Mesalamine enema and D

Hello,

I started taking generic Rowasa and Canasa while I was still tapering off Prednisone earlier this month. When I added them both (Rowasa by night and Canasa by day) my residual symptoms all but went away.

Once I tapered off prednisone though, I have been seeing D with some pink mucus on the wipe in the mornings. I have tried a couple of nights without Rowasa and while the stool wasn't a 100% formed, it was a lot more solid than with Rowasa.

Has anyone noticed this type of thing with mesalamine enemas? Is it a necessary evil or is it reason to think about discontinuing? Canasa on the other hand gives me no issues at all.

PS. I also use 1tbsp of Metamucil per day to help with consistency.

I, too, have an "iffy" relationship with Rowasa.... I sure wish it worked for me as well as it does for some here!

I assume the stools are less formed the mornings after the Rowasa because the medication is not absorbed.... so some of what we're expelling is the Rowasa. So.... despite that we look for "formed stool" as a mark of success, after Rowasa I guess we shouldn't worry.

I do seem to bleed more after Rowasa.... as NSSG said, Canasa is worth a try, or maybe the Rowasa SF in case the sulfites in the regular are problematic?

These are questions I'm asking myself; I will see my GI in few weeks and will ask.

Yep, it's not unusual for Rowasa to prolong loose bms. I found that eating a serving of plain boiled white rice every evening with dinner helped to firm things up. Try not to get discouraged about this as long as blood, mucus, & urgency go away while you're using Rowasa; if so, the bms will eventually firm up for one reason or another. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)