Crohn's is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. This condition is lifelong and extremely tricky to treat. The treatments for Crohn's don't always work on the patients, and those that do isn't effective for long. Quite often, medications stop working entirely, and patients find themselves in a difficult position.
Fortunately, the doctors use several alternative options to keep Crohn's symptoms at bay and the disease in remission for as long as possible. Here are some alternative routes your doctor may choose to follow when your Crohn's medication stops working:
Combination of Medications
Several times, doctors try a combination of medicines to treat Crohn's, and they often work better than just one medicine. When your medicine stops working, your doctor might do just that and prescribe you an immune system suppressant along with a steroid medication to decrease inflammation and, at the same time, keep the disease in remission.
Changes in Dose
Many times, the doctors also escalate the dose of medication to make it work. In some cases, it works; in others, it doesn't.
Switching Medication
Switching medicine is also an alternative. Mainly because medications stop working for Crohn's after a while, there are various classes of drugs available for treating Crohn's disease. If symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, and bleeding persist despite the medication, it's time to switch to a new medication. Sometimes, the symptoms worsen after taking medication, which is a sign that the medication isn't working for the patient.
You might be switched from corticosteroids to Remicade to Cimzia to Tysabri until one of the medications provide the desired results. Next, your doctor might switch and combine anti-inflammatory drugs, immune system suppressors, biologics, antibiotics, and other pain-relieving medications.
Nutrition Therapy
Diet plays a significant role in the treatment of Crohn's disease. Often, when the medication stops working, your doctor would put you on a special nutrients diet. This diet is either given by mouth, a feeding tube, or through the veins. Not only does this gives you the required nutrition and improves your overall health, but it also gives your bowel some rest. As a result, the inflammation in the bowel reduces much more quickly.
Surgery
When all medications and treatment fail to reduce the symptoms of Crohn's disease, your doctor might recommend surgery. Surgery isn't a cure for Crohn's disease, but it does provide relief from symptoms. During the surgery, your doctor would remove all the parts of your digestive tract that have been damaged by inflammation and then reconnect the healthier parts. Surgery also allows the doctors to close fistulas and drain abscesses.
It's important to note here that Crohn's surgery often only provides temporary relief from the pain. To minimize the risk of recurrence, the best action is to follow up the surgery with medications.
The Sum Up
Crohn's is an incurable disease that can severely impact your health and quality of life. Although the disease can be significantly controlled with treatment, no single medication can provide you relief for a lifetime. Treating Crohn's require switching up medications after a while to maintain their effectiveness and keep the disease in remission and the symptoms under control. Therefore, it's important to stay in touch with your doctor and never miss an appointment.
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