Pentasa

Hi Everyone,

I was diagnosed last year with ulcerative colitis and have only known a brief time of remission after being on steroids which I would do anything to avoid going on again.

My medication has just been changed to Pentasa...(I have been using Asacol Suppositories) and have been having really bad stomach cramps, followed by urges to go but not being able to  ....in general feeling terrible most of the time. I also have blood in my stools and mostly my stools arnt normal.

I don't eat any red meat and try and stick to bland food.

Is there anyone using Pentasa that could tell me whether their body took a while to get used to it?

 

Hi Kate,

my son has been on 6 x pentasa tablets per day since he was 10 years old, he is now 15.  They changed him from 2 tablets three times a day to 3 tablets twice a day. He has never had a problem with them, even at the beginning.

At the same time he is also taking rectal meds, it used to be supp's but now he is taking salofalk foam, which has been reduced from every night to three times a week.

The general advice on here is to take meds from both ends. It seems to work for my son and for me and many others here.

Steve

Kate, welcome to the forum.

Do you know where your inflammation is?

I assume that you are taking Pentasa orally. This medication is active throughout the digestive tract and is usually prescribed for people who have inflammation above the colon. If your inflammation is limited to the distal colon (sigmoid colon and rectum), which is pretty typical for UC, then you should be on a different 5-ASA, and you should also be using rectal mesalamine enemas. I was glad to read that you had been on suppositories, but I don' understand why you were told to stop using them.

Rectal inflammation is very difficult if not impossible to treat with oral meds. You need rectal mesalamine.