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How do you know when to increase you medication dose

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/11/2011 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
I'm taking 4 sulfasalzine a day, but I'm still bleeding and today it's bad. I have really bad days and some just ok days, but always bleeding! I don't see my GI until September 7th. What should I do? I do rectal meds and orals, but when do you if you should increase your oral meds?

Thanks

Posted 7/11/2011 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
What is the dose of the sulfasalazine? I take 8 400mg Asacol a day. I would call my GI and ask for advice. Didn't have have a bad reaction to a higher dose of sulfasalazine in the past? What rectals are you using? I use mine 2x a day when I am feeling unstable. I also have bad days and good days and I find it very frustrating because I never know when I will be on the toilet constantly and when things will be great. It's very hard to make plans. Today I am doing good but yesterday was terrible.
Posted 7/11/2011 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi ! Thanks, I'm doing 4 a day and canasa and then rowasa when I really want to do them! THey are hard to keep in since at nighttime I have a lot gas! LOL

Mine our 500mg, and I'm going to switch to the ones that don't dissolve in the GI tract but in the colon. Which do you take? I have  skin tag that has a skin tag if you can believe that! It's ugle and I already had one removed! It came back within two weeks of the one being removed! What the heck!

Posted 7/12/2011 3:33 PM (GMT 0)
A few more questions

My script is 4 sulfas a day two in the morning and two at night, so do they last 8 hours? If I take them at 9 am and take my next dose at 7pm does the 9am dose last until 7pm, that's like 10 hours!

Also, I feel so much better taking canasa during the day. Is it too much to take my uc meds in the morning and pop in a canasa too?

Thanks for the feed back

Posted 7/12/2011 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think it's too much at all. I take 4 Asacol in the AM and I usually use a Canasa around the same time (sometimes I don't remember to use it until a bit later). The max dose of oral Asacol is 4800mg a day. 4 500mg tablets is only 2000mg, you could probably increase the dose but you should call your GI and see what s/he thinks before doing so.

Are you going to switch to Asacol or Lialda? Lialda is very easy and they say you can take all your pills at once in the morning - it's great for convenience. I am not sure if it is as effective if you take them at once but many do well using it this way. I tried Lialda but I did better on Asacol 400 so I switched back. I would like to try Lialda again but I don't want to risk being unstable for conveinence. I used to take my Asacol 3x a day, now I take it 2x a day and I don't notice a difference in my condition.

I have never taken sulfasalazine but I have read that it has higher incidence of side effects compared to the newer medications.

Sorry about your skin tag :( This DD is so unfair. I have been dealing with a fissure and that has been awful too!!

Posted 7/12/2011 3:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I switched to the sulfa that doesn't dissolve until it hits the colon, not dissolving in the GI tract.  I do seem to do better with this that any other 5asa.

I like canasa they are good for my rectum, takes away the feeling of urgency a lot!

Thanks for writing back!

 

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