Question about smoking....

I am just curious as to how many of you have either smoked cigarettes currently, in the past or were exposed to
it growing up & what effects you think it has had/has on your u/c.

I smoked as a teenager and a bit in my mid 20s. My parents both smoked.

I think my mom had UC, but her symptoms were masked because of her smoking. The urgency and bleeding wasn't just what she ate and "piles".

My UC symptoms didn't happen until about 10 years after my last cigarette.

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I've read smoking reduces symptoms but they flare again when you quit. Smoking NOT recommended though - I tried using nicotine patches and you know? I reckon they helped take the edge off my flare. Mayo clinic says the patches give short term relief also.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ulcerative-colitis/DS00598/DSECTION=treatments%2Dand%2Ddrugs

I quit smoking in 1996. I was diagnosed with UC in 2001.

I've never smoked and my parents have never smoked, so I don't think smoking has anything to do with my UC. As for it controlling symptoms, it seems to only make a difference if you smoked before you developed UC...it doesn't seem to work if you start smoking for the first time after diagnosis.

It is possible I would have gotten UC even if I did not ever smoke. No one in my family that I know of has it. My doctor once mentioned possibly treating me with nicotine patches but I told him I did not want anything to do with it. It was too big of a hurdle for me to quit knowing what I was up against. I don't need to take a step backwards. It would be interesting to know some statistics on the relationship between smoking and UC.

I was diagnosed with proctitis in 1997 (as a smoker) and smoked until June 2006.  Right away symptoms got worse and was diagnosed with UC in Aug 2006....  The patches didn't help me though - and I refuse to start smoking again!

My dad was a smoker (he has psoriasis, not that that has anything to do with smoking-but I think he is the genetic link for me with UC) until I was at about age 8? Mom never smoked.

I picked up smoking in college, and smoked off and on (still do sometimes) after that. My UC started up after the birth of my second child and a lot of antibiotic use. But it was also a time period that I was not smoking-and I had been smoking prior to getting pregnant with her. (we never smoke around the kids though-we go outside in the evenings after they are in bed and before our nightly showers) So who knows if it was a contributing factor.

Since then, I have not seen any difference in my UC because of my smoking habits. But I have gotten to a point now where I can't stomach a cig unless I have a glass of wine or something along with it, and I think that the wine is no help at all.

My name is David and this is my story:
I got stricken with UC within 6 mo. of quitting smoking, back in 1986. I had no idea that smoking had anything to do with it until I started to smoke again in 1992 and noticed my gut issues eased remarkably. I looked it up and realized that smoking eases UC and IBS for some. I quit again, flared, started to smoke again in 95, quit again, etc. My best experience was being in a flare in 2002, and having to go spend 2 weeks abroad for work. I picked up a pack at the airport and within the first day was normal. I have a firm belief, based on the evidence, that smoking would make me symptom free. I only refrain from smoking due to the social stigma, a nonsmoking workplace (an entire nonsmoking college campus), and a partner who is firmly anti. Having the odd cig now and then might help but I find if I do not maintain a certain level of smoking continually, they make me feel nauseous, light headed, screwed up. Patches, gum, and snus have no effect like cigs for my guts. My brother suffers from duodenal ulcers after quitting, and my father had massive gastritis and stomach ulcers after quitting.

Hi,

I smoked for about 14 years, I gave up in mid 2004, was diagnosed with UC in early 2006. I have had symptoms and flare ups almost constantly since that time.

I was using 4g Salofalk enemas daily, two 2g sachets of Pentasa Granules a day. I was on varying doses of Pred constantly for 3 years, and came off them in early December 2009 on Dr's orders after my bones began to thin.

I had read a lot about Nicotene and UC, so decided to try smoking again, I didn't want to, because I actually hate smoking, but within three days I had no bleeding, and within a week, had no symptoms of UC at all, it has been a month now, I haven't used an Enema in two weeks, and my bowel movements are 100% normal, no urgency, well formed, twice a day, no bleeding.

I haven't felt this normal in years!!

They have just released Nicotene tablets that dissolve under you tongue, so I'm going to give them a try over the next month (that would eliminate actually smoking) and the harmfull cancer causing chemicals contained in them.

I know Nicotene hasn't worked for everyone in the studies that have been done, but given my previous history being a smoker, and the results I have had. I defintley think there is a link.

I also think having smoked, I would notice any side effects less than someone who has never been exposed to nicotene, so I'm going to stick with it for now.  Of course all the studies so far have shown that Nicotene can be effective in relieving a flare up, but there is no real evidence yet that long term use will prevent further flair ups.

But I have a family history of UC and all the while I smoked I never had any symptoms of the disease, and now I'm having nicotene again its seems to have gone away, I'm living in hope.

I'm not condoning smoking, it is a filthy habit, it smells, and causes cancer, but now you can get Nicotene products, which although addictive, Nicotene as a drug is pretty harmless stimulant, and if it can lessen or rid you of the hideous symptoms of UC I say give it a go.

You make notice I do still take one 2g sachet of Pentasa a day, as my Specialist said to continue even if I have no symptoms, as it has been shown to reduce the risk of developing bowl cancer.

Hope this helps.

Boy-from-Oz said...

Hi,

I smoked for about 14 years, I gave up in mid 2004, was diagnosed with UC in early 2006. I have had symptoms and flare ups almost constantly since that time.

I was using 4g Salofalk enemas daily, two 2g sachets of Pentasa Granules a day. I was on varying doses of Pred constantly for 3 years, and came off them in early December 2009 on Dr's orders after my bones began to thin.

I had read a lot about Nicotene and UC, so decided to try smoking again, I didn't want to, because I actually hate smoking, but within three days I had no bleeding, and within a week, had no symptoms of UC at all, it has been a month now, I haven't used an Enema in two weeks, and my bowel movements are 100% normal, no urgency, well formed, twice a day, no bleeding.

I haven't felt this normal in years!!

They have just released Nicotene tablets that dissolve under you tongue, so I'm going to give them a try over the next month (that would eliminate actually smoking) and the harmfull cancer causing chemicals contained in them.

I know Nicotene hasn't worked for everyone in the studies that have been done, but given my previous history being a smoker, and the results I have had. I defintley think there is a link.

I also think having smoked, I would notice any side effects less than someone who has never been exposed to nicotene, so I'm going to stick with it for now.  Of course all the studies so far have shown that Nicotene can be effective in relieving a flare up, but there is no real evidence yet that long term use will prevent further flair ups.

But I have a family history of UC and all the while I smoked I never had any symptoms of the disease, and now I'm having nicotene again its seems to have gone away, I'm living in hope.

I'm not condoning smoking, it is a filthy habit, it smells, and causes cancer, but now you can get Nicotene products, which although addictive, Nicotene as a drug is pretty harmless stimulant, and if it can lessen or rid you of the hideous symptoms of UC I say give it a go.

You make notice I do still take one 2g sachet of Pentasa a day, as my Specialist said to continue even if I have no symptoms, as it has been shown to reduce the risk of developing bowl cancer.

Hope this helps.

I truly hope this works for you!  Although it's my understanding that it's the carbon monoxide in the smoke and NOT the nicotine that relieves the colitis (see the link on my post above). 

My experience has been much the same as yours.  Patches, lozenges and gum have been of no help to me.   

My grandfather smoked. He died of a heart attack due to smoking at the age of 50. His doctor warned him, but he didn't listen.

I think that one of the reasons that this disease is so confusing is that there are multiple causative factors involved. One of the factors seems to be CO from cigarettes, another seems to be long term nicotine withdrawal, and there are obviously others that are less well understood. One size doesn’t fit all.

That being said, I stopped smoking after a lifetime of heavy tobacco use in march of 2002, but continued to use the gum for a while. When my teeth couldn’t handle chewing gum any more I switched to Commit lozenges and continued sucking on those until 2005. In 2007 I was diagnosed with UC during a routine c-scope, although I had symptoms prior to that which I mistakenly attributed to hemorrhoids. I learned from reading this forum that there was a connection between UC and nicotine use, so I followed the cookie crumbs and discovered the studies that had been done on the subject. It was discovered that people who augmented normal treatment methods (Prednisone, 6MP, 5ASA etc.) with nicotine (the studies used patches) had about twice the remission rate than those who did not.

At the time I was in a rather severe flare, and 60 mg/day prednisone therapy was ineffective for more than a month. Since I fit the profile of having stopped taking nicotine 1 to 4 years prior to onset of UC, I decided to try an experiment, and began sucking on the Commits again. I started out at 12 mg (3 lozenges) per day, and saw an immediate reduction of symptoms by about half. After a week I doubled my nicotine intake and immediately achieved remission. That was in September, and I have been in remission since. I am also re-addicted to nicotine. The good news is that the non-tobacco nicotine delivery systems work for me, and I don’t need to inhale all the other poisons that come with tobacco use.

I finished tapering from the pred on Christmas day, and the side effects are either gone or going, but I contracted steroid induced diabetes, and have been controlling my blood glucose levels (BGL) with metFormin. The problem with metFormin is that its side effects include gastric distress, diarrhea, flatulence, etc. which mask any symptoms of UC flare relapse. My PCP says that the diabetes will resolve after a couple of months of being steroid free, but when I check the resources on the internet it says “usually, but not always”. Since I have been “pre-diabetic” for years, there is a chance that mine will not resolve. I am checking my BGL twice a day praying that it will come down, but it still remains at low diabetic levels despite the metFormin.