Biologic caused infections

Posted by apopson @apopson, Dec 12, 2023

Recently hospitalized 3 times. Each time for a week. Infection in hand that extended to elbows.
A week later infection in knee then left rib area that is very painful. Infection control physician said may need to remove the fluid from this area. All of these infection areas are on left side. Dr said from biologic
Has been on Vancomycin for almost a month.
Has anyone experienced this from the biologic
depressing there immune system. He stopped it 6 weeks ago.

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Linda Moross | @lmoross | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @dadcue "Vancomycin is a tough antibiotic. How many IVs did they restart because it is hard on..." + (show)

Wow!! You hit it right on! Multiple IVs and eventually a mainline directly into the vein.
Most of my veins were shot and to get the mainline in took 8 tries.

Linda Moross | @lmoross | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @dadcue "Vancomycin is a tough antibiotic. How many IVs did they restart because it is hard on..." + (show)

Yes, vancomycin caused liver damage for me. And to top it all off my doctor accused me of being a drinker. When I told him I rarely have any alcohol, he held up his hand as if in court and asked me to swear. Very hurtful and offensive. In retrospect it makes me angry.
He told me I would be in the hospital 3-4 days for a procedure to remove pleural effusion from my collapsed lung due to pneumonia two months prior. The pneumonia was related to the biologic I was on for Polymyalgia Rheumatica.
I was hospitalized for that and almost died after going septic.
This time 3-4 days turned into 19.
I had walked into the hospital but after they got ahold of me, I had hospital pneumonia, some other mysterious infection, severe anemia and of course, the liver damage. I was even unable to walk. I checked myself out when they wanted to do surgery on my lung.
I went to Mayo Clinic and received the care I needed which was to give my body time to recover. No surgery needed.
So currently my rheumatologist wants to start immunosuppressants again. I said no. My belief is that doctors must be getting kickbacks for prescribing these drugs. Perhaps that is why they push them.
What has happened to medicine?

Linda Moross | @lmoross | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @kitty2 "Good morning..hope you are feeling better..Which Biologic where you on? My physicians were pushing them, Entyvio..." + (show)

I was on Actemra for Polymyalgia Rheumatica.

DadCue | @dadcue | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @lmoross "Yes, vancomycin caused liver damage for me. And to top it all off my doctor accused..." + (show)

My question was going to be how many IVs were restarted before a central line was placed. I didn't want to assume anything but weeks of vancomycin is tough! Not fun for the nurses either.

So Actemra is stopped ... are you back on prednisone? I'm not a fan of prednisone either because it nearly killed me. I was in intensive care for a few days.

I have stopped Actemra twice but I didn't do so well. I keep telling my rheumatologist that I'm willing to stop Actemra again just to see what happens. Three times is a charm they say.

Anyway ... I'm extremely sorry you had to go through all of that!

kitty2 | @kitty2 | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @pb50 "You were on Budesonide for 9 months??" + (show)

Yes..9 months too long at 9 mg a dose..I was so sick from it..I keep telling my doctor how sick I was . I finally went somewhere else for help. I believe the drug has caused many other health issues for me and caused a lot of damage. I weaned off the drug hard and fast, which also caused other problems.

apopson | @apopson | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @dadcue "My question was going to be how many IVs were restarted before a central line was..." + (show)

A central line was never placed. After hospitalization on Vanco by mouth. A couple more doses then finished.
Not on prednisone.

apopson | @apopson | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @kitty2 "Yes..9 months too long at 9 mg a dose..I was so sick from it..I keep telling..." + (show)

The ads on television make out these pills to be so great, but oh my the bad side effects can kill you.

apopson | @apopson | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @lmoross "Yes, vancomycin caused liver damage for me. And to top it all off my doctor accused..." + (show)

Such a horrible time for you.
I feel I would rather take my chances with my health diagnosis. At least I know what I am dealing with unlike when you take biologics.

pb50 | @pb50 | Dec 17, 2023

In reply to @kitty2 "Yes..9 months too long at 9 mg a dose..I was so sick from it..I keep telling..." + (show)

I’m surprised. I had a 2 month regiment stepping down from 9mg a day to 1 and then off. My doc said if it didn’t work in that time it likely wouldn’t. He said under the right circumstances he would give me low dose for few days.
Bless your heart.

rashida | @rashida | Dec 17, 2023

Has anyone had any experiences with Otezla? I will be starting on it as soon as my government (Ontario) plan approves it for my scalp psoriasis. Been on two biologics before - first, Stelara and the Skyrizi - and neither helped. I asked to go on Otezla because I was tired of injections and because it seems lesser of all evils where side effects are concerned. It also can be taken orally. I have fatty liver disease and unfortunately there is no oral medication I can take that won’t affect my liver.

I was on Methotrexate for about three or four years and it worked great - cleared all psoriasis - but I was told I couldn’t continue taking it because of my FLD history. As soon as I started tapering off it, my psoriasis returned, then returned with a vengeance once I came off Methotrexate completely. I went on the biologics (first Stelara, then Skyrizi) and they have done nothing for me. I also have Lichen Planus and Lichen Sclerosis, and apparently Otezla clears that also, which is why I chose to go on this biologic, but I still am worried about the other side effects.