Starting Remicade + Imuran

[bobby94]

Hello everyone,

I have recently been diagnosed with severe crohn. My Gi doctor wants me to start on The Remicade + Imuran combination therapy... I am really scared of the negative effects of these medications.. If anyone could write me a positive experience about these drugs would really help my with my moral.. Thank you. :sign0085:

 

[Clash]

My son was diagnosed at 15 with severe CD. He was put on remicade and later methotrexate(another immune modulator like imuran).

He had no side effects from the combo therapy. In fact, due to the severity of his disease he remicade dose was eventually given at a higher dose than standard (15mg/kg) every 5-6 weeks as well as his weekly methotrexate at its highest dose.

He had to eventually move on from remicade but for most it's a really efficacious med!

 

[my little penguin]

Ds is 12 and has been on biologics plus immunosuppressants for almost 5 years
He goes to school is in sports and a regular kid
Good luck

 

[bobby94]

thank you for your help i am just really scared of getting bad side effects like cancer from these drugs..

 

[my little penguin]

Uncontrolled crohns can cause cancer
Riding in a car if your a kid has a much higher risk of death 1 in 250
Vs T cell lymphoma for combo meds is 6 in 10000


The average person on the street has a risk of T cell lyphoma of 2 in 10000

So we do meds and ride in a car since quality of life stinks without either of those things

 

[aypues]

See how you tolerate the Imuran. I couldn't. Made me wiped out. We switched to Cellcept and it's fine. I take it in combination with Remicade and it totally stopped the pain!

 

[Scipio]

Uncontrolled crohns can cause cancer
Riding in a car if your a kid has a much higher risk of death 1 in 250
Vs T cell lymphoma for combo meds is 6 in 10000

The cancer risk is indeed low. However, the risk of lymphoma from Imuran is greater in older IBD patients as compared to younger ones. The risk is 5-fold higher in patients over 50 and 10-fold higher in patients over 65.

 

[shamrock15]

I have been on the same combination for 8 years now and they are the healthiest of my adult life by far. I do have a little fatigue, but that has been a constant for me for 20 years before I even started it. I have had no surgeries in that time as opposed to 6 in the 12 years leading up to remicade. While there always risks in any medication, I know very well that without it I was only counting my days to my next hospitalization. It could have saved me surgeries, kidney stones, income and so much more. Wish the combination had come sooner.

 

[Pug Gamer]

I am on imuran now, its been 3 months and i can honestly say i dont have any symptoms from it. I have more side effects from steroids (entocort). I know how you feel but my GI said to me "you can go untreated and be hit by a bus, you never know. Atleast with this your taking positive steps to a better quality of life"