Need advice on Meds for UC

I was just diagnosed with ulcerative colitis three weeks ago. I was have been put on Apriso and predisone for 8 weeks... When will I see some kind of improvement from the medication. I am feeling a bit better but not much. How long do you have to take the meds to go into remission of some sort... Anxiously awaiting some relief....its not easy living with this...

Any advice or help would be so appreciated. I know so little about this disease and really need advice on the medication taken for it.

Hi and welcome!

What dosage of Apriso and prednisone are you on? And I second quincy's suggestions of rectal meds and probiotics.

I know it's frustrating, but there really is no rule of thumb in terms of how long it takes for symptoms to start getting better.

Ok, so are your prednisone pills 5mg each? Prednisone is manufacured in many strengths. What dose did you start at, and what dose are you on right now? Are your symptoms getting worse again as you taper?

What do you mean by frequent (how many BMs are you having a day)? Don't worry about being too graphic...that doesn't really exist on here? How much better has it gotten since you started on your meds?

Welcome!  The first time I was on pred I had been in a bad flare for a long time.  It took a month of pred at 30mg a day for the bleeding to stop.  The second time I was on it the bleeding stopped within a week.  I was told not to taper the pred until the bleeding had been stopped for at least two weeks straight.  Best of luck to you!

Prednisone stopped my bleeding very quickly, probably just a few days. I was on 40mg. I did have a lot of trouble reducing my dose without having my symptoms return. I am still feeling a bit unstable.

I have tapered down to 25 milligrams of predisone daily.. I started on 40 milligrams. I dont have diarhea but I do have frequent BM's. Sometimes about 6 times in the morning.... Should I not have a daily cup of coffee is this aggrivating the condition? The rectal bleeding is present but not as bad as before I started all the meds...apriso and predisone 3 weeks ago. Lets just put it this way.. the morning is not the best time of the day. I am in the bathroom sometimes 5 times.. maybe 3 times.
I am having solid bowel movements but multiple times. Its so annoying. Oh the days when I went to the bathroom once a day. And as you all know when you get the urgency to move your bowels a bathroom has to be close. But I dont have diarhea....This is just such a pain in the ARSE.,...literally.
I just feel I want my life back when I dont have to always know where a bathroom is. I just only hope I start seeing more improvements as the weeks go on. I am on the meds for eight weeks.
Is this typical. Is remission a slow process? I go to see my doctor on May 10th I am sure he will want to hear my progress. Like I said slowly.....

What exactly are involved in rectal meds...other than the obvious.....is this going to fit into my lifestyle....I mean I do have to work everyday....lol

Hi - and welcome.
Rectal meds come as suppositories, foam, or enemas that one administers and then ideally retains all night.
The enemas have more medicine to them and reach farther up into the system. A good one is a 5-ASA enema: Rowasa, Salofalk, depending on where you're located. It's basically the same ingredient as the Apriso, but where the Apriso may not carry its effect all the way to the bottom of your system, and the bottom is often where the worst and most stubborn inflammation is, the enema attacks the intruder from that end also. I have used them for years, and I just administer it when I get in bed for the night - I don't even feel it once it's in there.

There are also suppositories of 5-ASA, but their effect is more more limited.

And then there are steroid enemas and foam. The steroid enemas work like the 5-ASA ones, above.... the foam is "lighter" if one's system is really horribly inflamed.

The difference between the two... well, the steroid is still a steroid, though much less systemic, so the idea is to take care of the inflammation and then taper off the meds asap. The 5-ASA is actually thought to have qualities that keep us in remission longer and act as anti-cancer agents for the long term - so we can stay on those forever (maybe at a maintenance dose of two per week...)
Because your stools are formed, I'm not a doctor, I'm a musician - but when that happens to me it means only the bottom of my system is inflamed. I would urge you to ask your doc for the enemas!

When I say I am meds for the next eight weeks it means this is where my doctor is starting. I am fully aware I am going to have to take medication for the rest of my life. I have no idea if he is going to change the medication...will I respond...etc.... I am taking one week at a time. I will discuss my progress with him in two weeks when I go see him. I am hoping I respond to pills rather that giving myself nasty enemas every night....

about nighttime enemas: I hated them too but I hated the symptoms of insane urgency and bleeding worse so pick your poison as they say.

They work, although the worse the inflammation/flare the harder I found it to retain the enema. As I got better/less inflamed it got easier.
Now I don't need them at all, but it is the first thing I turn to when things turn worse.

OH...I want to add something very important! Please take enough Calcium with D while on prednisone. It drains your body of the calcium. No one told me that twelve years ago and now I have full blown osteoporosis.