Re: hello every1 is anyone on remcade here?

[Guest guest]

Remicade is the only biologic I have tried

and it worked wonders for me. I was bedridden till I started with 40 mg

Prednisone and then I was able to function while I tried first Arava alone and

then Methotrexate alone for about three months each with little success, but I

was able to get down to 25 mg Prednisone. Then we added Remicade at 3

mg/kg and gradually increased the dose and decreased the time between

doses. After we got to 6 mg/kg and 6 week intervals it really began to

work and I was able to get completely off Prednisone and with time I went back

to 8 week intervals, decreased to 4 mg/kg, and reduced my Methotrexate. I

think the Remicade has given me my life back.

As far as I know the dangers of Remicade

are very similar to the dangers of the other biologics and mostly occur during

the infusion while we are under medical supervision. Any medication (even

aspirin) can have bad side effects in at least a few people and I don’t

think Remicade is especially bad. Side effects are unlikely to happen and

most of them are easily reversible by stopping the medication.

I hope you get something to help you with

your illness. God bless.

From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of ajslady2004

Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006

4:53 AM

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subject:

hello every1 is anyone on remcade here?

my name jackie

i've had r a since 98 and its getting worse i tired both humara and

embrel i'm sarced about getting remacde cuz of wat is can couz.plz tell

me how remcade work and if has help u..

jackie

[Guest guest]

Hello , This is Steph in VA. I have had RA since 1999. I tried Enbrel for a few months in 2000 but was unsatisfied with the results so I switched to Remicade in April 2000 and I have been on it every since. I started at 200mg every 8 weeks and now, 6+ years later, I'm on 400mg every 6 weeks. As Harold mentioned Remicade has been my "miracle drug". I was also practically bedridden before Remicade. Now I am fully functioning, with only minor limitations. Weighing the benefits vs. risks is a decision all of us have had to make. If you have taken Enbrel & Humira without side effects, the chances of you having side effects is lower (not zero but lower) than many people. Below is a link to long term concerns for over 300,000 patients on Remicade & Enbrel. As you can see, the side effects are very low overall. I'd be happy to talk about it further with you if you wish. Take

care, Steph in VA Regarding the TNF inhibitors and lymphoma, here is another study: http://www.rheumatology.org/publications/hotline/0901tnf.asp. This is from the American College of Rheumatology. This study included 170,000 patients on Remicade and 104,000 patients on Enbrel. Out of the patients on Remicade, only 10 developed lymphoma. Out of patients on Enbrel 18 developed lymphoma. This study also shows that of patients on TNF inhibitors that developed TB, over 80% were in countries outside of the US. In countries outside the US, TB is still an epidemic.

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[Guest guest]

Hi Jackie- I have been on Remicade after being on Cyclosporine and MTX for five years. The therapy was started in 2000 and I have been on it ever since. I should have gotten on it sooner but was afraid of the fact it was an IV and the allergic reactions people posted on websites. People never write about the amazing benefits of it. Its a breeze once every 8 weeks or so in conjuction with mtx. It is still working for me and my RA is very smart. Remicade interrupts the chain reaction that causes inflammation through the TNF in every cell. Humira and Enbrel work on the TNF as well. This research was done ten years ago when AIDS research was at its zenith. There is another medication that interrupts the chain reaction that causes RA through IL-6 (B cells). Since Remicade is a sodium solution, it can really leave you dehydrated so drink plenty of gatorade and water while the infusion takes place. Usually tylenol and something like benadryl and claritin are given before infusion to prevent allergic reactions. I am wiped out after my infusion and need a nap, but some people dont feel the need at all. I will say this. It is a miraculous drug. If you have TNF resistant RA which is sounds like you might, then possibly the B-cell infusion would work for you. There is something called Prosorba Column therapy which is another option for you. I love Remicade, cant say enough about it or the miraculous help it gives thousands of people. Newly diagnosed get the best benefits and can lead a completely normal life, for others like me, it works about 50% as well as it did in 2000 but thats almost 7 years now so while I do have tons of fatigue and live in maine, UGHHH, my joint flares are minimal and I can move around. Hope that helps. Hugs, Deborah

On 11/19/06, ajslady2004 <ajslady2004@...> wrote:

my name jackiei've had r a since 98 and its getting worse i tired both humara and embrel i'm sarced about getting remacde cuz of wat is can couz.plz tell me how remcade work and if has help u..

jackie