Has anyone found a medication that actually works for them long-term?

Sort of a question, sort of an ask of support. I was diagnosed with UC at 18 (I'm now nearly 23) and have been on 3 different medications so far, and with each came the same cycle despite them all being very different from each other. The cycle looks like this:

  • I start the medication- I'm excited and ready to get treatment for my symptoms and I react very well and within a month I'm seeing no symptoms in my daily life whatsoever.

  • 6 or so months go by and I encounter some kind of bad stressor- I'm a college student who has dealt with a lot of personal complicated stuff over the past few years and stress always gets my symptoms to bubble up and stay promenint for a while.

  • I get ahold of some things and I feel better for a couple more months.

  • I hit a year of my treatment on X medication and no amount of redosing, schedule changes, diet change, or loading doses do me any good- even on the days after I get my infusion or shot. I talk to my GI and go to the next medication she reccomends. (& repeat lol)

I have personally loved being on Entyvio for the past year as when I started I felt so immediately better I thought it would last forever, but clearly either my stress is so high my 2nd round of loading doses are doing nothing, or I'm just failing the med. I'm lucky enough where my symptoms don't ever hospitalize me or put me in so much pain I have to miss work or class, but it's enough to be painful, frustrating, and obviously bad for my health. I have a backup stash of prednisone that I take when I'm really fed up and just need relief for the day, but of course I cannot rely on that forever. My GI is very understanding and kind when discussing medication changes, but I always want to be heard by others who have to deal with this and I am always met with so much love and support from yall when I'm having a hard time.

(I also don't solely rely on medication for treatment, I do not consume dairy, red meat, or any meat most days. I mostly cook meals myself and have experimented with cutting out sodas and coffee with mixed results. Medication is always the main treatment that actually gets me to remission.)

I know I'm in this battle for life, but I would like these remissions to last a few years as opposed to just under one!

Please share your experiences wherever applicable, I appreciate all of the frequent users here and any advice that can be given ♥️