Jul 26 2007
Drugs aren’t working
I told my doctor how things were going with my drugs and he agreed based on my continued symptoms and the degree of them that the drugs aren’t working. In his mind I should have already been coming off the drugs, so since it’s not working he gave me two options.
Remicade which is an IV Infusion once every two months.
or
Azathioprine which is a once daily drug.
Both achieve ths same thing but work differently. Both have possible long term side affects. Both potentially I’m going to have to take for the rest of my life. One requires at first weekly blood tests then blood tests monthly because there are possible blood complications, marrow complications, liver, and paceras complications. The other has long term risk of never being able to come off of it. Both have increased risk of Lymphoma. One has been around for about 5 years, the other 10+ years. One I have to take for 3 months to see results and during that time I’ll have to take a systemic steroid, the other works within days of taking it.
There is no easy answer… but I must decide. I’m leaning toward the Remicade.