Posted 10/20/2008 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
I've been taking Colazal since I was diagnosed in 2004. I take 3 pills, 3 times a day. It's simply a maintenance drug, which all Chronies (according to my GI) should be on at all times. Drugs like Colazal/Asacol merely help keep inflammation down in the intestines. I, personally, have Crohn's Colitis which means my CD is centralized in my large intestine...it's riddled with ulcers. So the Colazal keeps the ulcers less inflamed...but doesn't heal them.
However, I have certainly had sick spells and just this year a 7-month massive flare. That doesn't mean the Colazal isn't working, though, and I didn't go off of it during the flare. I've been told (for MY Crohn's anyway) I need to always stay on the maintenance drug (for me, it's Colazal because it's the first drug that made me feel better after being diagnosed) and then when I have problems (like flares that keep me in the bathroom every hour of the night) they'll put me on Prednisone for a short spell to see if that'll knock me out of the flare. This year, that's exactly what happened. I stayed on the Colazal, took a 5-week taper of Prednisone and I've been feeling much better since August.