Your Health Questions
Answered by Professionals

If you’re still struggling with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, Mount Sinai IBD research recruitment may offer access to emerging therapies, close expert monitoring, and a chance to contribute to future care, with some study costs often covered. There are several factors to consider, including eligibility, risks such as side effects or placebo, and how participation fits with your current treatment, so talk with your gastroenterologist. See below for key details on who qualifies, what to expect, safety oversight, potential costs, and when to seek urgent care.

New IL-12/23 inhibitors in the pipeline may be a breakthrough for people still struggling with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or IBD, offering more precise targeting, longer-lasting responses with fewer injections, and higher skin clearance even after prior biologic failure. There are several factors to consider, including how these compare with IL-23 only options and which patient profiles may benefit most. Safety and next steps matter, such as infection risks, TB screening, vaccination review, symptom tracking, and asking about clinical trials or switching therapies with your clinician. See the complete answer below for key details that could change your next steps.

Perianal Crohn’s trials offer regulated, medically guided next steps when standard treatments are not enough, giving access to advanced biologics and innovative options like stem cell approaches with expert oversight while helping drive future approvals. There are several factors to consider, including eligibility, safety safeguards, how a study may work with your current meds, and when to seek urgent care. See below for the complete details, key questions for your doctors, and practical next steps that can shape your care plan.

There are several factors to consider. Severe IBD treatments can fail for multiple reasons, including primary nonresponse, loss of response from low drug levels or antibodies, incorrect or overlapping diagnoses, structural complications that medication cannot reverse, and adherence or lifestyle triggers. Next clinical steps include objective testing and therapeutic drug monitoring, switching or combining therapies with a treat to target plan, advanced imaging, timely surgical consultation, and exploring clinical trials; see below for key nuances, red flag symptoms, and decision points that could change your next move.

There are several factors to consider: IBD is an autoimmune misfire that can keep inflaming the gut despite treatment, and 30 to 40 percent of people do not reach durable remission on first-line therapies due to loss of response, side effects, or aggressive disease; see below to understand more. Clinical trials can provide access to advanced options and close monitoring but carry real risks, including no benefit or placebo, disease worsening, unknown side effects, medication restrictions, and a heavy visit burden; see the complete guidance below on trial phase, rescue plans, cost coverage, alternatives, and warning signs that may require urgent care and a doctor discussion.

There are several factors to consider; see below to understand more. Persistent symptoms despite optimized mesalamine and steroids may reflect inadequate rectal drug reach, undertreatment or adherence issues, steroid dependence, disease extension, or infection, and next steps include objective reassessment plus escalation to advanced therapies such as biologics (anti-TNF, vedolizumab, ustekinumab), oral small molecules (JAK inhibitors, ozanimod), and consideration of investigational options or clinical trials.

There are several factors to consider if you are still symptomatic on infliximab; see below to understand more, including target trough ranges and urgent red flags. A common, fixable cause is low infliximab trough levels due to rapid clearance from active inflammation, anti-drug antibodies, or under-dosing, which therapeutic drug monitoring can confirm. Next steps often include increasing the dose, shortening infusion intervals, adding an immunomodulator, or switching therapies, while checking for noninflammatory causes if levels are adequate.

There are several factors to consider: ongoing instability in Bipolar 1 vs Bipolar 2 often reflects missed diagnosis or subtype, suboptimal medication choice or dosing and poor adherence, sleep disruption, substance use, or untreated co‑occurring conditions. See below to understand more. Effective next steps include confirming the correct subtype, optimizing mood stabilizers before antidepressants, adding structured psychotherapy, tracking sleep and mood, and addressing lifestyle and advanced options with a specialist; see below for the key differences by subtype and urgent warning signs that change what to do next.

Bipolar mood tracking apps in 2026 can help, but stability depends on new clinical protocols that convert data into care. Key standards include guideline-aligned symptom monitoring, personalized relapse signatures, integrated safety plans with crisis pathways, physician-integrated dashboards, medication adherence tracking with context, detection of mixed states and rapid cycling, and ethical, transparent AI. There are several factors to consider for your next steps. See below for the complete guidance on how to evaluate apps, when to escalate to a clinician, and which details could change your treatment plan.

New phase 3 fast-acting antidepressants aim to deliver relief in days or hours by targeting glutamate and GABA and enhancing neuroplasticity, with phase 3 candidates joined by already approved rapid options like esketamine and zuranolone, and psilocybin-assisted therapy advancing in late trials. They may help people with treatment-resistant or severe depression, and postpartum depression, but can require supervised dosing and have important safety considerations. There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more, including candidacy, side effects, monitoring needs, clinical trial access, and the questions to ask your doctor that could shape your next steps.

There are several factors to consider: standard antidepressants that act on serotonin and norepinephrine often take 4 to 8 weeks because the brain must slowly recalibrate, and some people do not respond due to differences in biology, genetics, inflammation, or neuroplasticity. Auvelity, an oral combination of dextromethorphan and bupropion that modulates glutamate and boosts dopamine and norepinephrine, may bring earlier relief for some in about one week but has specific side effects, interactions, and eligibility concerns; see below to understand more and for critical details that could shape your next steps with your clinician.

Bipolar depression often resists standard antidepressants because it is biologically distinct from major depression, and using antidepressants alone can sometimes worsen symptoms by triggering mania, rapid cycling, or mixed states; see below for how sleep disruption, missed mixed features, substance use, medical conditions, and dosing or duration issues can all drive nonresponse. Research-backed next steps include mood stabilizers like lithium and lamotrigine, specific atypical antipsychotics, evidence-based psychotherapy and circadian rhythm care, and when needed advanced options such as ketamine or ECT, with guidance on when to re-evaluate the diagnosis and metabolic or inflammatory contributors found below.

Stubborn foot fungus usually persists because treatment is stopped too early, your shoes or environment keep re-seeding the skin, the diagnosis is incorrect, the nails are involved, or an underlying issue like diabetes or poor circulation is present. Use a proven OTC antifungal like terbinafine for 2 to 4 weeks while keeping feet and shoes very dry and disinfected, know that nail infections often need prescription or oral medicines, and see a clinician if there is no improvement in 2 to 4 weeks or urgently for spreading redness, pain, pus, fever, or if you have diabetes or immune problems. There are several factors and step by step details that can change your next move; see below for the complete guidance.

There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more. On a third biologic, loss of response often means antibodies or low drug levels, targeting the wrong pathway, or symptoms not from active IBD; next steps are therapeutic drug monitoring, objective inflammation tests, and ruling out infection before switching to a new mechanism like anti-integrin, IL-23, or JAK therapy, with combo therapy or clinical trials considered and urgent red flags, lifestyle, and mental health factors listed below.

If you have tried three antidepressants with no relief, this may meet criteria for treatment-resistant depression, but it is still very treatable. There are several factors to consider, including ruling out bipolar disorder and medical contributors, and proven options like dose optimization, augmentation, switching classes, ketamine or esketamine, TMS or ECT, and structured psychotherapy; see below for details that can guide which next steps are right for you and when to seek urgent help.

For some people, newer oral targeted drugs like JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib, baricitinib, upadacitinib) can replace biologic infusions for RA, psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and related conditions, offering pill convenience with effectiveness similar to certain biologics. These pills are not for everyone and carry FDA boxed warnings for serious infections, blood clots, heart events, and some cancers, so the medically approved next steps are to review your disease control, discuss personal risks such as age, smoking, and clot or heart history, and confirm required monitoring with your specialist. There are several factors to consider; see below for complete details and decision guides that could change the safest plan for you.

There are several factors to consider. When current therapy is failing, you may qualify for a Crohn’s drug study if you have a confirmed diagnosis, moderate to severe active disease despite prior treatments, and proper documentation for screening, while active infection, recent surgery, certain cancers, or pregnancy often exclude people. New protocols are testing targeted biologics, JAK inhibitors, S1P modulators, and microbiome or stem cell therapies, and the benefits, risks, and step-by-step enrollment process could shape your next steps. See the complete eligibility details, safety considerations, and how to begin with your GI, records, and screening below.

There are several factors to consider. DBS is not first-line or an emergency treatment and is often investigational for depression; it is explored for severe, treatment-resistant depression after failure of at least four adequately dosed medications from different classes, evidence-based psychotherapy, and often ECT, with some programs also requiring TMS, followed by detailed medical, neurological, and cognitive screening and a multidisciplinary review. See below for the new, step-by-step eligibility process, who may not qualify, key risks and expected outcomes, and how to talk with your psychiatrist about referrals and clinical trials, since important details could change your next steps.

If standard depression care is not helping after adequate trials, an innovative depression clinic offers personalized, research-backed options like TMS, esketamine or ketamine, ECT, and strategic medication plans from a multidisciplinary team. There are several factors to consider. See below for clear signs your treatment is failing, who should consider this path, what to expect at the first visit, safety and medical oversight essentials, and urgent steps if you have suicidal thoughts.

Chronic major depression can persist even when standard treatment seems to fail, often due to incomplete or overlapping diagnoses, complex brain biology and inflammation, and ongoing stress or medical comorbidities; the latest steps include medication optimization or augmentation, esketamine or IV ketamine, TMS, ECT, and evidence-based psychotherapy. There are several factors to consider, including when to reassess, address physical health drivers, and seek urgent help for suicidal thoughts; see below to understand more, since these details can change which next steps are right for you.

There are several factors to consider; see below to understand more. Treatment-resistant depression is common and can happen when treatment targets the wrong biology, brain circuits stay stuck, chronic stress reshapes responses, or the diagnosis or dosing is incomplete, with next steps including reassessing the diagnosis, optimizing meds and therapy, and seeking immediate care for suicidal thoughts. New depression clinical trials offer rapid-acting medicines, brain stimulation, precision and inflammation-focused options, and combination strategies, with eligibility, risks, and how to discuss enrollment with your clinician outlined below.

There are several factors to consider if your IBD treatment seems to be failing: immune adaptation, shifts in inflammation pathways, underdosing, or noninflammatory causes like IBS overlap or infection, best confirmed with stool and blood tests, scopes or imaging, and therapeutic drug monitoring. New advanced options include multiple biologic classes and oral targeted therapies such as anti-integrin and IL-23 inhibitors, JAK inhibitors, and S1P modulators, used within personalized treat-to-target plans; see the complete guidance below for urgent red flags, dose optimization, and how to choose next steps with your doctor.

If your moderate to severe ulcerative colitis isn’t healing, common reasons include complex immune pathways, primary non-response or loss of response, and incomplete mucosal healing; new trials are expanding options with next-generation IL-23 and JAK inhibitors, combination strategies, personalized medicine, and microbiome or cell-based therapies. There are several factors to consider, and key details about eligibility, benefits and risks, and treat-to-target monitoring can affect your next steps. See below for the complete answer, including how to use drug level testing, whether newer agents fit your situation, and where to find active UC trials.

Thyroid problems are a common, fixable reason bipolar treatment stalls: low thyroid can prolong depression and blunt med response, high thyroid can mimic or fuel mania, and lithium can shift thyroid levels. The good news is that correcting thyroid imbalance often improves mood stability, energy, and how well treatments work. There are several factors to consider; ask for a full thyroid panel beyond TSH including Free T4, Free T3, and thyroid antibodies, recheck levels regularly if on mood stabilizers, and discuss monitored thyroid hormone augmentation and autoimmune screening, then see the complete steps and urgent red flags below.

If your bipolar treatment isn’t working, joining a bipolar biobank could be a meaningful next step that complements your care, allowing you to contribute samples and health data that drive precision medicine to improve diagnosis, predict medication response, and increase awareness of new research opportunities. There are several factors to consider, including privacy safeguards, informed consent, confirming the right diagnosis, and coordinating with your psychiatrist before any changes. See complete guidance below to help you choose the safest next steps.

UC symptoms returning after 6 months on Rinvoq can happen due to secondary loss of response, an underpowered maintenance dose, a true flare or infection, or lingering inflammation that was not fully healed. Key next steps are to track symptoms, contact your gastroenterologist early, and get stool and blood tests or a scope to decide whether to adjust the dose, add short-term rectal or oral steroids, or switch therapies; there are several factors to consider, and important details and red flags that could change your plan are outlined below.

There are several factors to consider; see below to understand more. Evidence suggests hyperbaric oxygen therapy may help some moderate to severe or steroid resistant UC flares by boosting tissue oxygen, reducing inflammation, and promoting mucosal healing, but it remains adjunctive, not first line or FDA approved for UC, and requires careful medical supervision due to risks and variable protocols. Key details on who might benefit, safety considerations, typical treatment courses, insurance and access, and when to seek urgent care are outlined below.

When UC remission is not happening, it often means inflammation is still active due to underpowered or losing-response medications, silent disease, infections or IBS/SIBO overlap, steroid dependence, or triggers like NSAIDs, stress, and poor sleep. New steps include a treat-to-target plan with objective testing, therapeutic drug monitoring, switching or combining biologics or newer small molecules, and surgical evaluation when needed. There are several factors to consider, and crucial details that could change your next steps are explained below.

Unexplained weight gain with a rounded face, central belly fat, a shoulder hump, thin arms and legs, skin changes, muscle weakness, and high blood pressure or blood sugar may signal Cushing’s syndrome, a rare but serious cortisol disorder that needs specific testing and targeted treatment. There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more about key red flags, common lookalikes, when to test, and expert next steps like reviewing steroid use, tracking symptoms, and asking your doctor about cortisol testing.

Blurred vision with a swollen optic nerve often means papilledema, a sign of high pressure in the skull that needs urgent care; watch for emergency signs like the worst headache, sudden vision loss, confusion, weakness, or seizures. Medically approved next steps are an urgent dilated eye exam, immediate brain imaging (MRI or CT) before a lumbar puncture, and treatment of the cause such as antibiotics for infection, blood thinners for clots, rapid blood pressure control, or IIH therapy including acetazolamide and weight loss. There are several factors to consider, and early treatment can prevent permanent vision loss; see complete details below.