Don't be scammed by "guaranteed" BD treatments

Think of all the prescription meds that are available to treat Behcet's -- Imuran, methotrexate, Enbrel, Remicade, cyclosporine, Humira, prednisone, colchicine, Trental...it's a long list, and getting longer every year. No matter which of these medications has been prescribed by your doctor(s), though, how many of these drugs are actually guaranteed to end your BD? None.

As it stands right now, there are no prescription drugs on the market that will cure Behcet's disease. Many of them will make you feel better, and one or two may even put you in remission for a while. A cure, though, is still out of reach -- and most of us know it.

Unfortunately, some people are ready and willing to scam BD patients who are desperate to get well. I've fallen into that desperation trap myself, really wanting to think that a particular product will make me feel better. I've spent my money, tried the product (in this case, a fortified protein drink) and believed that it would help. It seemed to work for a while (the placebo response is still alive and well), but in a few weeks, I was back where I started: still sick, and with less money in my pocket.

There's actually a point to all of this. You've probably seen online ads over the last few months for the following products:

• Behctin
• Behcotab
• Cobirex

All of them are advertised as guaranteed, money-back-if-not-satisfied cures for Behcet's. It only takes 60 (or 90) days of these pills to supposedly solve your Behcet's problem for good.

When I first saw the ads for Behcotab 18 months ago, I wrote to the company and explained the Behcet's work that I do. I asked for a copy of the "proven" clinical research results, which the ad said would be available "soon." When I didn't receive a reply after a month, I wrote again. Still no response. A year and a half later, the Behcotab website still says that "a clinical study will soon be posted here," but I'm not holding my breath. The only change to the website has been a drastic drop in the price of the tablets. In April 2007, the company asked patients to buy the 3-month guaranteed cure at a price of $230 per month. Now the price is $79.99 per month.

It's still too much. Don't fall for it.