Guest guest Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 hi all have seen posts about remicade.......could someone please explain this drug to me as i have never heard it mentioned before... what is it used for?? how does it help?? what are its side effects?? have any other readers tried this and if so what was the out come?? hubby (the one with PA) and i would be very interested regards and best wishes to all ruby and hubby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 --- In , " ruby sharp " > hi all > have seen posts about remicade.......could someone please explain this drug > to me as i have never heard it mentioned before... > what is it used for?? > how does it help?? > what are its side effects?? Hi Ruby, Remicade is one med in a fairly new class of medicine called biologicals. It was develpoed for Crohn's disease then used on RA, and now is approved for our PA. It also can help the psoriasis. It helps tremendously for a certain percentage of patients(sorry-I don't know the exact % for PA- but somewhere over 50%) Since it is so new long term side effects are not known. It is important to watch for infections while taking it. Simply put, the biologics are live agents that block a chemical in our bodies that make our bodies attack themselves. My own experience with it has been good. My psoriasis completely cleared after 2 infusions. (It is given by iv in the doc's office) After 3-4 months it helped the PA although it did not make it go away like a miracle drug. Initially, i had headaches and nausea after a treatment but when i discontinued usinf MTX along with the Remicade that went away and I tolerate it very well now. Psoriasis.org has good information on all the biologic meds. Good Luck to you and your husband. Best, Marti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 31, 2003 Report Share Posted December 31, 2003 <<have seen posts about remicade.......could someone please explain this drug >> I was on Remicade for all of 2002. Remicade is given through an IV, and usually takes between 2 and 4 hours. When I was on it, it did nothing for me. I was on a regular dose every 8 weeks, for about 5 months. My Rheumy put me up on double doses every 6 weeks. My insurance covered 100%, because I went to the Hospital Outpatient Infusion Center. I can't remember what the regular doses cost, but the double doses were $6300.00 every 6 weeks. Thank goodness for insurance. Good luck with it, and I hope it works for you. I also think that Remicade has the lease amount of side effects than any other of the Bios. Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.