheap
That said it takes 4-6 months before you know if it's even working
Ds took it for 8 months
Helped a little but he barely had energy still felt horrid and kept raising his liver numbers .
Remicade was a miracle drug to the point no one even knew he was sick anymore
He could swim competively again

 

[my little penguin]

http://www.remistart.com

Remistart program

 

[Lady Organic]

Hi Steve and welcome.
6-mp is an old drug and is very cheap compared to remicade.
How about waiting to see at the end of your prednisone treatment how it goes with Lialda alone? Lialda maybe expensive, but it is the less toxic of all drugs. Lialda can maintain some people in remission. you could ask your GI what he thinks about it.
are you already seeing an improvement with the prednisone?
wishing you well.

 

[Lady Organic]

6-mp...That said it takes 4-6 months before you know if it's even working
Ds took it for 8 months

it takes 6 weeks for me to kick in, full remission.

 

[my little penguin]

lady organic
His doctor who knows his case is asking him to choose between the two drugs not to have liada as a monotherapy .
I only stated what is typical time frame for 6-mp to work

 

[Robrich]

Sulfasalazine is the former drug similar to llialda prescribed before these expensive 5asa drugs were developed it is generic and affordable.
Distinguishing between UC and CD is very difficult and any diagnosis is subject to change unless disease is found in the small intestine or you develop strictures or fistulas which may or may not happen for many many years/decades.
Instead of choosing between Remicade or 6 mp you may want to do both and get off the PRED. Combo therapy can be very effective. You could then drop one once you are in remission.
Many options to start and it's basically a roll of the dice otherwise your doc wouldn't be tellng you to choose.

 

[lisadc1]

Hi there! I have a savings card from Lialda and I am only charged $10.00 a month from them...Check it out with your pharmacist.

 

[CorvetteSteve]

You might want to check with the manufacturer of Lialda http://www.lialda.com/lialda-savings.aspx?mid=L002018 and check out their savings card. They advertise paying no more than $10.00 per month for the med.

Doug you are a savior! After signing up and waiting around walgreens for 2 hours they finally figured it out and I was able to get it for $10!! Thank you so much for the suggestion!

Also in terms of the treatment the doctor did not seem like he wanted to do both 6mp and remicade. He also said he did not want to do only lialda. I appreciate all of the feedback from both sides of the treatments. It will be a tough choice and I am still deciding. So thankful I found this forum everyone has been extremely helpful with dealing with an extremely stressful disease!