Entyvio: Side Effects, Dosage, Uses

Vedolizumab is a prescription medication sold under the brand name Entyvio and is used for the treatment of moderate to severe conditions of Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis (UC). This medication is prescribed to individuals whose bodies don’t show improvement from other medications.

Being a biological drug, Entyvio belongs to the Integrin Receptor Antagonists class of medications. This drug is available in the form of a solution that is given by intravenous (IV) fusion only.

Based on multiple studies, it was found that the use of Entyvio drug results in symptoms remission up to 17 percent after continuous use of 6 weeks. If you can use this drug over a period of 1 year, it can reduce the UC symptoms up to 42 percent.

About 15 percent of people who have been taking Entyvio experienced symptoms remission after 6 weeks and 39 percent of people after 1 year of continuous usage as per the prescription, respectively.

Entyvio Uses

The use of prescription drugs like Entyvio for the treatment of certain conditions is approved of the FDA.

1. FDA-approve Uses of Entyvio

The use of Entyvio drug is FDA-approved for the following two conditions:

• Crohn’s Disease and
• Ulcerative Colitis (UC)

Ulcerative Colitis

Individuals with mild to severe UC are usually prescribed using of Entyvio to improve the symptoms. As mentioned above, this medication is prescribed to individuals whose bodies don’t show improvement from other medications or cannot take other medications.

In case of UC, the use of Entyvio has resulted in symptoms remission for about 17 percent of people who have been taking this drug over a period of 6 weeks and 42 percent of people over a period of 1 year, respectively.

For Crohn’s Disease

Entyvio and is used for the treatment of moderate to severe conditions of Crohn’s disease. This medication is prescribed to individuals whose bodies don’t show improvement from other medications or cannot take other medications.

In case of Crohn’s Disease, the use of Entyvio has resulted in symptoms remission for about 15 percent of people who have been taking this drug over a period of 6 weeks and 39 percent of people over a period of 1 year, respectively.

2. Off-label Uses of Entyvio

Despite the prescribed uses of Entyvio, there are multiple other uses of this drug as well, which are not approved by the FDA. Doctors usually prescribe this drug for the treatment of other conditions as well. These are called off-label uses.

For HIV

The use of Entyvio for the treatment of HIV is under multiple studies and it would be too soon to expect how well it will turn out as the prescription medication.

For Psoriasis

Being a biological drug, Entyvio works like other medications that are used for the treatment of psoriasis. However, no studies have proven the effects of Entyvio on symptoms remission of psoriasis yet.

3. Entyvio for Children

While the use of Entyvio in children is not approved by the FDA, some doctors still prescribe the off-label use of this drug for the treatment of UC or Crohn’s disease.

Based on a study, it was found that the use of Entyvio resulted in symptoms remission in about 42 percent of children with Crohn’s disease and 76 percent of children with UC.

Entyvio Dosage

The description of Entyvio dosage given below is commonly recommended or used. However, the dosage in your case could be different and it’s recommended to go as per your doctor’s prescription.

Dosage Schedule

As already mentions, Entyvio is given by intravenous (IV) fusion only. This also means that it is slowly injected into your vein and infusion refers to a controlled administration of this medication into your blood over a period of its usage.

A dose of 300 mg is given over a period of 30 minutes for each treatment. The following is the general treatment schedule:

• Dose 1
• Dose 2 – after 2 weeks
• Dose 3 – after 6 weeks

For the initial 6 weeks, a maintenance schedule of the dose is used, which is called induction. During this time, Entyvio is injected every 8th week.

In case of a Missed Dose

There can be scenarios when you forget to take your dose. In this case, you must take your dose as soon as you remember it. Now, after you have taken your make up dose, your next dose should be after one month from that day.

Is it a long-term dosage?

This completely depends upon your present condition and how well your body is responding to the drug. If your body is responding well to the drug, your doctor may ask you to continue taking it for a long time.

Usually, Entyvio dosage is used for a long time.

Entyvio Side Effects

Based on how your body responds to the Emgality, the drug might have some mild or severe side effects. Below is a list of some common side effects that you may experience while taking Emgality for a long time.

Note: This may not be the comprehensive list of side effects.

In case your symptoms or side effects are not listed below, you may want to consult your doctor right away for clarity.

Common Side Effects

The following are some symptoms that you may experience after injecting the drug:

• Sore throat
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Back pain
• Fever
• Cough
• Rash or itchy skin
• Respiratory infection

Serious Side Effects

The following are some serious symptoms that you may experience:

• Allergic reactions
• Liver damage
• Infections
• Cancer

Hair Loss

While hair loss has not been a side effect found out during studies of Entyvio, some people have experienced the issue while taking this drug. Therefore, Entyvio being a cause of hair loss is still not clear.

Weight Gain

While weight gain has not been a side effect found out during studies of Entyvio, some people have experienced the issue while taking this drug. It could be due to enough healing in the gut for those who have lost multiple pounds during the treatment of the condition.

Diarrhea

While diarrhea has not been a side effect found out during studies of Entyvio, some people have experienced the issue while taking this drug. Therefore, Entyvio being a cause of diarrhea is still not clear.

In case diarrhea persists for a longer time, you must see the doctor.