6MP not working, Pred - pills/foam enema?

A quick bit of waffle to set the scene, and then a query.

After 11 weeks on the Mercaptopurine it looks like I will be taken off it next week. The GI is awaiting the results of blood tests, which will apparently show if I should be seeing a benefit by now (I'm not), and decide based on that whether to increase the dose, or take me off it altogether. He seems to be of the opinion I should really have seen huge improvement by now if it was going to work.

Either way, I'm going to ask for a prescription for Prednisolone Foam Enema, which is the only thing I know so far that will relieve the flare symptoms within a week or so guaranteed. Obviously being a corticosteroid, I can't stay on it long term, but it does provide short term relief, which I really need over December.

I've only ever taken it in foam enema form (20mg), my GI has never even mentioned taking Prednisone in pill form, has anyone got any experience of both, and could say what if any difference there was in terms of time to show improvement and so on (I appreciate everyone's different, but it's good to have a notion)?

Thats interesting the re: foam. The last time I was on it, when I put the prescription request in at the doctor's surgery, the doctor called me about it and wasn't happy about it at all. They're not likely to be as well versed in the specific medications as an actual GI, and probably just saw the term corticosteroid. I'm definitely going to request it from the GI, it's hard to gauge what his response will be, but we'll see.

I'll certainly ask re: the alluporinol depending on what the blood test results say.

The constant blood tests are no fun are they? I could really do without them. Especially now as for the 2nd time I think they've damaged the vein, which will require a non steroidal anti-imflammatory like Ibuprofen to sort out.

Best of luck going forward 

I have actually. Summer 2013, after a sigmoidoscopy, I was put on 1g of Mesalamine enema. It was Asacol at first, and then that seemed to stop being available, and so on to Pentasa. Both did have some impact, and helped alleviate symptoms to some extent, but never resulted in full remission.  My GI was never very enthusiastic about it actually, really doesn't seem to like long term use of rectal meds, and I have no idea why. Thats the only thing that makes me think he might react negatively to my request for Prednisolone.