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Posted 11/3/2019 8:26 PM (GMT -5)
I’ve been on Cortiment about 4 days now and still bleeding and feeling sore. This is the first time I’ve been on it and I’m not sure what to expect.

Pred usually kicks in within 24hours for me and I start feeling better very quickly & so I’m starting to wonder if I should just go back on that instead. I’ve been trying to avoid it because of the usual side effects and I’ve already spent 2 out of the last 3 years stuck on the stuff. Was hoping Cortiment would be a good alternative.

Do you think I just need to give the Cortiment more time or should it be working by now?
Posted 11/4/2019 8:14 AM (GMT -5)
Hard to say, I'd need to know more. In general give any steroid at least 1-2 weeks to work. How bad is your flare? Cortiment is meant for mild to slightly moderate flares and if that;s you then great. However, if you are having a severe flareup then you are wasting your time with Cortiment, and pred is the only answer.
Posted 11/4/2019 1:18 PM (GMT -5)
Yeah, I agree with iPoop. I have used Uceris, which is similar, and it never helped me.
Posted 11/4/2019 2:24 PM (GMT -5)
Last colonoscopy in June said moderate inflammation in ascending colon (mild through the rest), but I wasn’t having any symptoms then. Last few weeks things have taken a major turn for the worse so I’m guessing the moderate inflammation has spread. I was so sick last week and ended up with a uti and on antibiotics too which was a disaster. I’ve been in this flare going on 3 years now but thought the last six months I’ve been getting better.
I’m currently feeling pain too which is usual for me. I was hospitalised twice last year and never felt any pain during that time so this is an unusual development.
I don’t think I can go on like this much longer, the blood loss and anemia is getting to me & I’ve lost 5kgs in the last week. I think I’m just going to give up and go back on pred. I hate the stuff but it does work amazingly on me & so I’m greatful for that
Posted 11/4/2019 3:35 PM (GMT -5)
Sorry though, pain and rapid weight loss are things I associate with a severe flare up, from past experience. Certainly correlate the symptoms with a good inflammation test, c-reactive protein or calprotectin to prove the inflammation is now that bad.

I think pred is the answer, minimum 40-mgs, for what you describe. Cortiment is like a sparrow's fart up against an oncoming godzilla. Whereas prednisone is at least a mechagodzilla against godzilla, which stands a good chance! (somewhat amusing myself with rather unconventional analogies).
Posted 11/4/2019 3:38 PM (GMT -5)

Sara14 said...
Yeah, I agree with iPoop. I have used Uceris, which is similar, and it never helped me.

That put me into remission, along with 6MP
Posted 11/4/2019 4:34 PM (GMT -5)

iPoop said...
Cortiment is like a sparrow's fart up against an oncoming godzilla. Whereas prednisone is at least a mechagodzilla against godzilla, which stands a good chance! (somewhat amusing myself with rather unconventional analogies).

Lol!

Sorry to hear your symptoms have gotten worse. I hope you get better soon.
Posted 11/5/2019 1:20 AM (GMT -5)
Thanks for your replies, I really appreciate them. I was feeling pretty desperate yesterday and they helped.

I went back on 40mgs of pred this morning and I already feel lots better. That stuff really is a mechagodzilla! I’ll be hating on it by next week but it really does do what it’s supposed to do.

The blood and pain has reduced and I’ve even managed to stomach some food today. I’ve just picked up my compassionate doses of Simponi so will now try it every 2 weeks to see if that helps too.

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it x
Posted 11/5/2019 8:19 AM (GMT -5)
Glad you're getting some relief! It's always a complicated love/hate relationship with the dreaded pred.

Did you get any benefit at all from Humira or Remicade? I ask as Simponi is a sister medication to those two, very similar. I'm sure Entyvio, Stelara, and Xeljanz all have similar compasionate use programs, all of those meds use a very different mechanism of action than the anti-tnfs.
Posted 11/5/2019 12:06 PM (GMT -5)
Let us know if the Simponi helps. Glad the pred is already starting to help. I am in the same boat right now so I totally understand.
Posted 11/5/2019 2:50 PM (GMT -5)
I got some response from both Remicade & Simponi but neither has been good enough to get me into remission. I haven’t been able to stay off steriods on either so I’m not holding out much hope the 2 weekly injections will get me there. It’s worth a try though and I’m lucky the manufacturer has agreed to give me free injections to top up the government funded ones available to me.

My gi doesn’t rate entyvio but I’ll probably have to try that next if the Simponi fails. I’ve read some good things about it on here but my gi said he uses that as the last attempt before surgery. He said it’s usually the more milder patients who get good relief from it and doesn’t seem hopeful it’ll work on me so he’s been reluctant to start me on it. I think his feelings come from personal experience as his reluctance seems at odds with lots I’ve read about success rates.

Stelara and Xeljanz aren’t approved for UC in Australia yet. Stelara has just been given approval for crohns so it shouldn’t take too much longer for us UC sufferers to get a chance to try it, hopefully within 12 months it will be available. Xeljanz approval is currently on hold due to safety concerns about lung clots so at this point I’ve no idea when that will be available, hopefully before I go down the surgery route!
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