Hmmm.
I had a discussion with my gastro team last Tuesday as am having a really bad flare at the mo and just cant seem to nail it.
MTX isnt an option for me at all - was on it originally for my arthritis and they hoped it would help my crohns but it impacted on my liver and I had to stop it last Autumn. Liver function still hasnt returned to normal ALT is still approx x3 what it should be...
I will have been on remicade 3yrs this coming May and cant believe where the time has gone. I originally was 8wks and have been 6wks for last 18mths at least. I was very "twitched" initially with starting it because of the mouse protein going into my body and still ponder it from time to time, however, what else can I do in the circumstances? Humira also wasnt around so much at the time of starting the Remi here so it was a no brainer for me. I think though the biggest impact was getting my head round the fact that I really had reached that stage of needing one of these drugs then and there. Cant put into words the huge mental and emotional leap that was for me.
Since before Xmas have been struggling. GI said when I last saw him he could reduce it to 4wks but was concerned regarding the increase in possible reaction and side effects. He also mentioned Humira again to me but in his view it just isnt as effective as Remi.
On Tuesday he sent me word via the registrar that if I wanted to change to Humira he would happily do it but if it didnt work as well as the Remi has for me and we went back to Remi that it too wouldnt have as good an impact! Does any of that make sense?? LOL
So the current choice I had last Tuesday was to have my Remi, start 40mg pred for 2wks and then slow taper according to how I felt by 5mg every week. As a result I will be on steroids now for at least a couple of months. This is all on top of elemental drinks grrr.
He also wants to retest me for Coeliac Disease so I have to eat a bit each day and ensure it has gluten in it until Friday week when my blood tests are. If it is positive then my prize is an upper scope hooray! ;-)
For me overall Remi has been a lifesaver. It has improved my quality of life all round, helped my asthma, my skin problems and my gut.
MTX gave me horrendous nausea, compounded the fatigue and exhaustion and made my muscle pain worse.
Humira I cant comment on apart from the above. Tysabri - have had no dealings with it at all.
Let us know what you decide.
Thinking of you ((hugs))
