@lclassen posted:@CTBarrister, I'm unfamiliar with biologics, as those weren't around in '98. 😉. I've been told that once you go on a biologic you can never stop taking it. Is this correct?
In the case of Remicade, that is essentially correct. You can't go on it and then off it. I have been on it for 5 years. There is also the chance that you can develop antibodies, although that hasn't happened in my case.
But the reason you can't go off it is not because it's addictive like heroin and you go into withdrawal. If you go on and then off and then back on again, it's just likely not to be effective. Also, you need to take it for a while before the results are observed. At least 6 - 12 weeks. So if it is effective, you want to stay on it as long as you can, and hope antibodies are not developed. Although if you get Covid, you do want antibodies to develop, in the case of Remicade, you do not want them to develop.