3. Discuss Your Options With Your IBD Care Team
Learning about your biologic therapy, including how it works, how it’s given, and its side effects is an important part of the process.
Your options are determined by certain factors, including disease severity, location, or history, response to previous treatments, and how quickly a medicine can work, Becker says. There are even considerations outside of the gut, from co-occurring conditions and complications to insurance coverage.
Expect to talk to your gastroenterologist about your biologic treatment plan. “In my conversations with patients, we review how each option works, its side effects, and how it is given and how often, so the choice truly feels shared rather than one-sided,” Moss says.
These conversations have become much more detailed because there are more options than there used to be, says Anish Sheth, MD, a gastroenterologist and codirector of the Center for Digestive Health at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in Plainsboro, New Jersey.
You can also ask whether it is considered safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding. “For some people, family planning, treatment frequency, and convenience may play just as big a role as mechanism of action,” he says.
