Asacol. Does anyone find it does anything?

I've been on it for years.  Take it during a flare, it does nothing. Take it during remission, it does nothing to keep me in remission, as I eventually come out of it while still on it.

It doesn't make me feel any better, it deosn't help the symptoms, and yet I am putting this drug in me and paying for it all the time for what?

Anyone else come to this conclusion?

Even this on the website sounds confusing.

Why is Asacol prescribed?

Asacol is used as a maintenance drug--it is helpful in retaining a remission but not in supressing a flare-up. It is typically, but not always, used for ulcerative colitis and ulcerative proctitis. The reason why Asacol helps to treat intestinal inflammation is still poorly understood.

Joylu:

This is a very common finding.  Asacol didn't do much for me.  My colitis spread throughout my colon and got really bad all while on Asacol.  I had to jump to Imuran and that has really helped me.  So to answer your question, yes it's common to find out that Asacol by itself often doesn't cut it.  I was taking 9-12 pills a day and I was bleeding like a stuck pig.  My GI doc looked at my picutures of my colon over the years and said Asacol wasn't touching my UC.  The Imuran actually allowed my colon to heal and become normal.

MyUC

I took it for years, high dose at the end, and never saw any improvement in symptoms or condition.
But then the pills that followed-6mp, Balsalazide, Entocort, were the same, no improvement.
I wonder what % of people actually have improvement on each drug? Is there info anywhere on this?
Surely some agency is keeping track.

I have been on Asacol for years (12/day) untill recently.  Because of insurance problems, I quit taking it.  I have to say, I always questioned how effective it was. 

It's probably one of those things that work for some but not all. 

When I was first diagnosed with UC, I was put on Asacol. I had been having horrible bloody diarrhea for two weeks previously. The second I put any food in my mouth, I would have to run to the bathroom. So I was basically eating one teeny meal a day. The day after I took my first round of Asacol, the blood, urgency and diarrhea stopped completely, and I was able to eat basically normally.

I really didn't know anything about UC and its treatment at that point, and now I realize how wonderfully, unrealistically insane my practically instantaneous reaction to Asacol was. I took Asacol for about five years without a real flare. Unfortunately, I was found to have a low white-cell count, and the hematologist took me off Asacol under suspicion that it might have caused it (apparently it's listed as a rare possible side effect), and my GI switched me to Rowasa enemas. That worked fine for about three years, but I recently had my first real flare since diagnosis, so I've added Canasa and have been slowly working my way back to normal.

My white-cell count has gone up some, but it's still on the low/low end of normal range. So I doubt it was actually caused by the Asacol, though my GI wants to err on the side of caution by my not taking it (he's skeptical, too). However, if the Rowasa/Canasa combo doesn't work, we've decided I'd go back on Asacol with lots of blood monitoring.

Asacol is my enemy! I just cannot tolerate it. At first, it seemed to be working, but after a few days, it caused horrible urgency. Urgency to the point of pooping my pants frequently. It was absolutely awful, and worse than my symptoms of UC. So, I quit taking it, and all other forms of Mesalamine (except for the enemas, which I find extremely helpful).

So, no, I don't think it did anything for me except make me feel worse!

Hope this helps! Good luck.

I came to the same conclusion and stopped it many years ago.