asacol???

hi i am on asacol twice daily and predfoam twice daily.. i have been suffering the last few days and was woundering has anybody ever taken more asacol as they shud. i read the medication leaflet i got with this and it says 2 be taken 6 times aday, but my gp has only put me on 2 aday. I have tried to get hold of my gp to ask can i up the dose as im in horredous pain at the min but he HA HASNT GOT BACK TO ME,  I DONT FANCY A WEEKEND WITH THIS PAIN. can anyone help? shall i take a few more under the 6 aday as the leaflet says.... i cant deal with this pain at the min.

I would check with your doctor before changing anything. Different doses are given to different people; 6 pills/day were given to me when I was diagnosed, and when I started to flare I went to 9 pills/day.

hi thanks 4 the advice, the thing is my gp is USELESS, im on 400mg 2 times aday.. my gps advice is "you should be fine" arrgghhh i wish he had a day to deal with this and then see how he feels. Was just think ing if i got bad again this weekend i cant see taking one or 2 more as being dangerous as people take up to 6 400mg a day.

Hello Memmie,
I have just got better ! But like you was on predfoam twice a day and asacol 6/day. I was on 6/day for4 months -- as I got better I started to get headaches and dropped to 5 now 4. For 13 years I was in remission and took 3/day every day in that time as a preventative. Asacol suited me but they do not suit everyone -- I thought that with our similar doses of both that it might prove useful to know. I am afraid that GP's are sometimes at a loss to know and since I have had it over 30 years that I have got to know my body and usually tell the docs. what I know. Also useful is watch the diet -- look up my/ other comments on this site and the UK site for info from other sufferers. Many years ago I used to take a very old fashioned preparation called Indian Brandee -- this helped with the cramps, and also peppermint oil in a powder form. Good healing

Listen to Qunicy, she is one smart whipper-snapper, with lots of experience with this disease. I don't think I've ever seen her be at a loss for useful suggestions. Of course, she isn't really a doctor, she just plays one on TV! lol Doesn't mean she isn't a great reference though.

If you are trying to get a flare under control, you really should have your doc increase the Asacol dosage. And if your doc is as useless as you claim, time to find a new doc. Is he a PCP, GP, or GI specialist? If not a GI guy, it might be time to find one. I've had one GP I felt comfortable enough with to allow him to treat my UC, but when I moved, my new PCP immediately sent me to a GI specialist. The quality of care I'm receiving now is so much better than anything I've gotten before.

My doc is even going to bat for me against the Prometheus laboratories, because they performed the wrong blood test, but still charged me for it. My doc is thinking he'll be able to get them to accept a minimum payment for the wrong test, plus the follow up test that determined that I had neither UC or Crohn's, as well as getting a follow up test for the UC/Crohn's differentiation exam. Almost $1,000 dollars of bloodwork for a mere $180. I hope he can pull it off. Otherwise I'm stuck with another bill for $400, plus my most recent c-scope bill. That was performed after the Prometheus test said I didn't have UC or Crohn's.

Sorry, I got a little off topic there. When I was on Asacol, I started on 6 tabs a day for maintenance, but was increased to 9 tabs pretty quickly...and remember that was for maintenance and not to get me in remission. If your doc is ducking your calls, or if the office staff just aren't passing messages along, the only way to get what you want is to make a pest of yourself. Much of our treatment involves us sticking up for ourselves and letting the doctor know what we expect from him/her, and also letting them know when meds aren't doing what they are supposed to do.

Stick with it and you'll get what you need one way or another. Don't be afraid to ask for a referal to a specialist either. You are your own best advocate, and if you don't let your doc know what is going on and that you need some help, he/she will assume you are responding to treatment as prescribed. Even if you've been with this doc for years, if he/she is UC clueless, find someone who isn't. This doesn't mean break off with the old doc, but just let them know you need more personalized care. Odds are good they'll be relieved that they won't have to keep trying to treat something they don't have much experience with.

LOL Heather - Whippersnapper is american slang for a young smart person. I had no idea that it was an actual word in a dictionary with such an unflattering definition.

Memmie, regarding the Asacol. If you feel that your pain has increased since starting it. Stop it! It could be that you are intolerant to it, maybe even allergic. You need to get to a specialist and not rely on a GP. As mentioned, GP's only have basic knowledge while a GI knows the ins and outs of this DD. Some people just can't tolerate the mesalamines (I am one of them) but have no trouble with Colazal. Either way, call your doctor up and explain the situation or better yet - see a GI or even another doctor if you feel this one is not to your liking.

Brandon...I know how you meant it, and I truly thank you...just playing! 

H