Asacol Help

My GI started me on sulfasalazine and had to stop due to sever heartburn nothing would stop the burn. I then went to 1 Asacol HD 800mg 3x a day. I was on it for 30 days as I was trying to just get through the side effects, but as time went on my stomach cramps, heartburn and burning tongue got worse to the point that I was feeling worse than the actual disease.

I stopped taking it 4 days ago on my doctors advice and I am still having all of the side effects. I called the nurses line but they really aren't giving me much except for it's heartburn. I have had heartburn in the past but never like I am experiencing now. My stomach is cramping and burning really bad even after I take something for heartburn. Has anyone had this before on Asacol and if so how long until it stops?

Thank you Graciegirl for your reply...I guess I am unusual I do tend to be drug sensitive, hopefully I will recover soon and find another alternative.

Those are some odd side effects, not sure these are from asacol hd; thinking not at all related. The asacol hd pills do not disolve until they hit the large intestine. The have a ph-activated, delayed release coating. As such, the throat and stomach should not be effected.

If you are convinced they are, try a higher class of uc medication such as immunosuppressive meds (imuran or 6mp).

Does pentasa have few side effects? I was on mesalamine 8 years ago, I guess it was the version that the drug maker stopped making due to their patent expiring, and didn't have any side effects at all. My doc told me nothing really changed in the "new drug", it was changed only because the company didn't want to lose any revenue, but boy does my body disagree. Every time I took the 800mg Asacol my I would feel like something really foul was coming up my esophagus and it progressed into intense stomach cramps and heartburn. I do take Zantac because I get heartburn on occasion, and I even went to using a proton pump inhibitor to help my tummy. I have asked for the enema form but my doc says I have mild inflammation about 50cm up my left side and they wont reach (along with moderate rectal inflammation).

I am having trouble understanding where 50cm is so hopefully when I go for a 2nd opinion the new doc will be better at explaining it. When I look at an anatomy picture it shows 50 cm to be in the descending colon but my doc says it is past the splenic flexure (sp?). He also told my my colon was 80 cm long??? I don't know how that is possible unless I have a really short colon which I think I would have known before now.

Thank you all for replying although I was diagnosed 8 years ago and then they changed it to colitis caused by NSAIDS I find all this so confusing.

Post Edited (rosieginger) : 11/24/2014 12:30:10 PM (GMT-7)