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1/2 Pentasa?

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Posted 5/29/2009 8:32 PM (GMT 0)

If you take less meds and keep your self in remission though diet, would you get less damages to your other organs. I know this seems like an obvious question but I am taking ½ of my pentasa tablet a day and my asacol every other day. But I am still on pentasa so I guess over several years I still can get side effects, even with a small dose.

Posted 5/30/2009 12:12 AM (GMT 0)
Ive never heard of someone being on both asacol and Pentasa. My pentasa are capsules so I wouldn't be able to half them.
Posted 5/31/2009 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
Yes I agree, I wondered why the doctor told me to take both. They are the same ingredient mesalazine.
Posted 5/31/2009 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
You're not on enough 5ASA meds...period. I'm not getting the process of what the doc is doing for you.

I've never heard of a 250mg asacol...is that a half of one asacol?

Would you mind clarifying my confusion....have you asked your doctor why you're not on enough meds?

q
Posted 5/31/2009 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
Yea I take 1 asacol which is 250 mg The pentasa tablet I have only been taking 1/2. The doctor did not really give me great advice on how I should take these meds.
Posted 5/31/2009 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
What do your prescription bottles say?
Posted 5/31/2009 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
I just had another thought...my asacol bottle says that it it NOT to be crushed, cut, split, etc. That's because the coating on it is specially designed to not dissolve until it reaches the ileum. I'd be surprised if pentasa doesn't have a similar coating. You might be making the medecine pretty ineffective by cutting it in half, as the medicine will all be released in your stomach.
Posted 6/1/2009 5:12 AM (GMT 0)

Hellokitty said...
Yea I take 1 asacol which is 250 mg The pentasa tablet I have only been taking 1/2. The doctor did not really give me great advice on how I should take these meds.

I don't think you are taking enough medication. I'm in Canada. I take 1000mg of Salofalk (Asacol) tablets 3 times a day. It's my maintenance dosage and I'm somewhat in remission, no diarrhea, no cramping but occasional blood and urgency.

Wish you can get some advice from your doc soon.
Posted 6/1/2009 5:15 AM (GMT 0)
You technically cannot half Pentasa because of the special coating around it. It releases the medication when exposed to a specific GI environment. Crushing it/halving it would not deliver the medication to its proper location
Posted 6/1/2009 8:49 AM (GMT 0)
The pentasa I have doesent have a coating. It is just a tablet. 1/2 should not make a difference as it is not a pill it is a tablet. The box says take 2 a day Maximum. So can I take a minimum is what I don't understand. The asacol says to use until the does runs out.

If this is not doing me any good then I don't know? I am doning 1 BM a day no blood no mucus. Im in no pain either. The only problem I am having is I do formed stools but the water around the poo is always brown and not clear. Which I think means my bowl has not abosorbed all the water from the poo.
Posted 6/1/2009 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi...."the box says"...or do you mean the prescription label says?

Here's a link.  Apparently, one can cut them...as long as they're not chewed...these are for the tablets.

Kitty...you are NOT on enough medication, and you should also be on rectal meds.

Slowly increasing is a good process..however...you have a lot of room for increasing in small increments,

This is a link for Pentasa tablets and the prescribed dosages up to 4000 mg. ... that would equal 8 pills daily.

http://emc.medicines.org.uk/document.aspx?documentId=668

When do you see the doc next?  Did you express to him that you didn't want to be on lots of meds and were afraid of too high a dosage, etc?

It's great you're improving, however.

quincy

 

Posted 6/1/2009 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your help. When i first went to see my GI doctor I was scared to be on meds that was true. The pricription lable says take 2 maximum. I m seeing my GP tomorrow and I am going to ask him to tell me what to take as I don't really know. I stopped taking a contraception pill after 7 yeas of taking it. I thought my body would be fine but now everything is going funny on me. I think It will effect my uc.
Posted 6/1/2009 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
Take your prescriptions with you, so that your doctor knows exactly what you're on. It sounds like there are different forms of the meds, so it would be best to have them along with you.
Posted 6/2/2009 8:34 AM (GMT 0)
Hang tough...it takes a lot out of a body when there are hormonal changes such as going off the pill, periods or lack-there-of and UC with meds, etc.

I'm wondering if the pharmacist didn't read the prescription proplerly?
Didn't he/she ask you why you're on such a low dosage?

Keep us posted as to how the appointment goes.

I agree it's a good idea to take the meds with you so that he can see the label.

quincy
Posted 6/2/2009 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
I just went to the doctor and told them what I was doing. I said I was taking ½ of the pentasa tablet. And an asacol every other day. The doctor said this was fine, and it leaves me room to move up if I need to. The tablets can be ½ that’s why mine have a line down the middle. Does pentasa look different in the states. I found a lot of durgs looked different in the states.
Posted 6/2/2009 3:20 PM (GMT 0)
but you're still not on enough meds....

did you ask the doctor about rectal meds? or was that your GP? Who prescribed them for you?

q
Posted 6/2/2009 4:12 PM (GMT 0)
The gastro doctor per scribes them. The GP is just the a gernarel doctor. She said is the one who said everything was fine. She said it was fine to take the asacol which is a supository every other day. So the asacol is my only rectal med. I wont go back to see the Gastro doctor until the 22nd of July. My problem is they stuck me with this consultuant who does not know about IBD. They stuck me with her because I was stable. That was before my last flare. Now Im only stable because of the diet.
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