My new drugs

[My Butt Hurts]

Well, Humira quit working. I was denied a double dose by my insurance company, and I'm not even sure if it would've helped seeing as how my body must be getting used to it.
Right now I've been on prednisone for 3 weeks, I am starting Imuran tomorrow (never been on that or 6mp or the other one that's similar to those) and my Dr just sent in for me to be approved to start Cimzia next.
Not sure if I want to be on THREE immunosuppressors at once, and not sure how to tell if it's the Cimzia or the Imuran that works if it does work, any advice appreciated. (Still on pentasa too. Should I be asking my doc about stopping that, or is that on top of the Imuran? Jeez that's a lot of drugs.)

The one thing I was proud of myself about is that I had more knowledge of Cimzia than the office staff did. She told me that I would have to go into the office for my first dose of Cimzia so they could teach me how to do it at home by myself, and I told her that it I thought needed to be mixed like remicade so I would not be able to do it myself. I learned that here! Go Crohn'sforum!

 

[BWS1982]

I'm on 5 Crohns drugs currently, and have been on 3 Immuno's at once too, the reason I ever hear of docs not caring about the multiple therapy-bombardment is because they can get to a point where relief and an aversion to surgery outweighs any scientific approach to doing "one at a time"...if you're on pred, maybe they are thinking you're in need of a quick fix?

Imuran is known to make people sleepy...and also, if Humira stopped working, did they explain to you why Cimzia has any chance, they're not identical, but quite close?

 

[saidinstouch]

I'm sorry the humira isn't working for you and you couldn't get the double dose. Your body didn't get used to it since it is essentially impossible for this to occur, but it doesn't change the fact you can't obtain the dose needed to properly maintain your crohn's disease either. Hopefully the cimzia will do the trick since it is cleared from the body more slowly than Humira is due to the process in which the protein is manufactured.

(Just wanted to share that piece of information since most people don't know the differences between chimeric remicade and humanized humira/cimzia from the biological basis)

 

[My Butt Hurts]

Imuran can make you sleepy?? Great. I'm sleepy enough (when I'm not on pred. At least I have a few weeks of pred left to pep me up.)
My GI did not tell me why Cimzia has a chance of working. I mean, they aren't exactly the same, right? Maybe it'll be just different enough. Even if it gives me another good 4 months like Humira did, that's better than where I'm at right now.
I still have reservations about starting it so close to the Imuran. I'd rather know which one helps and not be guessing.
Pen, I thought Cimzia WASN'T available in Canada yet, and that's why you haven't tried it.
Now that I read saidinstouch's post, I can see how maybe the Humira double dose WOULD work. I thought my body was just used to it - guess not, it just needs a little more. Crap. Well, I'll mention that at my appointment in 2 weeks, and see if he wants to persue the insurance appeal. Likely I won't have had insurance approval for Cimzia by then anyways.

 

[drew_wymore]

Imuran is out of the system within 48 hours of stopping it and you don't have to dose down like Prednisone so you could do an unscientific test. Imuran sucked the energy out of me like no tomorrow. So just be careful of it.

 

[s.a.m.]

My brother has Crohns as well, and he has been on Imuran for some time now and has responded well to it, he used to be curled up in a ball in pain and how he is working and going to school full time.

 

[My Butt Hurts]

Montana, glad you're not dating Vaj still. He yelled at you so much. AND I couldn't help but think that his name was short for female anatomy.

I did start the Imuran a week and a half ago. I've been on prednisone for 3 weeks though, and still on Humira. Who knows what's working, and Imuran takes 3 months to kick in sometimes. (Well, half working. I went from "going" 10 times a day down to 6 or so. The thing that has improved the most is that I usually only go in the morning and at night, but not so much at work.) I thought I felt a bit better yesterday, and I just realized that I haven't gone in over 12 hours right now. Hmm, could the Imuran be kicking in?
I did get a call from my Cimzia case manager, but she was just reading from a script. I don't even know what she called for, I guess to ask if I had any questions, which I didn't, and she said someone else would call to schedule my injections. Does that mean my insurance approved it? Maybe. Didn't get a letter yet, but sounds like it could be on the way. I'm due to take my next shot this Friday, also have a GI appontment the same day. Will get it sorted out then I hope.