Balsalazide?

Hello everyone, I'm new here.... I'm a 27-year-old female, and I had IBS for 10 years before beginning to bleed quite a bit this August. After being pretty pushy with my doctors, I finally got them to believe that it wasn't just from my IBS and I got a colonoscopy done in early November. This confirmed I have Ulcerative Proctitis. Since then, I was put on Canasa for 2 weeks with no changes, so, my doc switched me to Balsalazide (COLAZAL). I have been on it for 8 days, and I'm still not seeing any improvements. Has anyone else been on this before? How long do I give it before giving up on it?

Also, my doctor said I should be fine eating anything I'd like, but after reading through a few posts, it seems I should be avoiding some foods? My doctor literally gave me no information on Ulcerative Proctitis after telling me the diagnosis....

Hi LP

I'm not sure Balsalazide is going to do much for your proctitis, although it won't hurt if you haven't had any side effects so far. So keep taking it in the plan of "do everything safe you can to help".

I will suggest getting mesalamine enemas (RX needed) and using them in addition to the oral Balsalazide. That is much more direct, getting medicine right to the area. Canasa never did much for me whereas the enemas absolutely did.

Diet was one of the biggest reasons I finally reached remission. Shortest story (of several years figuring it out) is that my gut hates many things: insoluble fiber (in fibrous veggies, grain foods, popcorn, and hidden in many prepped foods. I've noticed a difference in reactions to "stimulant" type foods like coffee, chocolate, fruit juice which my gut also doesn't like but I do. Stimulant foods can cause a BM but these foods/drinks are not as heartily hated as the ones above. Fiber and scratchy foods cause bleeding for me if consumed overmuch. Stimulants don't cause bleeding.

Since you've been dealing with IBS you likely know some/all of your diet problems but UC puts a different spin on it.

Good luck with trying enemas. They take a bit of learning to retain them overnight and you should see improvement in couple weeks use. If your doc balks at RX'ing them find another doc.

Post Edited (imagardener2) : 11/30/2017 3:18:13 PM (GMT-7)

I've been on generic Balsalazide for ~4 years, generally with good results. The usual oral 5-ASA's stopped working for me (Asacol>Delzicol, Lialda, Pentasa...), but within a few months of starting Balsalazide and VSL#3 DS (no longer taking the probiotic) I was much better. But like others have said, proctitis really needs an enema or suppository; I've been taking a Canasa suppository every 3 days or so to keep tenesmus at bay.

Request stool samples asap.

What is NORMAL is to be put on full coverage mesalaminemof rectal AND oral. Colazal usually isn't a first choice since there are others, but it might be based on insurance coverage. Suppositories aren't enough treatment in my perspective, but a 4g enema should have been the very minimal first choice.

I suggest you get in to see another GI. As well for him to suggest Humira before enemas is weird. I have no other words of expression for the dork doctor that don't contain expletives.

Get another opinion by a doctor who will offer you much better basic treatment.

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