Quiz: How Well Is Your Crohn’s Treatment Working?

There are two main treatment goals for Crohn’s disease: reducing inflammation in the digestive tract and easing physical symptoms, ultimately in the hopes of helping you achieve remission.

Ideally, you’d have few to no symptoms and an endoscopy would show “no evidence of active disease,” says Reezwana Chowdhury, MD, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Even though there are many treatment options for Crohn’s, there’s a good chance you may have to change the dosage or switch medications at some point. Certain medications may lose their effectiveness over time, or your needs may change as Crohn’s progresses.

Take this quiz to see how well the medication you’re currently on is working and whether it might be time to talk to your doctor about making a change.

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Additional Sources

Fact Sheet: Arthritis and Joint Pain. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. January 2015.
Fact Sheet: Biologics. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. December 2025.
Bouri S et al. How Quickly Do Inflammatory Bowel Medications Really Work? Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. January 2019.
Extraintestinal Complications of IBD. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
Fact Sheet: Eye Complications. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. January 2015.
Cleveland NK. How Can You Tell If Your IBD Is Getting Worse? The University of Chicago Medicine. March 23, 2023.
IBD and Fatigue. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
Fact Sheet: Immunomodulators. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. October 2018.
Bergantino P et al. Managing Flares and IBD Symptoms. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. June 2019.
Medication Options for Crohn’s Disease. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
Fact Sheet: Skin Complications. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. January 2015.
Talking With Your Doctor or Health Care Provider. National Institutes of Health. March 4, 2025.
Treatment for Crohn’s Disease. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. July 2024.
DeBourcy T et al. Understanding IBD Medications and Side Effects. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. July 2020.

Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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Erin Coakley

Author

Erin guides editorial direction and content for custom projects. Before joining Everyday Health, she was associate editor at dLife, an online resource for people managing diabetes. Erin majored in English with a minor in psychology at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. Outside of work she enjoys reading, going to concerts, traveling, and working out. She recently did 867 pushups in an hour to help send children with serious illnesses to camp.

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How Well Is Crohn’s Treatment Working for You?

Question 1

How long have you been on the Crohn’s medication you’re currently taking?