How do you know when you are ready to drop pharmaceuticals?

Some of you may already know my background, but essentially after 4 months of being in complete remission, Lialda’s effectiveness started to drop drastically even on the max dose. I started using slippery elm bark in addition to the rest of my regimen in my signature and am once again in really good shape. Am I 100% healed, honestly I’m not sure, I don’t remember what 100% was before diagnosis but I can say that I go once a day, formed, no urgency, no cramping, limited gas (probably mostly from the VSL I am on).

Over the last month I’ve dropped from 4 Lialda to 2 per day without any noticeable deterioration at all. However, most clinical trials showed that 2 per day was just as effective as 4 in maintaining remission so I’m not sure how remarkable it is that I’ve been able to reduce my Lialda intake from 4 to 2.

So I guess the next step would be dropping to 1 per day, but that’s a huge leap from 2, much bigger than from 4 to 2 imo. Just wanted to see if anyone has any experience getting off meds, how they went about it, how they felt before trying to go off of it, and if anyone reflared as a result of reducing meds (and if so, did reinstating the medicine stop the flare).

My nightmare scenario is I reduce Lialda, flare, and adding Lialda back in doesn’t stop the flare. I could just keep taking 2 per day I suppose, but if its not needed than not only is it a waste of money, but its just another toxin that the body has to deal with.

Maintenance meds (basically, everything except prednisone) are so named because one is supposed to take them even when in remission, in order to maintain it. I have no plans to change my medicaiton regime, unless it quits working, as sherbear said. I don't ever want to flare as badly as I did during my first (and so far only) flare, and I think that stopping meds would very likely result in a bad flare.

I've lost a lot of hair since starting Lialda, so its not side effect free for me.

My goal is to get off medication at some point, its more a matter of when not if. So I'm just trying to gauge if I'm close to being ready to take the next step.

Hello,
I did the same thing, I dropped my dose of Lialda from 4-2 a day. Then got alittle over confident and dropped it to 1 a day but kept all my other supplements and it wasn't too long after that I got a sinus infection that required me to go on antibiotics and due to the fever or my immune system being weak ( I think) I was having alot of my symptoms coming back so my Doctor prescribed a short tapper of Pred to keep it from a full blown flare.
So, from my exp. I wouldn't drop the dose any further... you may maintain ok until you get something secondary going on and then you could be "caught with your pants down" so to speak lol