What medication will I be on.

[partyboy690]

Hi everyone, I had a colonoscopy there a few days ago and it showed inflammation of my terminal ileum and the doctor all but told me it was Crohn's disease but he still has to do a biopsy to make sure so I won't be starting medication for a few weeks. Can anyone give me any indication of what medication I'll be on? roughly speaking because I know its different for most people. Thanks guys.

 

[kllyeve]

There are two schools of thought about medication protocols. Top down and bottom up.

Top down - Start with the strongest medicine and knock the Crohn's into remission ASAP, then move down to other drugs to maintain remission.

Bottom up - Start on the mildest drug and keep moving up in strength until remission is acheived. This method wants to avoid the strongest drugs as long as possible since Crohn's is a lifelong illness and doctors don't want you to be out of medication options early in the disease if they can avoid it.

Which method your doctors go with will depend on your country, your doctor's preference, the stage of your disease, the agressiveness of your disease and your personal feeling on taking medications.

Some of the drugs used to treat Crohn's inlcude:
Pentasa, antibiotics,steroids, imuran, 6MP, Humira, Remicade
This is not a complete list with Pentasa being one of the milder options and Remicade is one of the strongest as it is an immunosupressant.

This forum is a great source of information and support, so I hope you hang around. Hope the next few weeks go well and you are not suffereing too much.

 

[partyboy690]

Thanks very much, you've given me a great deal of information there. I really appreciate it will I have a say in which route I want to go?

 

[sickinlk]

thanks very much, you've given me a great deal of information there. I really appreciate it will i have a say in which route i want to go?

my gi was always willing to try anything i suggested. It pays to be informed about all the meds. Another point is not all drugs work for everyone in the same way.
I personally havent found a drug that would put me in remission yet. Its all trial and error and it can take a while.

Ju

 

[LLPZ]

I agree that finding a great doctor is key in your treatment. Mine went from bottom up, tring to start with they mildest drugs and work our way up to the strongest as we had to. I take the regular med, ie...Pentasa, Omeprazale, Entecort, and my doc put me on Ritalin to give me energy because the disease and meds were wearing me down so much that I could hardly function. All I wanted to do is sleep. We also weighed my option for stronger drugs and I chose to do the 2 shots of Cimzia a month instead of havng to go in and be hooked up to an IV for the Humera treatements. I have been in the hospital so many times and had steroids run through my veins that nurses can't find IV veins and I usually have to have a PIC line inserted. You live through it all. Some days are better than others but you have to remember that you have many options available to you now that were not an option a few years ago. Keep your chin up and I'll be praying that your doctor guides you in the right direction but EDUCATE yourself so that you know what you are talking about. Ask lots of questions about the pros and cons. Good luck!

 

[kllyeve]

By all means, talk it over with your GI. I relied on mine quite a bit as I only know my case but she has seen many more cases of Crohn's than I and has a better understanding of the progression of the disease than I do. Her experience with the disease gives her recommendations for treatment quite a bit of credibility in my eyes. So when she said it was time for stronger drugs, although I really was in denial about how ill I was, she spent an hour on the phone with me one night talking with me and calming my fears about making such a choice. She really got how difficult a choice it was for me. Not everyone is so lucky with their GI.

It is your body and your choices, so yes, you do have some say. Do some research and go in with your questions as to what your GI's philosophy and approach is. It will show that you are going to be an active participant in your own care as well as respecting his/her experience and knowledge. If you are doing any naturopathic/ holistic treatments don't hide that from your GI as some things do not mesh ( Remicade and Melatonin for example). Be open and upfront and respectful and you will develop a great working relationship.

 

[Clash]

Partyboy690, you can use our wiki forum to get information on most of the drugs that have been listed in this thread. It is a great source of info and will also give you links to other threads on the forum where the med is discussed.
I think LLPZ may have mistaken Humira for Remicade, Remicade is the drug that you receive through IV infusion, Humira is a shot(pen form or syringe) self injected every two weeks.
I would try to educated myself on both the bottom up and top down approach and familiarize myself with the meds available, what they are(anti-inflammatory, immunosupressent, immune modulator) side effects, method of administration, and how long before they are normally effective etc. Hopefully, that will give you some confidence in speaking with your doctor about your treatment options. Make sure you take a notebook and pen, it is great to take notes because in the beginning everything is such a blur. Make sure to right down all your questions and concerns and have the doctor address them.

Hope you are able to quickly find a medication that helps you!

 

[partyboy690]

Thanks LLPZ, those are very kind words. I appreciate everything, everone is so helpful and nice on here

 

[partyboy690]

Thanks everyone, you're all overwhelmingly helpful