has anyone had any long-term success with Pentasa alone?

Hi .I have been on pentasa for the last 5 years,prior to that on salazopyrin,(similar drug just more side effects)for 10 years.I have crohns in the large bowel and terminal ileum. I have only used pentasa as maintenance therapy never in a flare, then it is pred for me.I personally don't think pentasa is the right treatment for me as i'm in a flare at the moment and tapering off the pred and as luck would have it i'm restarting my pentasa tomorrow.But then i'm not on the dosage you are on ,usually 4 pills a day,off and on i have been on 6 pills a day,but then i find the side effects especially the headaches unbearable.My dr is not keen to try something else since pentasa keeps me in a "technical" remission.It is sad when the dr relies more on the paper work in front of them than what the patient is telling them.
I know someone with small intestine involvement, and he is on pentasa as well,and doing well,so there is no hard and fast rules for everyone.
If i could tolerate a higher dose of pentasa i'm sure that my symptoms in remission will be less

I took it about 8 years with success then I did have problems after though and am now on Imuran, but for a start it worked good on me for a decent term.

My mom has been on Pentasa as her only maintance drug for probably 15 years. She stared taking it when it first was approved for CD. Before that her only help was Predinsone.

Welllllll, it depends on what kind of remission we're talking about. I had excellent results w/JUST Pentasa keeping me in at least "symptomatic remission" for some 7 years or so. But ... is symptomatic remission "enough". I do obviously respond well to it. But since 2003 I've needed Imuran to "help" the Pentasa. On the other hand I quit Pentasa for 6-7 months and was sloppy about taking it maybe 3-4 months prior to that. Oooopsie! Symptoms returned, not bad, but enough to convince me to get "religious" w/my Pentasa again - and its working (along w/the Imuran). They seem to have formed a partnership that I NEED.

I have CD of the terminal ileum. I was diagnosed and also had a bowel resection about the same time. I was obstructed and had probably had CD undiagnosed for 20 years.
So I have had 12 inches of TI removed and I also take 8 500 mg Pentasa a day ( 4g/day total). I have been taking this now for 12 years and have been doing fine. I do have occassional flares but watch my diet at that time and after a week or so I'm fine again.

When I have been lazy over the years and not taken all 8 a day I get sick. So I now behave and take them all.

I feel that the Pentasa works well for me and I have never taken any other meds to control the CD.

Post Edited (gobnaitt) : 7/12/2008 8:37:53 AM (GMT-6)

hello everyone..I am new to this forum. I have had Crohn's since 1972, yes I am old, and I have had just about every complication, surgery and all known treatments known. Currently, I am on Pentasa, 4 GMs a day. and it seems to be keeping me in remission. My last bowel obstruction was in January and it has been decided that I will no longer be able to use prednisone . Since I am off the steroids, my blood sugars are normal and I am now off metformin and actos.
All good.....But, I am not without issues. I have arthritis and I think fibromyalgia. I am not tired all the time but I seem to have much tenderness at all of the trigger points that are the symptoms of this problem. Is it true that Crohn's patients often develope arthritis and.or fibromyalgia?

I used pred and then entocort plus pentasa to get into remission. I also used diet.
Now I take 3 x 500 per day. The pentasa and the diet thing works for me.

For me this is a very interesting thread. On other threads I read all that time that pentasa does not work. It is nice for me to read all the pentasa success stories. Thanks for asking the question
Dave