One of the most common questions I receive from IBD patients is how long does it take for Entyvio to work? And, really, it depends on the person and their disease. Obviously, I’m not a doctor, but I’m more than happy to share my experience with Entyvio and ulcerative colitis.
I started Entyvio after I failed Remicade. Actually, it never really worked for me. I went to the hospital every 8 weeks for Remicade infusions for about over a year with little improvement. My symptoms were better, but I was never in remission. Then, it completely stopped working, and I started to get swollen lymph nodes on my head and neck, so it was time to try Entyvio.
After the initial loading doses of Entyvio, I saw an improvement in my symptoms. Prior to that, I was using the bathroom 8-10 times a day, experiencing all sorts of cramping and seeing blood every time. After the loading doses of Entyvio, the frequency dropped to 3-4 times per day with less cramping and blood. I wasn’t 100%, but I was definitely better overall.
Entyvio can take up to 6 months or more to fully work. It just depends on how your body reacts and how bad your disease is at the time. While I was waiting for Entyvio to kick in and do its magic, my doctor prescribed me Uceris. Unfortunately, Uceris didn’t do anything for my symptoms, but I just continued to take it and hoped that Entyvio would work.
Slowly, but surely, I started to see my symptoms disappear. For me, it took about 5 months before I experienced (*knock on wood*) remission with Entyvio. That was 3.5 years ago, and I’m still doing well on Entyvio, going every 8-9 weeks for an infusion.
I know everyone is different, but if you’re just starting on Entyvio, please keep the faith that it will work for you. It’s worth the wait!
Read more about my experience with Entyvio
Read more about my experience with ulcerative colitis
