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Apriso and Hydrocortisone enema combo

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/17/2011 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
Trying out a whole new combo. Was on Asacol and Mesalamine enemas.

Has anyone tried Apriso and/or Hydrocortisone enema? Just trying to get an idea what to expect. Had a horrible experience with Asacol on my first dose....so I'm a bit nervous making such a big switch and so fast. Will only be on the enema for 14 days and was told to stop immediately.

Asacol was so tedious to administer. Side effects were determine by how close I took the pills and the amount/type of liquid I used. The only thing that bother's me is I'll be consuming 1.5g of Mesalamine at once with Apriso where I was consuming 800mg 3x daily. I know the Apriso is time release so maybe it won't be so bad.

Any thoughts?
Posted 1/17/2011 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't tried Apriso but it sounds like an interesting medication. Unfortunately, it's $40 for a months supply with my insurance and Asacol/Lialda are only $20. I haven't tried hydrocortisone enemas but I did try cortifoam enemas and they seemed helpful. I was flaring badly and the only thing that really pulled me out of the flare was prednisone. I hope you're feeling better soon? How severe are your symptoms?
Posted 1/17/2011 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
Most of my symptoms have gone except for the blood and mucous mix. It's just a small amount but it been lingering since Oct 15th.
Posted 1/17/2011 9:47 PM (GMT 0)
That's great! The cortisone enemas will probably wipe that out quickly. Hopefully you can get off them without a taper but you will see how you're feeling when you get closer to the end of the 14 days. If you see blood when you stop you should call and ask for another week that you can do every other day. You could swap with Rowasa.
Posted 1/17/2011 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the idea! That's why I LUV this site yeah

I asked about tapering but the doc said no...we'll see how it goes as I needed to taper in all directions while on Asacol and Mesalamine!
Kinda skiddish right now but once I see results hopefully I'll feel better.

Also saw my PCP today and he recommended me to go on Anti-depressants as he was really concern with how stress interacts with UC. Gee..now I'm hyper skiddish! Don't want to be on anti-depressants for the rest of my life too :(! Ok...time to meditate on that note!

lol
Posted 1/18/2011 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
You should taper the steroid enemas ...oh well, if you regress, you can call the doc back.

keep us posted how you're doing.
q
Posted 1/18/2011 10:34 AM (GMT 0)
I asked the doc about tapering up & down for all meds but she said not to. I'll only be on the enema for 2 weeks, any longer I may hv to. This explained in tbe pharmacy info sheet. That info sheet was a bit scary to read...lots of side effects! I was assured by both doc & pharmacist tbat since its not a pil then I should be ok. Well...that's what I was about asacol which left me bed ridden for a day!

Doing more research before I start. Also switching meds one at a time so if there's side effects ill know which one caused it!
Posted 1/18/2011 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
Hydrocortisone enemas have very few side effects unless you have a sensitivity to steroids. It should work pretty quick since it sounds like you don't have that severe of symptoms at the moment.

On a two week course, taper shouldn't be necessary but it depends on the situation. For instance, if you notice your symptoms come back on the morning after not doing one, then you might want to consider tapering. When I go on two week courses, which isn't too frequently because normally I am on them for 6-8 weeks at a time, I have no problem when I just stop them.

I've never been on Apriso, so I can't comment on this.
Posted 1/18/2011 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
I feel like the queen of steroid enemas, unfortunately...... I'm back on them. They have taken care of my symptoms in 3 days.....but I'm planning to stay on them another week and then taper. I've always tapered off them. But, to echo what Red said, I've never been on them for just 2 weeks, either!
Good luck, I hope this combo really does it for you!
Posted 1/18/2011 4:16 PM (GMT 0)
Did some research on line and found out that the enema interact with birth control pills.  I put a call into the nurse.  Good thing I did my research before trying it! Has anyone have problems with a cort enemas and birth control pills?   I also found some older posts that mentioned about bleeding gums and mouth sores as a side effect to the cort enema. I normally get kankers soar on the side on my tongue so I may be a candidate for this...
Posted 1/18/2011 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hmmm, interesting. I get the occasional mouth sore - like maybe one a year or less, and again, have not had them in reaction to the enemas.

I seem to be lucky in the interaction/side effect realm, at least......

Very interesting about the birth control pills. I was long off those before my UC was diagnosed, so I'm not of much help there. (We'd been trying to conceive for 5 years when I was dxed.)
Posted 1/18/2011 4:26 PM (GMT 0)
I've never been on steroid enemas, but I am on Apriso, and love it. I was in remission when I switched from Asacol to Apriso, and didn't notice any change in symptoms. I really like only taking it once a day.
Posted 1/18/2011 4:32 PM (GMT 0)
I was using birth control pills with steroid enemas and I didn't have a problem. I can't really say if I had side effects from the enemas because I was on prednisone at the same time. I would assume my side effects were from prednisone not the enemas.
Posted 1/18/2011 11:02 PM (GMT 0)
I checked with the pharmacist and she use a program to see if there were any reaction between the enema and my birth control pills and it came up as "none". She told me when they list warning they need to list everything that occurred during the testing. It could have been 1 person with the effect but it get listed....and of course they need to list a disclaimer as "this is not a complete list of possible side effects". They really like to keep you guessing!
Posted 1/25/2011 1:04 PM (GMT 0)

Ok..I've been on Hydrocortisone Enemas for about a week and had a slight increase in amount and frequency of blood.  No improvements seen, just side effects. I was actually better on the Asacol and Mesalmine enema combo but it only got me so far.

Since the Hydrocortisone enema was only perscribed for 14 days, I expected to see immediate results.  What have your experience been with result from Hydrocortisone enemas?  Do the result lag after stopping?  Since I switch drugs during a flare maybe I just went a tad backwards but recovery will pick up soon?

I'm just afraid it's not working and hate to be on it any longer or go to an oral steriod which could really do me in!  Trying to hold on until I see a holistic doc and get some LDN.

Is there any hope for me?

Posted 1/25/2011 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
It's tough when you change more than one thing at a time. Maybe the Apriso isn't as effective for you? Maybe the steroid enemas aren't? Are things still pretty mild? I would give it until the end of the 2 weeks.
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