Crohns and Remecaid

I am 48 year old and have had Crohns Disease for 17 years. I have been relatively symptom free for 15 year, with four or five flare-up during that period. treated with Solumedrol (in hospital) and the an 9 month tapering of Prednisone started at 80mgs oer day. Prednisone had some very debilitation side effects other than the normal ones including a neurolugical one which made speech difficult and htis affected my ability to work. In between flare ups, I am completely symptiom free, can eat and tolerate any foods and this remission has lasted as long as four years. However, in the last three years, the flare ups have come more regulary.

In not wanting to go on Prednisone again, we have used Salofalk - oral and suppository, Cipro and Flagyl and Entecort as different times.

My new physician suggested I think about Remecaid and I began Remecaid in October 2009. For the fisrt four months everything went well and the, 1 week prior to infusion I developed very painful joints all over the body. On the day of infusion, paindisappread entirely within four hours. Two week prior to the next infusion eight weeks later, the joint pain began again and stopped the day of treatment. We trehn decreased the interval between infusion form 8 to 6 weeks despite slight elevated liver enzymes. However, this time, 3 week prior to infusion the joint pain began again and was completely debilitating and I was unable to move.

My Rhematod doctod prescribed Celebrex which did nothing and I recently began Plaquinol whoch apparently will take 3 months to kick in so if the pain recurs, she will adminster an injections.

I have been told that the joint pain is absolutelt not a side effect of the Remecaid and that it is a new symptom of my Crons Desease. I am having a hard time understanding how after 17 years., I could develop a new symptom of Chrohns Disease. I have also read the for many patients, remecaid can cause Lupus-like symptoms.

I cannot live with the arthritis pain but I can live with a Crohns flare up so I am curious to know your opinon and those of others who may have experienced this.

Thanks.





This discussion is related to chronic arthralgia associated with crohn's.

[harrald]

John Hopkins Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland, says there are more than 25 digestive disorders, many with similar symptoms. The National Institutes of Health supplies a website for digestive and kidney diseases. Once on the website, click on the link for digestion, and you can find all you want to know about digestive diseases from A to Z. Look around the webpages, and to your left, there are blue bars, and one says Kidney Diseases. Click on the blue bar, and similar information about kidney diseases are listed from A to Z. I hope you find help.

Good luck.  

Harrald