What is the best mesalamine (oral) for left sided colitis?

nightside of eden

Veteran Member

Joined : Sep 2009

Posts : 552

Posted 10/22/2010 8:01 PM (GMT 0)

been on asacol for while, and i really don't think it does anything? what would be a better alternative to ask for next week when I go to the doctor?

Selly

Regular Member

Joined : Jun 2010

Posts : 48

Posted 10/22/2010 10:29 PM (GMT 0)

I've been on Colazal and I have seen improvements since being diagnosed.

Peace&Harmony

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Joined : Jul 2010

Posts : 1155

Posted 10/22/2010 11:20 PM (GMT 0)

Here's a great link that list lots of treatments. I wa salso told Colazal is a good choice.

http://www.medicinenet.com/ulcerative_colitis/page4.htm

Old Hat

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Joined : Feb 2007

Posts : 6012

Posted 10/23/2010 1:20 AM (GMT 0)

Asacol didn't help me, either. Colazal was my break-through med in 2003. Beware of the generic (balsalazide disodium), though, because it has caused problems for some of us who do well on the brandname. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)

songlady

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Joined : Aug 2009

Posts : 3840

Posted 10/23/2010 1:24 AM (GMT 0)

I have taken these great amounts of Asacol for years (16 pills a day for the last 8) and was thinking I might try something else, maybe Colazal.......but at my scoping the other day the GI found three Asacol pills cuddles in nooks and crannies of my colon, so.... maybe it's doing fine.
So darned hard to tell!

quincy

Elite Member

Joined : May 2003

Posts : 33769

Posted 10/23/2010 3:33 AM (GMT 0)

Determine left-sided for me...because if yours isn't up the descending or part of it, it's not left-sided.

The use of oral/rectal 5ASA is pretty much the standard, and no one oral 5ASA (whether it's deemed better for left-seded or not) will treat the rectum.

We don't have Colazal in Canada.....the choices are Asacol and Pentasa and I think Dipentum.

I don't think there's an actual left-sided oral...since they all are dispursed at the start of the colon for sure.

q

weevil

Regular Member

Joined : May 2010

Posts : 73

Posted 10/23/2010 4:00 AM (GMT 0)

I've found that Lialda works better than Asacol.

Lialda combined with nightly Rowasa seems to be the key to getting me into remission.

journey2health

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Joined : Oct 2009

Posts : 2885

Posted 10/23/2010 4:14 AM (GMT 0)

I sometimes wonder if Asacol really does anything. But I'm not going to test it out.

calm-on-the-outside

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Joined : Aug 2009

Posts : 832

Posted 10/23/2010 6:21 PM (GMT 0)

I wonder about Asacol too...I wonder if I'd stay the same just on the Rowasa...my UC doesn't reach my decending colon...just to my sigmoid. But, I too am too scared to test that...if it ain't broke...lol

quincy

Elite Member

Joined : May 2003

Posts : 33769

Posted 10/23/2010 6:39 PM (GMT 0)

I'd never consider to go off the asacol, but I'm on a fairly low dosage of 6 daily.

Remember, UC can spread upward, all it takes is a small area that's not touched by the enemas....

As well, there is strong belief that it protects the colon from cancer....again, a good thing.

I know how much it helps...22+ years, and I plan on staying on it forever unless it's discontinued...OMG!

q

weevil

Regular Member

Joined : May 2010

Posts : 73

Posted 10/28/2010 2:36 AM (GMT 0)

Asacol definitely "does something" for me - I know this because any time I tried to wean myself off of it and got below a certain dosage, the symptoms would start to come back (same goes for Lialda).

journey2health

Veteran Member

Joined : Oct 2009

Posts : 2885

Posted 10/28/2010 2:56 AM (GMT 0)

I have not a clue what asacol does for me. Wish I could be certain it did something. I did get inflamed while taking it so just not sure. It's like a security blanket.

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