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Remicade (Infliximab) effectiveness

Hi all

I have been prescribed Infliximab every 2 months and I am 6 months into the course. This includes the initial booster dose of the drug.

So far, I seem to only be experiencing the side effects of Infliximab. I am still in a lot of pain after I eat and when I wake up.

Can anyone tell me their experience of Infliximab? Specifically, when they started to receive relief from their symptoms.

Many thanks
 
Definitely follow Ron's advice and speak with your doctor. There are many modifications that can be made to your dosage and timing to make it appropriate for you. In my case, I started at I believe 600 mg every 8 weeks, eventually went as high as 800 every 6 weeks, but am now being reduced to 700 every 8 weeks. I found remicade took care of about 80-90% of my disease, and adding imuran (azathioprine) took care of the rest and got me into remission. Talk to your doc.
 
I started remicade in February. I too was going every 8 weeks once the induction phase was over. However when they took my blood to test my levels they found I had developed too many antibodies and that my remicade levels were too low. So my dose was increased and I now go every 4 weeks. After my September infusion they will test my levels again.

I too don't think the remicade is working all that well. But I am definitely better than I was when I started. I do get a sort of mini flare every so often where I'll race to the bathroom after every meal for a few days, but it's nothing like before. Plus I haven't had blood in my stool since probably February. But I'm not sure if that was the prednisone or the remicade that made that issue go away.

Have they tested your levels yet? Maybe you too have developed antibodies and need a higher dose and more frequency.
 
They test my antibody level just before I have my next dose of Remicade. So far everything seems to be going as expected.

I'm certain I could obtain additional relief if the dose and frequency are increased. Hopefully my Gastro takes this view as well.
 
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