Remicade how does it work

The people either switched from Remicade to Inflectra or kept taking Remicade. Inflectra helped control symptoms about as well Remicade. A review article that included several clinical studies also found that switching from Remicade to biosimilars such as Inflectra provided similar symptom control. However, current evidence of the long-term effectiveness of Remicade compared with its biosimilars is limited. Remicade and Inflectra are both brand-name drugs.

Remicade has four biosimilars: Avsola, Inflectra, Ixifi, and Renflexis. Inflectra is a biosimilar of Remicade. According to estimates on GoodRx. Remicade may also be used off-label for other conditions. Remicade is approved by the FDA to treat several autoimmune diseases conditions in which your immune system attacks your body by mistake. Ulcerative colitis is also a type of IBD, but you have inflammation in your colon large intestine. Remicade is FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in adults as well as children ages 6 years and older.

Plaque psoriasis is a type of psoriasis in which red, itchy, red patches form on your skin. With rheumatoid arthritis RA , you have pain and inflammation in your joints and other body parts. Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that mostly affects your spine. Remicade is approved by the FDA to treat active ankylosing spondylitis in adults. Psoriatic arthritis is a kind of joint swelling that can occur with the skin condition psoriasis.

Remicade is FDA-approved to treat active psoriatic arthritis in adults. In many of these cases, people took other medications with Remicade. Examples of these drugs are methotrexate and corticosteroids, such as prednisone. How well Remicade works for you will depend on many factors. These include the symptoms of your disease, other health conditions you have, other medications you take, and your dose and treatment schedule. But sometimes the drug may be used off-label for other inflammatory diseases, which involve inflammation swelling.

Some of these conditions include:. In animal studies , there was no harm to the developing baby when the mother took the drug. Your doctor may prescribe medication for you to take with Remicade to better control your symptoms. These drugs often ease inflammation swelling by treating different parts of your immune system than Remicade does. They also recommend taking corticosteroids, such as prednisone, with Remicade or other similar drugs.

Examples of other medications that may be used with Remicade to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis RA include:. Examples of other medications that may be used with Remicade to treat symptoms of plaque psoriasis include:.

Many of the conditions that Remicade treats can also be treated with similar additional medications. Some people may have mild or moderate reactions during or shortly after receiving Remicade. Examples of possible symptoms include:. These premedications include:.

This helps your immune system work as well as possible. Drinking too much alcohol can weaken your immune system. Remicade has been linked to serious liver problems, which can lead to jaundice yellowing of your skin and the white of your eyes. Drinking too much alcohol can damage your liver as well.

So taking Remicade while drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk for liver problems. Remicade can interact with several other medications.

It can also interact with certain supplements and foods. Different interactions can cause different effects.

For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase the number of side effects or make them more severe. Below is a list of medications that can interact with Remicade. Before taking Remicade, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use.

Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. However, Remicade is prescribed with methotrexate for many autoimmune diseases conditions in which your immune system attacks your body by mistake.

These include rheumatoid arthritis RA and psoriatic arthritis. In fact, taking methotrexate with Remicade may lower the risk of developing antibodies to Remicade. Antibodies are immune system proteins that attack substances, such as Remicade, and can make them less effective. Methotrexate may also increase how much Remicade circulates through your body. In both cases, Remicade may be more effective.

Taking Remicade with certain biologic medications drugs made from living organisms can further weaken your immune system. This increases your risk for serious infections. They may recommend other treatment options.

If you need a live vaccine, get it before you start your Remicade treatment. Babies exposed to Remicade before birth and who get vaccines too soon can have a higher risk for infections, serious complications, or death.

Taking Remicade with warfarin Coumadin, Jantoven may affect how quickly your body metabolizes breaks down warfarin. This could change how effective warfarin is at helping prevent blood clots. You may need a different dose of warfarin. Taking Remicade with theophylline Theocron, Theo, others may affect how your body metabolizes breaks down theophylline.

This could change how safe and effective theophylline will be. You may need a different dose of theophylline. Taking Remicade with cyclosporine Restasis , Sandimmune, others may affect how your body metabolizes breaks down cyclosporine. This could change how safe and effective cyclosporine will be. You may need a different dose of cyclosporine. However, you should still check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of these products while taking Remicade.

If you have any questions about eating certain foods with Remicade, talk with your doctor. Remicade is used to treat certain autoimmune diseases.

Remicade blocks the action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha TNF-alpha. Most people with autoimmune diseases have higher-than-normal levels of TNF-alpha and too much inflammation. Remicade starts to affect your immune system right away.

But you may not see your symptoms improve for several days to weeks. But you may have more symptoms of your condition or they may worsen if you stop taking Remicade. In a small study , researchers tested the outcomes of stopping Remicade treatment. They found that They were in clinical remission free from symptoms at the time they stopped using Remicade.

People stayed symptom free for an average of 1 year after they stopped taking Remicade. If you have questions about what to expect when your doctor ends your Remicade treatment, talk with them. Monoclonal antibodies only block the activity of certain proteins in the body. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, is a chemical drug that destroys rapidly growing cells throughout the body.

Chemotherapy medications affect many types of cells and organs. This is different from the very specific actions of monoclonal antibodies, such as Remicade. People who take Remicade for their IBD symptoms usually experience a period of remission, an inactive time in the disease process.

You will need to talk with your doctor or gastroenterologist to see if Remicade is right for you. Tell your doctor if you suffer from:. A nurse will perform general assessment tests of your health and record your blood pressure, temperature, respiration, pulse and weight.

Remicade is given by intravenous IV infusion. Your doctor will calculate the dose that is right for you. Biosimilars started being used in the UK after the patent for infliximab Remicade came to an end in February , meaning any company is now allowed to copy the technology and research data used to make infliximab.

Inflectra and Remsima are both biosimilars of Remicade. They are both significantly cheaper than Remicade which means that some hospitals and medical centres are keen to switch patients to them.

If you have any concerns, speak to your doctor. Why not sign up to our mailing list and receive regular articles and tips about IBD to your inbox. Why not sign up to our mailing list and receive regular articles and tips about IBD to your inbox? Infliximab Remicade for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

What is infliximab? How does infliximab work? Who can take Remicade? How is infliximab taken? How long does it take to work? What is infliximab Remicade? Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Only your doctor can recommend a course of treatment after checking your health condition.

Some patients, especially those 65 years and older, have had serious infections which include tuberculosis TB and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body or caused infections in certain areas such as skin. Some of these infections have been fatal. Unusual cancers have been reported in children and teenage patients taking tumor necrosis factor TNF blocker medicines.

You should discuss any concerns about your health and medical care with your doctor. You should tell your doctor right away if you have any of the signs listed below:. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www. Prescribing Information Medication Guide. Individual results may vary.