Stop D without using prednisone

alright every time i start getting diarrhea/leaky gut and bleeding my doc will put me on pred again - 30mg taper

I wanna know how to stop it without pred because i really hateeeeee pred

INFO:

Male 21 y/o - Australia - Diagnosed - Ulcerative Colitis (March 2012)
Meds:
- Mezavant (Mesalamine) 4.8G Daily
- Imuran 150MG Daily

Probiotics - Vitamin D - L-glutamine (Just started trying L-glutamine)

Normal Diet

What is the Imuran doing for you? You are the second person I have seen lately on this forum taking Imuran who is now facing another round of pred due to a flare. The other person is taking 200mgs Imuran per day. I don't understand the purpose of taking the Imuran if it is obviously not working. At that kind of a dose you should be in remission from it. If not, it is my opinion that it is way too dangerous of a drug to take when it appears to be not working at all. I don't see any way out of the pred in your case unless you turn to biologics or surgery.

I agree with garylouisville that there's no point in taking Imuran ifit isnt doing anything for you; I disagree that biologics or surgery are your only options. Radical diet experimentation, trials of various supplements such as probiotics, multiple antibiotic therapy, and a host of alternative therapies from worms to fecal therapy are out there, and by the time you try a few of them, enough time will have gone by for the flare to burn itself out, as often occurs.

Veterans of this forum say the most effective methods to stop D and bleeding are prednisone and rectal meds such as mesalamine enemas. Despite what some doctors say, Rowasa enemas may work no matter what part of the colon is inflamed.

garylouisville said...
What is the Imuran doing for you? You are the second person I have seen lately on this forum taking Imuran who is now facing another round of pred due to a flare. The other person is taking 200mgs Imuran per day. I don't understand the purpose of taking the Imuran if it is obviously not working. At that kind of a dose you should be in remission from it. If not, it is my opinion that it is way too dangerous of a drug to take when it appears to be not working at all. I don't see any way out of the pred in your case unless you turn to biologics or surgery.

After the pred cycle, ill be find for a month with the imuran and mezevant...
Then the D creeps up, and all i feel that imuran is doing is stopping the urgency, my bowel movements right now are around 4-5 per day.. I never want to have surgery ! i'm only 21 stuff that. :(

Don't forget, we now have Uceris as a pred alternative now! At least in US, not sure where else it may be available.

also what is, biologics ??

garylouisville said...
What is the Imuran doing for you? You are the second person I have seen lately on this forum taking Imuran who is now facing another round of pred due to a flare. The other person is taking 200mgs Imuran per day. I don't understand the purpose of taking the Imuran if it is obviously not working. At that kind of a dose you should be in remission from it. If not, it is my opinion that it is way too dangerous of a drug to take when it appears to be not working at all. I don't see any way out of the pred in your case unless you turn to biologics or surgery.

Then what is your suggestion, Gary? Lets presume that Imuran is not working, you do not want a biologic. You have exhausted almost all possible modified diet options. You are using rectal meds. Only thing not tried is LDN and fecal transplant. Will you discontinue Imuran and go for LDN or fecal transplant?

I don't think from the symptoms already described, we are confident enough to conclude that Imuran is not working.

Have you tried any diet modifications?

i tried not eating bread aswell for a couple of weeks, no difference :( maybe i need to do it longer

Sami127-
Seems to me that your doctor has prescribed drugs that have, in my opinion, dangerous side effects (check out Imuran possible side effects).
My first GI tried to "push" prednisone which I refused. Have never used a steroid with the exception of enemas which caused me to have headaches.

My thoughts/suggestions:

You could start mesalamine enemas along with oral mesalamine, probably the safest way to take UC related drugs. Cortisteroid enemas are also available and are less dangerous than oral steroids like Pred.
There are different brands of oral mesalamine. I have found success with Colazal generic (balsalazide).

Make sure you are taking a good multi-strain probiotic.

As for diet, IMO you could start by eliminating lactose, gluten and sugar as much as possible. Benefits felt from this do not happen overnight. Stick with it for several weeks.
Some keep a food journal to identify foods that cause problems.
Since everyone is different, it's hard to say with any certainty which specific "diet" would work for you. It's kind of a trial and error process.

Biologics, IMHO, are something you want to avoid if possible.
I've known people who suffer from the long range side effects.
I prefer to go the natural route as much as possible.

Under the "Ulcerative Colitis Resources" thread, there are several posts that provide in depth info on meds, etc.
I suggest you take a look at the 11th post by InSoFla and another that discusses LDN. This is a drug without serious side effects that has helped many.

It took a long time for me to reach a level of comfort with my UC because I did not have resources like this forum. Read posts and keep an open mind. There's lots of good info here.

I, too, plan to avoid surgery.
I wish you the best in finding a way to deal.
IAS