Biologics

I remember way back in the 80's when sulpha drugs were all that I needed to control my disease.  All I really had to worry about then was making sure I ate before I took my meds.  Twenty some odd years later and I started on the biologics.  The doctors talked about them like they were the best thing every.  Remicade was the first for me.  I would show up at the hospital--they only did it in outpatient services back then, get my IV started, and get to work on my graduate studies that I always brought with me.  No need in wasting that four or so hours.  I was so excited when I started seeing results very quickly.  But disappointment soon came when time and again the effects of the remicade would wear off within a couple of weeks.  I was in the hospital at UA Birmingham when the superstar surgeon decided to push me on two rounds of remicade back-to-back.  Dumb idea for a patient with asthma.  One severe asthma attack later and remicade was marked off the list of biologics for me.

Next came Humira.  Two years and countless bacterial infections later, and that was marked off the list of biologics for me.

But of course there is always another one in the pipeline.  Cimzia is supposedly the be all and end all of Crohn's medications out there.  What did it do to me?  My lips swelled beyond recognition exactly one week after my injections.  Swelled to the point they cracked in several places.  I also kept bacterial infections the whole three months I was on the drug.

I guess what I have concluded from my adventure with biologics is that they aren't for me.  I've heard so many people with happy results but for some reason my body does not play well with the biologics.  I guess I will stick with good ol' Imuran.