HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

OOPS! I think I've tapered Rowasa too quickly...now what?

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/7/2009 12:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

You can see in my siggy my Rowasa info...and I just went to every 3rd night....now I have mucus 'pebbles' and the annoying low in the rectum discomfort.

My question is...do I go back to every night for awhile or every other? I was doing great on every other and wish I hadn't gone to every 3rd so quickly. I'm doing one tonight FOR SURE!

I hope I've not messed up my chances of these continuing to work for me!

Thanks for any input. I appreciate you guys!
Posted 12/7/2009 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think there'd be any harm in going back to every night for a while...

You are in a hurry to get off them?

I started them on 9/8 and my doc thinks I shouldn't taper until after the New Year dur to the amount of stress, both physical and emotional, I'm going through at the moment - and then he says not to be in a hurry, there's no problem being on them.
Posted 12/7/2009 1:27 PM (GMT 0)
No, it's not that I'm in a hurry to be off them, but I am just trying to figure my body out...good luck I know! :-)

I really felt it was time to taper to every other night and I was doing great! And I felt they were actually causing some discomfort to use every night...I felt my body was telling me to taper, if that makes any sense. But I think I might've jumped the gun on going to every 3rd night...a little too confident if you know what I mean.

I'm thinking I'll go back to every night for awhile...maybe esp since during the holidays there's more going on...plus more heavy food than normal...not that I'm going wild with eating but yeah, it's there so I eat more than ususal.

So you've been on nightly since Sept? But what the doc says makes sense about stress and all, plus the holidays. I did nightly for a month then started my taper. When I taper again I'll def. stay on every other night longer!
Posted 12/7/2009 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
I am familiar with the feeling of "my body says it's time to taper."
So, if you backtrack a bit and then taper more slowly, you should regain any ground you've lost - or at least that's my experience.
Sounds like there's still some inflammation in there, though hopefully minimal - so your gut needs the meds awhile more.
These 5 ASA enemas are so very safe (according to my doc), we shouldn't worry about needing them awhile more.

Holiday times bring not only different and richer foods, but a change in schedules, what with different kinds of busy-ness, and I find the "change in schedule" stress - physical stress of changing my sleep patterns - affects me as much as anything else. Even the fun things, because they are "different," are experienced as "stress" by the body.
Posted 12/7/2009 4:14 PM (GMT 0)
You're supposed to taper off Rowasa? I just quit it cold turkey about 2-3 weeks ago and was on it nightly since October and I'm doing fine. We're your stools normal when you got off them?
Posted 12/7/2009 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
Maybe try every other night for a week and see how you do...you'll know if you need to go back up to every night!

bebushka, no, you don't have to taper rowasa like you do prednisone, in terms of causing harm to your body if you don't. However, it can help to keep symptoms from creeping back in if you taper. Also, many of us are choosing to stay on rowasa at a maintenance dose...I've chosen to stay at twice weekly, as research shows that those who use enemas twice weekly in addition to oral meds stay in remission longer than those who only use oral meds.
Posted 12/7/2009 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
I think many of us "taper" the Rowasa as a way of tiptoeing into stopping it (or at least cutting down to the 2xweek maintenance) :-)
Posted 12/7/2009 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
I'd go back to nightly. Every second night will be a waste of time. Do that for another week or two and then every second night if things are normal again.

Been there many times.


You could also increase the Critical care to 2 nightly.



How much Metamucil?
quincy
Posted 12/7/2009 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all, thanks for the replies.

I think I will go back to nightly for a bit and see what's up. I'm the kind who wants to stop this in it's tracks I think...instead of easing back to every other night. Then I'll taper slower. This is so frustrating in the beginning...urk!

I actually stopped the Metamucil as an experiment...it seemed to make my BMs less solid. I have not been taking it for 2 weeks. I guess I should go back on it huh?
Posted 12/7/2009 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Metamucil is really more of a food than a med, so why go off it?

Those few days in the 23 years that I have gone without it, my poos have been less formed and less comfortable..... So, for myself, I'm happily on it for the duration.
Posted 12/8/2009 1:46 AM (GMT 0)
Oh, I know the Metamucil is just fiber but my BMs just didn't seem as solid with it. But perhaps I was just not as far out into remission either.

I was planning on starting it back b/c my BMs were getting too hard, and I was getting a hemi anyway.

I started on the wafers, do you do the power or pills or wafers and do you think it makes any difference?
Posted 12/8/2009 5:47 AM (GMT 0)
The wafers are psyllium (was corrected by Eva Lou..thankfully) but also have oat hull...if you can take oats with no discomfort, then go for it.

I personally do not like the wafers at all, and I wouldn't take oat fibre on a daily basis...just because of the discomfort.

I've done well on the Metamucil caps. Whatever you take, is good, and there are options at least if one is more preferable.

Besides....your probiotics will work better with the fibre in your gut....the fibre is called prebiotic.

The too hard stools right there says low in the rectum inflammation...not yet ready to taper. The fibre helps....

You'll get it that you cannot hurry your butt.

THE BUTT RULES!!!!! nasty truth.

q
Posted 12/8/2009 12:23 PM (GMT 0)
Yep, I'll be back on the Metamucil today...I suppose I just wasn't used to the 'fluffiness' of BMs with fiber.

And I'll be back to every night with the Rowasa for a week or two...then I will stay at every other night longer. I was feeling almost perfect on every other night...was so great!! Plus the holidays and all that...I should've known not to taper so quickly near a major event! lol!
Posted 12/8/2009 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting reading from you folks. I suppose I'll taper Rowasa this time. Last time cold turkey didn't cause any problems, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry!
Posted 12/8/2009 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
The deal with tapering is that you find a maintenance dosage that works for you. The goal isn't necessarily to get off the meds. Of course, some can.

Low/very mild inflammation most times doesn't produce symptoms, so while we think all is fine (and while in an "up emotional state" of being busy or stressed or excited, the adrenaline usually takes care of some of those symptoms. Then one day, whammo, like it came out of the blue. It doesn't, it's just that some symptoms aren't readily recognised except when we look back and say "oh, well I was a bit constipated or had a bit of discomfort while having a bm....etc.

The 5ASA meds do serve a purpose and if you can use them with no side effects, tapering to a maintenance of to the very least once a week, that could go a long way in keeping inflammation down for a long time.

The tapering process to some is a pain, but it's usually because they want to get off the meds and feel they shouldn't be on them like it's a failure. But the process to me means that everything is going as planned.

Perspective .

q
Posted 12/8/2009 7:59 PM (GMT 0)
calm.....you can adjust the fibre to get to a consistency that you like.....I would suggest you take it with food, however.

REgarding tapering during busy times/holidays, etc....yeah, with the added energy one has to expend with the added stress of commitments, etc...problems may not present until after the excitement, etc....it's best to be one step ahead instead of hoping all stays well..lol.

Been there done that many times. Butt meds can definitely be a positive and if you need them, if you can use them, if they help, that's a good thing. If the butt's happy, the mind is happy too..lol!

q
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply