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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/20/2011 2:59 AM (GMT 0)

Hey guys!

I was put on Lialda about a week ago for abdominal pain which I believe is the start of a flare.  The past 2 days have been pretty bad - going to the bathroom multiple times and horrible cramping.  Although my rectal symptoms seem to be under control with the Canasa. 

I've heard some mixed reviews of Lialda and was wondering if anyone has had success with it?  Could it make my symptoms worse?

Thanks!

Posted 5/20/2011 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
how much lialda?

q
Posted 5/20/2011 10:15 AM (GMT 0)
I was on Lialda and surprisingly it worked fine for awhile but half way through my use I had to be put back onto Prednisone.

Also I started to lose gobs of my hair, handfuls were coming out at a time. Whether it was from my medicine or my condition my Doctor decided to put me on a different medication. I'm actually doing better on what I've currently been taking then any other medication they've put me on, Including the Prednisone!

on that note its always different for different people. Lialda worked for a little while, but like the Asacal I had to revert back to using Prednisone. >_<
Posted 5/20/2011 11:35 AM (GMT 0)
Lialda didn't work for me.
Posted 5/20/2011 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
lialda is a 5ASA med much like many others available - the difference being it is meant as a once a day option instead of several doses a day . I've been on it for about 3 years (canadian version called Mezavant) works fine for me i think. Did notice more gassyness then asacol especially at first, and did still have a flare (no drug offeres a guarantee.... ) but over all- no big issues.
Did have some hair loss issues to but that was in mid- of flare .... had been on drug for a long time already.
Posted 5/20/2011 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
It did mitigate my initial flare in Jan 2010, but seemed to be less effective after about 6 months. Kicked in over about 2 weeks and I improved Jan-Mar. But, summer and fall were difficult. I am still taking 3.6 g/day but have had to supplement with several courses of PRednisone, and have also added 6mp - not the jury is still out on whether that is helping.
Posted 5/20/2011 5:42 PM (GMT 0)

quincy said...
how much lialda?

q

I'm taking 2 pills a day.

Posted 5/20/2011 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
Looks like I'll just keep on it for a while - although the hair loss side effect is a little scary for me.
Posted 5/20/2011 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
Lialda put me in remission. This is my drug of choice, unfortunately, I had to switch to sulfasalazine for my arthritis
Posted 5/21/2011 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
Lialda put me in the hospital. All the mesalamine drugs give me bad cramps and runs. My colon was totally messed up by them. According to the Mayo Clinic some people have an allergic reaction to them which makes the uc much worse. My doctor refused to believe it at first but after seeing what it did to me he now listens to me when I tell him I can't take most meds. Unfortunately that's why I always end up on prednisone.
Posted 5/21/2011 6:02 AM (GMT 0)

jaygee8 said...
Lialda put me in the hospital. All the mesalamine drugs give me bad cramps and runs. My colon was totally messed up by them. According to the Mayo Clinic some people have an allergic reaction to them which makes the uc much worse. My doctor refused to believe it at first but after seeing what it did to me he now listens to me when I tell him I can't take most meds. Unfortunately that's why I always end up on prednisone.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm so confused though, how do you know its the Lialda and not the flare itself causing cramping?  How did you come to this conclusion?

Posted 5/21/2011 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
I knew it was the lialda giving me the cramps because I stopped taking them for a week and all the pain subsided. I went back on them for a week and the pain came right back. I did this twice. The pains started in the upper abdomen and ended up in the colon. If you check the brochure that comes with the mesalamine drugs, that's a classic symptom. I walked around holding my stomach. It was awful.
Posted 5/23/2011 2:07 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on Lialda for several years and it has worked well for me in conjunction with Cimzia. I haven't had any hair loss or side effects from it.
Posted 5/23/2011 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on Lialda for a year and a half.  At first, I thought it got me out of my 'at that time' worst flare of my life.  But it really just relieved me of the extreme urgency, cramping and diarrhea.  I still had blood and mucus everyday.  I also occasionally found whole pills in my stool.  This past January, my UC came back full force.  Seemingly everyday, I found 3-4 of the Lialda in my stool.  And it's not just that I saw the pills there, but they still were completely covered in their thin maroon shell.  I.e. I was receiving no benefit.

I kept taking the Lialda up until two weeks ago.  Even with the nightly Canasa it is doing nothing for me.  My symptoms have not changed since I stopped.  I am in a full-blown flare.

Posted 5/23/2011 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
I'm doing great on Lialda
Posted 5/23/2011 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
I have not had much luck on Lialda even at increased dose, I think for me that Asacol worked better.
Posted 5/23/2011 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
I started Lialda around 3 months ago. When I went into my first major flare at that time I was put on Entocort for 3 weeks as well as Lialda and continued with Canasa. So I can't say for sure what helped but I am doing well on the Lialda. My GI did say the Lialda can take 4-6 weeks to really take effect.

 

Posted 5/30/2011 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
Lialda is working well for me (on it for 2 weeks) Ive been in remission for 4 years (with no meds) but my pregnancy caused a severe flare up. I had a colonoscopy at 11 weeks pregnant and it revealed UC in my entire colon. Normally it's just the lower portion of my colon and Rowasa enemas worked well in the past. By the way colozal has never worked for me.

Anyway, the doctor prescribed 4 Lialda per day. I take them every 4-6 hours and it works well. The only side effect is severe headaches but it may be my pregnancy too. I'm currently 13 weeks pregnant and the doctor said Lialda is safe for me. It costs me $221 (60 pills) every 2 weeks.
Posted 5/30/2011 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
I've been put on Lialda about 5 weeks ago, with Predn, because of the big-time flare up. Still tapering Predn, tomorrow will strat the final week 5mgs. So far so good, even with the 10mgs dose I have no UC symptoms. Before, Colazal, which is in the same group, worked well for me. This time my GI put me on Lialda because my colitis spread for the almost whole colon :-(
I've already notice the hair lose, but it was similar on Colazal. But I keep an eye on that.
Anyway, there are some issues I want to discuss with my GI when I'm back (for the next 3 months I'm in Poland visiting family). On the official Lialda website I read about possible side effects on kidneys and liver - I should have checked them before I was put on Lialda. Kidneys - as I have history of "sand". Liver - never had any issues. But for the last few weeks on predn and lialda I have a flank pain (posted about it before) and keep wandering why.
Posted 5/30/2011 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
I did not do well on Lialda. It worsened my symptoms- bleeding and mucus- and caused me to get spasms, acid reflux, and very bad rashes. I have scars now on my hands and face from the itching. I'd itch until they bled! Just be very careful and listen to your body.
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