HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Smoking Option

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/18/2013 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hello there, I was diagnosed with pancolitis 3 plus years ago. Luckily for the first 2 years i was relatively symptom free but starting this january I have been in a flare I cannot seem to get out of. I took a 2 month round of prednisone and my usual 4 Lialda pills per day but ust cannot seem to get better. I was a smoker but only for 3 years (this was about 10 years ago). I was wondering if anyone had any experience with starting to smoke after this long and did it help with your UC symtoms. This is the last thing I want to do but it seems the lesser of two evils when compared to the immuno-modulators and biologics.

Any advice? if I knew for sure 3-4 cigs a day would put me in remission I would do it in a heartbeat but if I have to smoke a pack a day than its just not worth the health risks
Posted 9/18/2013 2:45 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not a smoker but there have been several here who started smoking again (some with ecigs) and got back into remission. Most were able to achieve good results by just smoking a small amount per day, assuming that they didn't move back up to a pack a day through habit. I am really against all the evils of smoking, especially to combat disease (How's that for logic?), but I must agree with you that the evils of smoking small amounts can't be much worse than the evils of UC drugs, not to mention actually achieving remission (if you can). Many of these UC drugs fail after a limited time and I see a lot of people here who are doing these Immunemodulators and Biologics and still not achieving a complete remission. They do have their success stories though so you really have to weigh a lot of things in deciding UC treatments.
Posted 9/18/2013 3:21 AM (GMT 0)
thanks for the reply......what I am also wondering is if any non-smokers have started smoking for the first time with UC and had any success?
Posted 9/18/2013 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
I have heard of that happening but I don't think that is very common. You may want to use the site's search feature as there have been several threads in the past regarding these things.
Posted 9/18/2013 6:52 AM (GMT 0)
    My signature pretty well says it all.  Complete remission for over three years now with one mild, very short lived flare (about two weeks).  I too had to weigh the odds between biologics and smoking.  I'm smoking about a dozen a day.  I've heard of other UC sufferers who smoke less than six with success.

    On a side note, wait till you see the looks on peoples faces when you tell them that you smoke to keep an auto-immune disease in remission.:)

 

Posted 9/18/2013 7:38 AM (GMT 0)

jgerma01 said...
This is the last thing I want to do but it seems the lesser of two evils when compared to the immuno-modulators and biologics.


You can live without your colon but not without your lung.
Posted 9/18/2013 8:54 AM (GMT 0)

Andrina said...

jgerma01 said...
This is the last thing I want to do but it seems the lesser of two evils when compared to the immuno-modulators and biologics.


You can live without your colon but not without your lung.

Give it a break!  As I say, it's a tough decision.  Smoking has given me a life back.  As a UC sufferer you of all people should understand this!  This board has been through this discussion too many times! 

Posted 9/18/2013 12:28 PM (GMT 0)

jgerma01 said...
Any advice? if I knew for sure 3-4 cigs a day would put me in remission I would do it in a heartbeat but if I have to smoke a pack a day than its just not worth the health risks

The health risk is still there whether you smoke 4 cigs a day or 40. Have you ever smoked before? I have.....believe me, it's not worth it.
Posted 9/18/2013 12:29 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a non-smoker who tried both nicotine patch (doctor agreed) and e-cig's. No improvement. Nicotine patch (lowest dose) made me sick as a dog.
Posted 9/18/2013 12:38 PM (GMT 0)
I was a life-long non-smoker and tried nicotine patches and even some smoking, on two separate occasions. Didnt help me at all and actually increased urgency, while giving me headaches, vivid nightmares and a racing pulse. I was just hoping to induce a remission at the time- had it "worked" I wouldnt have kept it up for good given the side effects. Even patches without smoking greatly increases the risk of a heart attack as it spikes your blood pressure up. (i dont know about ecigs but I assume so too). But When no meds work and one refuses to consider surgery (as I did for ages) one tries anything. Nicotine and smoking seem to work best on former lifelong smokers, I gather.
Posted 9/18/2013 5:29 PM (GMT 0)
I have never smoked one cigarette in my life and think that the habbit is not only disgusting but rife with health risks. However, I can totally empathize with anyone who wants to smoke a few cigs a day to keep UC at bay. Either side can quote all kinds of statistics to back up their thoughts on the subject. Many can belittle the side effects of UC drugs and try claiming that smoking guarantees health problems but the truth is there are those who smoke for decades and decades with little to no health conditions and some live long and farily healthy lives never having any serious health consequences. Statistics can be quoted to death on either side of the issue but the only thing that really matters is how these UC drugs effect you or how smoking effects you. My best advice with both is to find the lowest dose that helps your UC and try your best to keep it at the lowest dose possible. I would probably recommend agaisn't smoking if the habit overcomes you to the point where you are smoking a pack or more per day, whether it be habbit or needing that much to fight UC off.

I also think we need more research in this area as we might be able to explain the nuts and bolts of UC and the nuts and bolts of why smoking helps those with UC. This could lead to a less dangerous way of treating UC overall than what we are currently doing.

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply