Colitis Quiz
Choosing the Next Step in Ulcerative Colitis Is Personal
There are many different types of medicines that can be used to treat ulcerative colitis. Depending on how your disease behaves, your goals, and how your body responded to previous treatments, biologics may be an option.
Ready to find out more?
Learn more about biologic medications.
Many medications have free programs that offer training and advice to help you to properly take your biologic. Learn more about patient support programs.
Taking a biologic
Biologics are taken by intravenous infusion (IV) or an injection under the skin.
Taking a biologic
Taking a biologic
Dosing
Some biologics are taken more frequently than others.
Dosing
Considerations for travel
Some medicines are more convenient than others to take while travelling.
Some may need to be refrigerated.
Considerations for travel
Treatment goals
and support
Knowing your priorities regarding treatment can help you and your
doctor make important decisions about managing your ulcerative colitis.
Treatment goals and support
Treatment goals and support
Biologic medications are made from living cells.
Biologics block key cells or chemicals involved in triggering inflammation, the body’s normal response to things like injury, infection, stress, and pain.
In IBD patients, use of biologics helps reduce the inflammation process and relieve the associated symptoms.
Many biologic medicines come with access to free patient support programs.
These programs can help with insurance applications and often offer help to make sure you are taking your medicines properly and on time.
For medications taken intravenously, patient support programs often offer a central location where you can have your medications infused and have questions answered by a healthcare professional. This location may be more comfortable or convenient for you than a public healthcare clinic or hospital.
For medicines that are injected under the skin, many patient support programs offer training, supervision, and ongoing support. They will help you to learn to safely store your medicine and manage your injections by yourself or with a caregiver. Some injections can also be given at a central clinic by a healthcare professional if you prefer.
| Injection under the skin | Intravenous infusion | |
|---|---|---|
| Where is it taken? | At home, by yourself, or sometimes in a clinic | At an infusion centre or clinic |
| How long does it take to give the dose? | About 10 seconds | Depending on the medicine, infusions last 30 minutes or 2 hours |
| How often is it taken? |
|
Every 8 weeks, with extra induction doses in the first 6 weeks |
| Considerations |
|
|
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Your personalized report
You and your doctor should share in the decision-making process.
Here are some topics to discuss with them based on your answers.
Your preferred characteristics in a biologic
TAKING A BIOLOGIC
- Can be administered by myself or caregiver/family member
- Can be administered by a healthcare professional
- Can be administered at home
- Can be administered at a medical clinic
- Regular travel to a clinic would be challenging
- Regular travel to a clinic would be easy for me
- Spending up to 2 hours getting an infusion would be a challenge
- It is not a challenge to spend up to 2 hours getting an infusion
- No factors selected
DOSING
- Prefer taking a medicine less frequently (e.g., every few months)
- Fine with taking a medicine more frequently (e.g., every few weeks)
- Prefer taking a biologic on its own with no steroids or other medications for this condition
- Fine with taking steroids or other medications in addition to a biologic for this condition
- No factors selected
CONSIDERATIONS FOR TRAVEL
- Never spend a week or more away from home
- Spend a week or more away from home once or twice a year
- Spend a week or more away from home three or more times per year
- Never spend more than 2 months away from home
- Spend more than two months away from home less than once a year
- Spend more than two months away from home once a year or more
- There would be no issue storing refrigerated medication properly while travelling
- There would be some challenge storing refrigerated medication properly while travelling
- It would be very challenging storing refrigerated medication properly while travelling
- No factors selected
Important factors you consider
when choosing a treatment
- Symptom relief
- Side effects I might experience
- How it is taken
- How often it is taken
- How long I may be able to keep taking it
- It can be taken on its own (e.g., without steroids or other immunosuppressants)
- Reducing the inflammation process
- Type of support that is offered (training, information, emotional support)
- No factors selected
Questions for your doctor
- Which biologics can I inject myself?
- How can I be trained to inject myself?
- Where are the medical clinics located?
- Which biologics are better for me if I’m not comfortable injecting myself?
- How often is this biologic taken? How does that compare to others?
- Would this biologic be taken on its own or with other medications (such as steroids)?
- How would I manage this medicine if I needed or wanted to travel?
Ask your healthcare team about:
- Patient support programs with nursing support
- Where to find trustworthy information on Ulcerative colitis
- Where to learn more about medications for Ulcerative colitis
- Patient groups such as Crohn’s and Colitis Canada