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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/13/2011 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there,

I'm heading to my new GI on Thursday because I'm flaring and natural remedies aren't cutting it. My main problem is urgency and frequency. I'm going 6-7 times a day with a lot of urgency and accidents. I'm not bleeding, really, and I'm not gassy. I'm not even in pain, really. I just have incredible urgency. What drug(s) would you all recommend given my situation? I want to go to my doc armed with more info.

Any advice appreciated...
Posted 12/13/2011 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
I'm thinking w/ the urgency and accidents, that the rectal area is inflamed. I vote for rectal meds to help w/ this. Initially Rowasa or Canasa would be the first choice and if not than steroid supp, foam or enema. I also wonder if they will want to put you on an oral ASA since you have left sided UC.
Posted 12/13/2011 11:50 PM (GMT 0)

hateuc said...
I'm thinking w/ the urgency and accidents, that the rectal area is inflamed. I vote for rectal meds to help w/ this. Initially Rowasa or Canasa would be the first choice and if not than steroid supp, foam or enema. I also wonder if they will want to put you on an oral ASA since you have left sided UC.

I agree 100%

Carlie
Posted 12/13/2011 11:54 PM (GMT 0)
Sicktree,

Yes I agree too: Rectal meds.

But if you have D, you can try L-Glutamine powder (about a teaspoon) in a little water - on an empty stomach and it will probably help greatly with the D and urgency as well.

Posted 12/14/2011 1:29 AM (GMT 0)
Natural remedies have never cut it for me unfortuantely, I wish they did. I agree with the others, mesalamine, oral and rectal. If you can get by with just rectal, that would be great. Some of us require oral and rectal. Have you tried any rx medication?
Posted 12/14/2011 5:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much for the advice! Do you think I'll need to do prednisone too, or just the mesalamine?

I've only take prednisone. I've never taken mesalamine or any other drug. So I'm scared, honestly. It's funny, since I took whipworms all summer as part of a clinical trial, you'd think I wouldn't be afraid of the prescription drugs, but the side effects have me worried. It has to be better than pooping my pants though. :)
Posted 12/14/2011 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
You state left sided UC....you're meaning some or all involvement of the descending colon?

You should at the VERY LEAST be on oral and rectal 5ASA meds.

Your fears are your own, regarding side effects. i have my own of anything other than the 5ASA that I've used for almost 23 years and I have had an excellent quality of life regarding UC.

Personally...I'll never take prednisone, so you've surpassed MY fear.

It's your own decision, but I don't get why you'd scoff at the very basic meds. Pred side effects are far worse...what I'd never want to experience, actually.

q
Posted 12/14/2011 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
It is possible that you will just need mesalamine and nothing else. I was able to pull out of a moderate-severe flare up with Asacol and Canasa. The remission lasted about a year. How did you do on the worms?
Posted 12/15/2011 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
Cool, that's good to hear. The worms were amazing, after an initial adjustment period. I would go back on them in a heartbeat, but they're $1000 a month and the type I was on are somewhat hard to acquire. Hopefully they'll get FDA approval in the next several years.

And Quincy, I was only on Prednisone for a month. I was very, very, very, sick after the birth of my daughter and didn't really have a choice.
Posted 12/15/2011 4:12 PM (GMT 0)
When was your most recent full colonoscopy (not a doctors office scope IOW)? If it's been a while then you should consider updating it to make sure of where your active inflammation is. Rx meds are designed to dissolve in different parts of the gut depending on where your inflammation is located. So it wouldn't serve you well to be taking a medication that isn't going where it's needed.

I have left-sided UC also and have used Asacol in the past with little improvement. I've been taking Balsalazide (generic Colazal) for the last 2 years instead. I can't say it's better than Asacol but I have no side effects.

Add my vote to add mesalamine retention enemas right away every night until improvement is seen. They work much better for me than suppositories and just take some getting used to in the beginning. A learning curve plus an "I'd rather take a pill instead" curve. They really work
Posted 12/15/2011 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the feedback Sicktree. I hope the worms get approval too. That's an exciting option!!

When are you going to see your GI?
Posted 12/16/2011 6:21 AM (GMT 0)
I went to my GI today and he said he wants to do a sigmoidoscopy first before he prescribes anything, since it's been almost five years since my colonoscopy. So...we'll see on Monday.

The worms are pretty amazing. There should be some more clinical trials happening soon. If I hear anything, I'll definitely post them here.
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