HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Those taking colazal pls give input

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/20/2007 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Ok my gi put me on Colazal after years of taking Asacol with uc symtoms only to get worse.  Its day two and i thing im doing ok. My gut still hurts and i feel kinda weird.  Id like some input on others who take this med and how its worked for you.  Much thanks!

 

Posted 11/20/2007 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
When I first switched to Colazal I felt sort of weird too. Like I was walking in clouds and I also had increased D until my body became accustomed to it which was around 2 weeks. I will cross my fingers for you that this works!
Posted 11/20/2007 6:32 PM (GMT 0)
Red34
Thanks for the encouraging words. Ill continue to take it for two weeks and see how i do.
Posted 11/20/2007 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
Colazal has worked for me better than any of the older 5-ASA meds; it really gave me my life back! cool   Be sure to take it with food + drink plenty of water throughout the day-- so that it travels to your colon optimally. I started taking it during Phase 2 of NIH clinical trials, when the recommended daily dose was 9 capsules. This has since been lowered to 6 capsules daily, but there are members writing to this site who take the higher dose & seem to do well on it. Hopefully, you'll experience real improvement with fewer bms & more formed ones within a couple weeks, but it can take longer depending on the extent of your inflammation & symptoms. Good luck & take care. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily; seem to be back in remission) 

Posted 11/20/2007 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Old Hat. Cant wait to see if i go into remission!
Posted 11/21/2007 4:53 AM (GMT 0)
The only UC med I've been on is Colazal. And I guess I'm pretty happy with it. I don't have too many unexpected urgencies, which is good because I feel that would demoralize me. After reading the posts on here, I'm really happy to be on it and it works for me. (Not that I can't wait for the next generation of even *better* meds)

Good luck!
Posted 11/21/2007 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
Im starting to have alot of abdominal pain with the colazal. Will this pass if i keep taking it? Thanks.
Posted 11/21/2007 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
I had increased abdominal pain and D for the 2 weeks. But if it gets to be unbearable, please contact your doctor.
Posted 11/22/2007 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
Coloazal put me in remission. I switched GI's because mine was a worthless money grubbing idiot. My new GI put me on Colazal and pred. With in 1 week I had amazing results! I've been eating everything under the sun! Lots of chocolate, with no problems :-)   Finished the pred several weeks ago. It's been  life saver for me yeah yeah yeah
Posted 11/22/2007 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
I just started colazal too. If it doesn't work for me I'm out of options other than surgery. dumb allergies. So far (day 3) i've had some D when I'd been D free for 2 weeks. But since I've seen Red says it gets better after about 2 weeks, I'm definitely going to give this drug a full month before I make up my mind. (Unless of course i react the way i did to mesalamine) best of luck to you butterfly! I hope this drug works for both you and me :)
Posted 11/22/2007 4:54 AM (GMT 0)
I'll add my voice to the list of Pro-Colazal people.

This drug worked extremely well for me. Better then any of the other conventional ones and with far fewer side effects. I found I had a very bad reaction to the Mesalazine. Once I was off that and only taking the Colazal, things started getting better.

As for side effects, especially keeping D to a minimum, I found that taking it just before my first mouthfull of breakfast or dinner worked great.
Posted 11/22/2007 5:04 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for giving me hope.  I really tell a difference for the better and i am going to give it a try for at least two weeks.  I read that one of the reactions is it causes sleep problems, so im wondering if taking it at night is a bad idea.  Does anyone take it at night and have problems sleeping?  I want to wish my uc family a very Happy Thanksgiving! I thank God for you all!  God Bless! I pray we can all eat and be pain and symptom free and happy tomorrow!

Posted 11/22/2007 5:38 AM (GMT 0)
I take Colazal 3 times per day, including at about 9PM. I have no trouble sleeping, but I take a benadryl tablet every night and occasionally a melatonin. Please check with your doctor before taking any of those though
Posted 11/22/2007 8:09 AM (GMT 0)
Ok guys i have a confession to make, im only taking one colazal a day because im scared. It honestly makes me feel funny and gives me bad abdominal pain ! I see most of you are taking 6 to 9 a day. Should i just do it or should i slowly increase. My gi prescribed 3 tabs 3 times a day. I think that will really throw me for a loop! I gotta get better though. Did you all start on such high doses or gradually increase. Ive always been sensitive to meds so i get scared, especially after what the asacol did to me, i thought i was gonna die!
Posted 11/22/2007 11:54 AM (GMT 0)
It could be the mind/gut connection you are getting in regards to the abdominal pain. You are afraid of these meds (with good reason) so your nerves get the best of you in turn it causes you pain because our minds connect to our guts. 1 Colazal a day is doing nothing for you and the pain you are experiencing can be from either what I just mentioned or your flare. But I started out immediately on 9 a day but then again I was at 12 Asacol before that. If you want peace of mind about taking the med, yes you can slowly increase your dosages to see how your body is going to react. Better safe then sorry right?
Posted 11/22/2007 1:55 PM (GMT 0)

I just got off Asacol (12 x 400mg a day) and started on Colazal yesterday.

I've been prescribed quite a high dose of 12 a day (2 x 6) but I need to get back on track soon so I'm going with the required dosage.  I agree with Sherry that 1 Colazal should not have much of an effect on you.  However, if you feel that it is giving you pain then I would recommend having a discussion with your GI specialist soon as you also don't want to make things worse by not taking an adequate dosage to reduce or slow down the inflammation/flare-up.

Posted 11/22/2007 4:34 PM (GMT 0)
I just started Colazal and Canasa yesterday. I am currently tapering prednisone (17.5 mg/day) and have been having some blood in my stool and on the TP. GI doc thinks its some mild inflammation in the left side of my colon. My BMs (1-3 per day) have been soft and formed.

I took my first dose of Colazal last night at dinner and the Canasa at bedtime. I kept the canasa in until morning. However, I think I might be having a reaction to one or both of these. My first BM was soft and formed as usual, but I then had two more BMs an hour apart which were very loose. I would say D. I took my second dose of Colazal at breakfast. So far no other BMs in the last 3 hours. I want to continue with the meds in hopes of getting rid of the blood and off the pred.

Can I assume this is a normal reaction based on everyone's comments? Would you recommend sticking with the meds for a while? When should I be concerned and stop taking these or call the GI?

-----
UC April 2006
First flare May 2007 (hospital 28 days)
prednisone 17.5 mg/day (down from 40 mg/day)
Calcium + Vitamin D
Have been on SCD since 4 November, but considering going off due to weight loss (~7 pounds; 5'9" 142 lbs now!)
Posted 11/22/2007 4:54 PM (GMT 0)
Orangeman, yes continue on the meds unless you start having increased D and bleeding while on these meds. It takes the body a little while to be accustomed to it - I sort of say my colon is throwing a temper tantrum because I'm trying to make it go away! :) But if you start having severe abdominal pains, increased bleeding or D, fever, nausea - anything that is way out the norm then you should call your GI.
Posted 11/22/2007 5:58 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Red! I am going to continue unless things change for the worse. So far, I have not had another BM (4.5 hrs) and am doing OK. I just took kids out for an hour to play in the snow (we received about an 1-2 inches last night and this morning, home is about 35 miles norht of Chicago). Only one of my five kids had ever seen snow. We moved here from Hawaii last July.

I'll keep you posted.

One other question. Do you think the Colazal or Canasa is more likely to cause the increased d?

thanks again!
Posted 11/22/2007 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Ok i took another at bedtime lastnite and one again this morning and so far so good. I got 90 and the bottle says 3 tabs daily, so i guess im take 3 aday. I will take another at lunch and at dinner. If all goes well ill take three at one time tomorrow. Your all right if i want to get better i need to get rid of the fear and follow my gi's and my forum familys advice. I was taking 12 tabs a day of Asacol and got oh so sick. I can already tell this med is better. Thanks again!
Posted 11/22/2007 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
The rx bottle says 3tabs once a day so ill try that tomorrow.
Posted 11/25/2007 4:26 AM (GMT 0)
I started off with 3 tabs 3 times daily and other than some D i've had no side effects so far. And It seems to be working pretty well; only 3 bms a day now! yay! It is a pain to remember to take them at lunch though. I've never had pills i needed to take 3 times a day so i keep forgetting about them when i go to work, so i'm just gonna throw one of the 3 huge pill bottles I got in my purse and leave it there =P
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply