entocort and side effects/anemic

A suggestion: look into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet if you find your disease is affected by what you eat. The lack of energy takes some time to resolve, and it depends upon the origins of the lack of energy- it can range from B12 deficiency to megaloblastic anemia, and everything in between. Most likely, you will need to get to the point where your intestinal mucosa has healed to the point where it can once again absorb more nutrients than it "lets go," as well as grow new red blood cells with those new nutrients.

Sleep is good, as is nutrition; if you can tolerate them, animal proteins with heme iron (steak, eggs, liver) are very good. Iron supplements should NOT come from salts (iron oxide, iron sulfate), but should be chelated- ideally, they too would come from heme iron, but I can't make any specific recommendations as I've not perused the labels recently. The "wrong" choices of iron will cause pain; food sources have always been safe for me.

Like Ankylos suggested, heme iron is the best type of iron to take because it'll interfere the least with your digestion. I took Proferrin (a type of heme iron) with no side effects, and I can't tolerate other iron pills. I have suggested it to others here who are unable to take other iron pills (such as Rider Fan), who have also had success. It is expensive though, it costs about $80 a month. Unfortunately, other than taking iron pills or getting iron shots, it's quite difficult to get energy. I'm severely anemic as well so I feel your pain. If I'm tired, I really try to get in a 2-hour nap after work so that I have enough energy to make it through the evening. Proteins are the best foods for energy, but even then, until you're feeling better, you may have a difficult time absorbing your nutrients anyway so you may have limited success. A lot of people here have B12 deficiencies, not sure if you do or not. I don't, personally, so I can't offer much advice there.

One thing though, coffee most likely isn't the best thing to drink. I would stay away from it if at all possible. If I'm going out for coffee with friends, I just get decaf now and have no problems. Some coffee shops also brew their coffee ridiculously strong which makes the effects that much worse. Coffee stimulates your intestines, so it makes a lot of sense that it would bother you. Last time I had a coffee, I ended up throwing up to the point where I blacked out. Basically, since then I've stopped drinking it, haha. I would also stay away from energy drinks. I actually don't have trouble with soft drinks anymore, but the carbonation does upset my stomach a bit on bad days.

I've been on Entocort as well for 11 months now. Good luck :)

Wow, My Rbc count was at 7 and they got it up to 8. It's still very low. Nobody understands me. I feel like people think im just not interested when i am in my clinical rotations. Well, I'm gonna have to look up the heme iron. I have no clue what it is. I"m hoping the entocort helps me. I'm so against medication but i don't want this to get worse. Bread and rice upset my stomach, is that even normal. I just have soup for dinner, and lunch. Oh and my lovely ensure drinks. Along with perishable fruit drinks. I wanna eat, but the thought of it scares me. As I type i hear my stomach rumbling, not of hunger, I just ate. I tried some turkey for protein with nothing else and it's affecting me!!!! I"m so frusturated.......

well my flare ups are pretty severe. Severe abdominal pain, nausea, diarreah, and vomitting. They don't happen often but when it does i land in the hospital. I just have D today. They did a catscan and no obstruction. Just inflammation. I'm on Pentasa twice a day, Entecort 3 times a day. I just hate the tiredness...... It takes a toll on my body and i honestly just wanna sleep all day. That's all i think about. And on the weekends i make sure i get 13 to 14 hours of sleep... No lie I"m a pro!

jessaccount22 -

I hope the Entocort does the trick for you. Just one quibble -- three times a day? It is supposed to be taken all at once, in the morning. This is not simply a matter of opinion-this is what the manufacturer has recommended. A total of three pills, or 9mg a day, taken all at once. With or without food.

Some of your anemia might resolve if the meds help enough, but for the time being you should probably take supplements - Solgar's "Gentle Iron" or any supplement with iron bisglycinate or iron chelate. My daughter has been taking them for years with no side effects, except lower zinc, which we fixed (through trial and error) by having her taken no more than 10 units of zinc, with a meal, two hours after she has taken at least 50 mg iron. 

Especially for a pre-menopausal woman, it is nearly impossible to get enough iron from any food or cereal EXCEPT liver.   

Which usually means supplements are a must. And, because all foods, meds, and other supplements interfere with iron absorption, the iron needs to be taken only with OJ, at least two hours before and two hours after having any meal, supplement, or med. Taking it in a multivitamin is nearly useless.

Most docs are clueless about how to supplement, especially when Crohn's has to be taken into consideration. 

If it hasn't been done before, have your zinc and B12 checked, and vitamin D 25 hydroxy, as Crohn's patients are often deficient in all three. Folate could be low, too, especially if you are taking Pentasa.  Low B12 can certainly contribute to fatigue, and you need to have the right mix of zinc, folic acid, and B vitamins for your body to be able to fully utilize the iron. Our bodies are pretty complex, where a deficiency in one area impacts other areas.    

i think the entocort is working. I blame myself for drinking a cup of coffee. I'm going to make an appt. with doctor to check everything. Iron, b-12, folic acid and zinc. I'm exhausted right now. Feeling better with the tummy, but the tiredness doesn't go away. Thanks for the advice. It has helped. I'm heading to the doctors soon with a list:)

I understand the fatigue and am going through it myself right now (for the #rd time ion 5 years) My Iron last year was also 6 but got it up in about 4 weeks by taking iron ferrous glucconate. I've no idea what kind of iron it is but it worked for me. ANKYLOS I'm sure you said something very interesting but I didn't understand a word of it. Could you please explain in plain language for those of us without a degree?