Immuno-suppressants and being sick (Aza, and remicade)

Hey there. I had a question for anyone here....

Quick briefing. I have Ulcerative Colitis. Acquired at the age of 10. Then ankylosing spondyltis acquired at the age of 25. I am now 28. (I'm a man) I have been on Remicade for just about a year now. I am also on Azathioprine. (I had to start taking it again as I had an extreme reaction to Remicade that it seemed to be keeping in check.) I was on it in the past as well.

I currently live with my disabled mom, and she has gotten very sick. Has been for a week. She's going to see a doctor tomorrow (has to) I've been trying my best not to catch it. But a small lump on the left side of my neck just under my neck has appeared... I will be trying to get into a doctor soon, but my question is....

Are all these immunosuppressants suppressing symptoms? Do I have a very weak immune system now because of all these drugs, and can't fight things off as well? Honestly... I'm a little terrified. I've had chills on and off... But I dont know if thats due to anxiety. I'm scared this is turning into a bacterial infection or something inside me... Like my body has no ability to fight it at all... I'm thinking bad scenarios here and thought I'd ask.

Thank you.

- Jordon.

Deep breath. Try and not think worst case scenario until you can get into your doctor. I have read that Remicade is an immunosuppresant and it can lower your immune system reaction to illness. That is why they test for TB before they put you on it... But that doesn't mean worst case for you! Definitely get in to see your PCP or GI.

Breathe
Ds was dx at age 7.
Placed on remicade at age 8 so he survived tons of snotty kiddy school germs of the second through 5 grade.
He gets less sick than the rest of us.
He is currently on humira and Mtx at age 11.

That said he has had a bump or two
Ped just runs bloodwork says it's from a prior cold and is a normal kid thing which goes away on its own

I am on humira and imuran. When I started humira I found I got more colds, but nothing too bad. This is my first winter on humira weekly, was biweekly previously, and I find I am catching lots of colds and already had a sinus infection.

I thought I would get sick a lot on remicade and imuran but that hasn't been the case. No flu in the last 1.5 years and no increase in the amount or severity in colds. Only been on remicade since September.

Pleasantly surprised.

You may have caught a cold or something, but it doesn't necessarily mean it will turn into something more sinister just because of your current meds. Keep vigilant and see a doctor if you are that concerned, but remain calm and try not to obsess on your symptoms.

Same experience as above... my son has been on remicade for almost two years and he hasn't gotten sick very often and, when he has, he's had it no worse than anyone else. In fact, over the holidays I came down with the flu, he then caught it and my daughter is now sick with it. He actually had the mildest symptoms of all!

Certainly go check with your doctor but probably no reason to worry overly about it.

Thank you much for the replies!

Love your chosen name, by the way!

Haha thanks. I do like to slap a bass or two.

My two cents - I think that it keeps some of the issues of colds under control to a degree. I rarely get very sick in the winter, despite being around tons of kids (I am a teacher). I do seem to always get a phlegmy throat like I am about to get a cold, but only rarely do things go much beyond that. My theory - and it is only that - is that in some cases our immune system can still take care of some of the cold but tunes down parts that are the body's reaction - like the fever. I am probably not explaining it quite correctly, it seems to make some degree of sense in my head! By the way, I don't think I have ever taken the flu shot when on remicade. I was going to the year H1N1 went around, but the flu got me before I could get the shot! Haven't had it since, haven't had the flu since.

Remicade is an immunosuppressant and weakens your immune system. Have you gotten any of the vaccines (flu, pneumonia, etc) since being on it? My doctor required me to.

I was always a little bit of a germ phob in the past (I work with children), I've been a bit more so since being on Remicade. I just make sure I wash my hands a lot more and I'm more aware of not touching my face/nose when out in public. I've been on it since April and I currently have my first nagging cold/sinus issue - going on about 3 weeks. I'd like to think my exposure to elementary children has somewhat boosted my immune system and has helped me up to now. It doesn't hurt to go to a doctor to get checked out. I may actually go soon if what I have doesn't go away!

Feel better!

A little update.... I can't take remicade anymore. I had a bloodtest taken in early December for Remicade anti-bodies... and it seems my body built some anti-bodies towards it! So... no more. The lump I was told was nothing, although it's still there. I still get a chill here or there, and a small canker sore on my tongue (which I would attribute to a slightly run-down immune system) but have been having INTENSE dreams... So could be lack of good sleep. Although I could attribute it to stress, and cutting back on marijuana in the past month as well.

I was advised against ever getting a flu-shot by my doctor, even when I was just on Azathioprine due to the fact I was on a immuno-suppressant. Different doctor views I suppose. I will also say i've been washing my hands intensely as well, perhaps too intensely. Thanks for the well wishes, hope ya feel better.

Shamrock, I do hear what your saying... I actually have a very vague memory of my doctor saying that it can suppress symptoms. Which in my mind, kinda wigged me out. I will say that I haven't been FULL on symptom-crazy sick since starting Azathioprine, (few years ago) and Remicade. I just get this general feeling of.... Un-well.


Thank you all for the replies once again.