HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Quit taking meds and now in remission

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/22/2008 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
Ten months ago I started weaning off my Asacol, five months ago I quit taking all my meds: Asacol and Protonix.    I have been in remission since yeah   I am not on a special diet and the only thing that does affect me is Pizza (only when eating it too often)  I have been under A LOT of stress since March and do not believe that stress contributes to flares.  Have the meds kept me from going into remission the last 2 Years?

 

Posted 6/22/2008 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
many have found remission without meds.

I had a 5 yr remission without taking any meds. However, when i started to have symptoms and went to my GI i found that my UC had gone from moderate left side to severe pancolitis. Had i been on asacol during remission it is likely that my UC would not have grown in location and severity.

Also asacol and such are used not just as mantanience but help prevent cancer. And as we know those with UC are at a higher risk for colon cancer.

I don't think the meds kept you from remission. The colon can take a long time to heal.

Good luck with remission!
Posted 6/22/2008 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
They help prevent cancer because they keep the inflammation down, so if you had no inflammation without meds that would be doing the same thing.

KL - How bad were you flaring before you started to wean off your meds? How long after you weaned off did you go into remission?
Posted 6/22/2008 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
Ulcerative colitis is a disease of flares and remissions. Completely unmedicated, about 10% of people will have one flare and never hear from our friend UC again. Others will have varying duration remissions, and a the remainder will never go into remission. With medications, 80% of people can maintain a satisfactory remission the majority of the time and live a normal life. about 20% will end up having surgery.

That's what makes it so hard for us to know what really works. Is this remission due to something I did, ate or took, or is it just a natural remission I would have had anyway?

I'm glad you're in remission and hope you stay there forever. Only time will tell.
Posted 6/22/2008 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, this question is for Judy.  You seem to know a lot about the statistics.  I do plan on staying on asacol if it continues to work, etc.  I was wondering if you knew what percentage of people with ulcerative proctitis on meds can stay in remission forever.  lol.....Can you tell I have wishful thinking?  But seriously, deep down I am so scared of what my future holds.  Any insight is helpful.  Bellski

Posted 6/22/2008 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't seen those numbers, I suspect they're small as most of us do have some break-through flaring from time to time with 5-ASA's. Often those are just brief episodes quickly brought into remission with a short course of steroids. There are people here who have had five or ten year remissions with Asacol, which is pretty good. I'm sure there are some who never have flares also, but then I guess they wouldn't be here.

One of the problems with collecting data on how long remissions last is that when you look at a large number of people, you really don't know who is compliant with their medications and who isn't. We're well known for stopping our medications because we feel better or haven't had a flare for a long time. Most people don't necessarily admit that (my doc doesn't really quite know that I almost never take my mid-day dose of Colazal), so it's hard to get accurate numbers.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply