Messing up my Asacol dose

I take my first of three doses of Asacol at about 9 a.m. , then sometimes I don't get to the second dose til 6 or 7 p.m. then the third dose around 11:30 p.m.

Am I screwing myself up by not having the 4 pill doses more evenly spaced?

why don't you split them twice daily...you're pretty much doing that already.

q

J2H, that's about the schedule my son takes his on - except on school days he takes the first dose at 7 am. Then the second often not till 5 or 6, depending on after-school activities, then the last at around 10 pm.

His GI did suggest he could try just taking them twice a day, but then said she couldn't guarantee he wouldn't experience a few symptoms doing that - so he hasn't gone to just splitting the day's pills into 2 doses. I think he should, because that middle one is so hard to remember or schedule. Certainly before he goes to college in a year, if he doesn't go to a once-a-day med.....

That's the key, adopt whatever schedule will maximize the chance that you remember to take it! I finally settled on twice a day when I was taking Asacol, and tried to remember an extra dose if I was flaring.

six pills in one gulp. I thought you had to ahve a continuous amount running through you three times a day...

I take (5-4) twice a day, but there are several times that I forget and end up taking it all in one shot. Not recommended, but it happens. No chance I could stick to three times a day. Twice is hard enough to remember for me. I wouldn't worry about being so exact.

I am switching to Lialda!! Once a day dosing! I hope it helps more than the Colazal.

Let me be super blunt here. Though I do respect experience and knowledge gained by most of you over the period of your condition, I do see a lot of misguided suggestions here.

What is more important for your drug to act is, to maintain a certain concentration in your blood so as to get absorbed in a concentration you want it to. If you take more than needed, all your liver will do is, to metabolize it and send it out for excretion. Hence, even if you pop in 4 or 5 capsules for your convenience, your body doesn't care about your convenience, all it cares is, what concentration it can maintain in your bloodstream. If it can absorb more, it will and that could lead to toxicity (like overdosing) I don't know overdosing symptoms of Asacol, you should check it with your pharmacist.
Secondly, the optimum concentration in the blood should be maintained throughout the day and that is the reason why the dose is split in 2,3 or 4 times a day, depending on how fast the drug is absorbed and metabolized.

Most of the time, the doctors are not good judge of dosing but your pharmacists are. We all give more the required importance to the doctors. They are only good at diagnosis (which IS important) but they are certainly not the best when it comes to medicines and their dosing regimens (and this is EQUALLY important).

I understand OP's problem. I also have same issue. I have to take Colazid 3 x 3. Now what I have done is, took one container to work and pop in 3 capsules during coffee hour at 2pm. So 7am, 2pm and 9pm, perfect dosing.

I currently take it 3 times daily. My Former GI said twice a day was OK too, but I find that 3 times a day works much better in maintaining remisssion. It's true, the mid day dose it a PITA to remember (this post reminded me that I was late for it!) I usually set a reminder on Microsoft Outlook when I'm at work to help me remember (I know...nerdy, but it works!) the weekends I do forgot sometimes though.

When I was on Apriso, it was great taking it once a day, but that didn't help maintain remission for me

Asacol and other mesalamines, however, don't work by being absorbed into the bloodstream.  They are topical meds, whether delivered orally or rectally.

http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharmaceutical/b2.1.monographs/CPS-%20Monographs/CPS-%20(General%20Monographs-%20A)/ASACOL.html

 

You have to copy and paste it; for some reason, it won't work when you click it. It says that only 20% is absorbed, and "The available evidence suggests that mesalamine has a topical anti-inflammatory effect on the colon, where it inhibits prostaglandin and leukotriene synthesis." So yes, it does inhibit prostaglandins, but perhaps it could be absorbed by the cells on the colon surface, and then works only on those cells.

Here's another link where there is further explanation:
http://www.rxlist.com/asacol-drug.htm
You'll want to go to page 6.

So I guess I wasn't correct in saying it's not absorbed into the bloodstream...my meaning was that it doesn't work by being absorbed into the bloodstream.

Quincy nailed it. This is the advantage of being not really into the field. I am not really good at popular science i.e. I don't make a layman understand science easily.

Thanks Quincy.