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Cimzia question

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Posted 4/26/2011 5:31 PM (GMT -7)
My dr. is suggesting starting me on Cimzia due to active crohn's in my rectal area. I was wondering if anyone is using Cimzia and how you feel about it. Are there any common side effects? My disease was inactive until I became pregnant. A few months into my pregnancy I developed abscesses, a fistula, and active inflammation throughout the area. I have never had crohn's in this area before, it's always been in my terminal ileum. Because of the pregnancy they can't really evaluate where and how severe my disease is. My biggest concerns are.... I've heard you can't just stop this type of drug because you might build up antibodies. I really would like to try to just take Pentasa again once the pregnancy is over. I've also had a reaction to Remicade, it was a few years ago, but I think I built up antibodies to the mouse proteins. Either way, the problems caused from taking Remicade were worse than the crohn's problems I had before that! Does that make me more likely to have some sort of reaction to Cimzia? I appreciate anyone who has any information or experiences to share :)
Posted 4/26/2011 9:18 PM (GMT -7)
I've been on and off Cimzia; I was on it, we decided to go ahead and do a resection so I went off it for several months, and then back on it. My GI said there is no issue with stopping and starting it. (and people have stopped and started Remicade and Humira, too)

Because it uses a human based protein there is much less of a chance of building up antibodies and reacting as Remicade. I, too, ended up reacting to Remicade after a couple of years of taking it.

I've yet to experience any side effects with the Cimzia. It's easy to do at home and doesn't hurt like Humira did. It's done wonders for my joint pain.

Can't really offer any personal advice on the pregnancy end but I'm sorry to hear you're flaring - I imagine that complicates things quite a bit right now.

Good luck making your decision!
Posted 4/27/2011 10:08 AM (GMT -7)
I was on Cimzia when it was still in the clinical trial stages and then again once it was on the market.  I switched to Humira for a while in between and had no problems going back on Cimzia.  I've also had to stop Remicade due to allergic reactions and lose of response due to antibodies.  I didn't have any side effects to Cimzia other than maybe more frequent upper respiratory infections, which I also had on Humira until I started prednisone also.  Cimzia did keep my Crohn's in remisson, but it didn't do much for the arthritis, and it didn't help quite as much with my stomach pains as the Humira did.  Cimzia definitely didn't last the full month it was supposed to last (I was getting it every 2 weeks on the clinical trial, which was great) and we tried doing half a dose every 2 weeks, but that didn't work any better. 
Posted 4/27/2011 1:58 PM (GMT -7)
I am in the middle of my cycle of my second dose. My verdict so far?

Not impressed.

I haven't been on Remicade or Humira, but I was Imuran (only stopped that due to wicked headaches it gave me).

I feel like my flare is still very active; the only thing that is different is there isn't any stomach pain anymore. But, I am still going to the bathroom just as often, sense of urgency is still very present, my Crohn's arthritis (not officially diagnosed, but I just KNOW I have it) is still a problem, fatigue, nausea...all of it, still a factor. Plus, on top of all of it, my face, neck, upper back, upper chest, and shoulders itche like I have been eaten alive by mosquitoes.

For some reason, it was cheaper for me to have it done at the GI office rather than at home? So, I have an injection nurse do mine.

I didn't know, thought, that it was from a human protein? Where is the information on that?
Posted 4/28/2011 1:37 AM (GMT -7)
I get mild headaches and mild fatigue that I attribute to Cimzia, but that's about it. It's working quite well so far...
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