Being able to keep the enemas in

I've been alternating on Pentasa and Asacol from February 2011. Since last month, I've been on Asacol.

My inflammation is left-sided and mostly right by the rectum, but I find that I have less urgency when I'm on Pentasa than when I'm on Asacol. The doc switched me to Asacol this time around because the blood just wasn't stopping, and the blood has now stopped but I notice that I have more urgency (no leaking, though).

Anyway, my question is actually about the nightly Pentasa enemas I use. I also notice that I was better able to keep the enemas in my system while I was on Pentasa than when I'm not.

Right now, as I'm on Asacol, I feel I have a hard time keeping the enemas in my system. For example, one day as soon as I put it in I'll need to rush to the bathroom, and the other day, I was able to keep it in for an hour and a half and then I was rushing to the bathroom.

Is this happening due to the adjustment my body is making from Pentasa to Asacol? Also, does being able to leave the enema in for an hour and a half make a difference? Or does it not since everything comes out anyway?

Some people respond better to one medication over another. If you were better on Pentasa, you would see if your GI will give you a script for that. It is also possible that you could try using somehting like Canasa or a foam enema instead of Rowasa. I find that Rowasa are very hard to retain. I often have discomfort when I am not even flared up. The discomfort usually only lasts a few minutes and it will pass if can remain calm and lay still on my side. I have had instances where there was just no way I was going to retain the enema all night and I had to flush it after 10 minutes or an hour. That happens to all of us once in a while I think. If you think your condition is not improving, speak to your GI about changing back to pentasa or trying some of the other meds available. You should also see if you can add a suppository in the morning.