Mesalamine reaction?

Hi, I started taking Canasa two times per day (totaling 2000 mg/day) 11 days ago and the past three days I am up to probably 10 bm per day (usually 5 bm/day) and pretty much all D. I feel awful. I am thinking it may be a reaction to Canasa or my disease is progressing. Last summer I had a reaction to Rowasa (facial swelling and giant hives all over my body). I felt so bad today that I stopped Canasa and Asacol (I normally take 4800 mg/day). I want to stop Mesalamines for a while.

Those of you who cannot tolerate Canasa, what was your reaction?

I am emailing my doctor tonight about this, but I feel I may have hit a wall with Mesalamines. I have also had a rash on my arms and legs the past month which my allergist is attributing to environmental allergies. We are keeping it under control using two antihistamines plus zantac twice per day. SOOOO sick of taking pills!!!!

Luv2Jump said...
I have been on Canasa (Salkofalk) for a year and a half and Salofalk enemas for the past 6 months. My symptoms got progressively worse to the point where I was in the bathroom every hour and I had a lot of bleeding and cramping. I was stepping up the meds and things kept getting worse. All of a sudden it dawned on me that I was getting worse because of the meds. So I stopped all mesalamine and within two days I saw a marked improvement. Within four days I had a formed poop. I've been off mesalamine for 6 days and I am almost normal. I have slight blood and mucous but nothing like I had when I was on the meds. I'm amazed at how quickly I improved getting off mesalamine.

I'm confused here. You were on mesalamine meds and you were getting worse, you stopped the meds now you are better?! And where does UC plays into this?

What did you switch to when you stopped the mesalamines?

Madpotter said...
What did you switch to when you stopped the mesalamines?

I had some hydrocortisone supps, I started taking those twice a day and I'm still seeing dramatic improvement. I called my doc a couple days ago, he's putting me on cortenema. I'll start that in the next day or two. By choice I've only been on rectal meds so I don't have to replace any oral meds.

Madpotter said...
I hope Cortenema works for you. I also had an allergic reaction to that one - chest tightness and shortness of breath. That was the first supp I used before doc switched me to Rowasa. I have not seen any results from oral meds so far...I take 4800 mg of Asacol and it seems excessive for not really doing much....

I hope it works for me too.  If it doesn't I'm not sure what I'll do.  Keep us posted on what your doc says. I'd like to know what he (she) is going to put you on if you can't take mesalamine or steroids.

I cannot tolerate mesalamines and that sounds just like my reaction. I actually switched to Rowasa last night because they thought that if it wasn't going through my entire system it wouldn't effect me the same way as the Lialda. Yeah...I was up from 1am on in the bathroom with incredible cramping, nausea, diarrhea and blood. Guess I'll be calling my GI again this am! It usually takes about 2.5 days for the meds to clear my system and get me feeling better. Yuck.

Has anyone been able to tolerate mesalamines for a short period of time and then later have a bad reaction or was it always cut and dry and they did not work?