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Ongoing symptoms while using biologics


Wed, July 24, 2024 6:53 AM

I'm a 39 year old male diagnosed in November 2023. My first colonoscopy showed mild to moderate patchy inflammation in the hepatic flexure and transverse colon. I was initially given prednisone taper that started at 40mg daily for two weeks then stepped down by 5mg every week thereafter. Initially my symptoms (abdominal pain, loose stools, back and knee pain) subsided but returned when I stepped down to 30mg. This continued until I finished the taper and ended up feeling just as bad as before I was diagnosed. Fast forward to January 2024 and my doctors decided to put me on biologics, Humira. After the loading doses and 4 weeks of maintenance doses I was feeling great but my symptoms slowly started to return. I had CT scans, x rays and even an MRI, none of which showed anything. A repeat colonoscopy was done in May to show I still had inflammation in my hepatic flexure and biopsy showed chronic active colitis. Doctors suggested I go to weekly injections. After two weeks of that I was feeling better again but my symptoms soon returned once again. Blood tests all came back normal for liver, and CRP. Still waiting on drug level and antibody testing results. Am I being impatient on giving the adalimumab time to work? I feel like nothing is working and I'm not getting any reassurance from my doctors other than just the " this disease affects everyone differently" response. Has anyone here been in my situation? It's been almost a year since my symptoms started and I feel like I've gotten nowhere.

FPO BobbyA413
Joined Jul 24, 2024

Wed, September 11, 2024 3:35 AM

Reply posted for BobbyA413.

If you're experiencing ongoing symptoms while using biologics, it might be time to consult your healthcare provider for an evaluation. Check out other treatment options or dosage adjustments that could help. Always ensure you're following the prescribed treatment plan for optimal results.

FPO HaydenBurbidge
Joined Feb 22, 2022

Tue, August 13, 2024 3:30 PM

Reply posted for BobbyA413.

Dear BobbyA413,

I hope there may be someone who has gone through something similar and can offer some encouragement. You are definitely not alone, and we often hear of many people contact us describing their challenges with treatments. It sounds like your physicians are also trying to work with you to adjust based on your individual needs. While we cannot provide medical answers here on this platform, we can encourage you to continue to press a conversation with your healthcare team about your treatment plan. As a start, here are some follow up questions you may consider:

1. How long will it take for me to see any effects and improvements?
2. If the adjustments that were made to my medication have not resulted in an improvement, what is the next step? What are the next options we have to consider?
3. Will I need to take additional medications in addition to my current treatment?
4. What do my drug antibody level results tell us about where I am in my disease and my response to this particular treatment?

If it is helpful, you may want to review the current treatments that are available to be able to discuss your treatment plan openly with your healthcare team:

 IBD Medication | Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (crohnscolitisfoundation.org)

After you review and have your discussion with your doctor, feel free to reach us if you have any additional questions at info@crohnscolitisfoundation.org,




FPO administrator
Joined Oct 12, 2017

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