Sara14-- Online citation RE use of steroid enemas

Last week you asked me to recommend a source you could show your gastro at next appointment. Suggest you have a look at v. 4 of Salix Pharmaceuticals IBD patient newsletter on their Website.   It was written by a leading subspecialist gastro (Kornbluth at Mt. Sinai in NYC) who provides a chart listing what meds are commonly used for different degrees of inflammation. He put rectal corticosteroids in the box for "mild" inflammation, below 5-ASAs-- meaning that they are a recognized option for that category of UC when 5-ASAs don't do enough. Hope this helps your case! Definitely keep us posted. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily for maintenance of remission)

Sodbuster19 wrote recently in another thread that his doctor gave him steroid suppositories trying to clear up the end of a flare & they are working well & quickly for him. / Old Hat

Thanks so much, Old Hat! I really appreciate you taking the time to find this for me.

quincy --I was using Proctofoam which has less steroids, I understand.  My research tells me that it is for hemmroids mostly and anal area.  It agreed with me but was not stopping the bleeding and the doctor thought Rowasa would work better and go up further. 

ElaineNY

This is a good article.  As a side note, I liked that he mentioned that occasional bleeding might not be enough to warrant a call to the doctor.  I even had bleeding occasionally even when I was on prednisone, but not consistently.

I've been using generic hyrocortisone enema for a little over a month, for a flare.  I started with using it am and pm.  It improved my flare I'd say about 50% within the first couple of days and the bleeding stopped but major D hung on.  In the past couple of weeks, that improved along with decrease in urges and I've been working at tapering it, but the occasional bleeding slowed my progress. 

After reading this article, I may give try the every other day approach sooner... or, not use the entire bottle.  I keep trying to incorporate Rowasa, but it hasn't helped much and I may be sensitive to it.

I hope the steriod enema works for you, Sara.   

Thanks, Old Hat and potato.

Question about Rectal corticosteroids before I see my NP Friday.

Does this amount of rectal steroids cause any side effects like the pills?  I have a cornea disease and chronic dry eye which can be made worse by prednisone - any experience with that out there?

ElaineNY