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Which 5 ASA?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/8/2013 12:47 PM (GMT 0)
5 ASAs don't seem to be enough to get my UC under control. I'm in my first and absolutely awful post partum flare.

Tried lialda for 2 weeks but switched to colazal because I thought lialda was constipating me. Was on colazal for a month and ended up in the hospital because it obviously wasn't working.

I'm now on prednisone which isn't helping and started 6 mp. My GI said I need to also be on a 5asa.

Does anyone have suggestions for me? I know we are all different and I know the differences among the 5 Asa's and release mechanisms. I just don't know what to go with.
Posted 4/8/2013 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
Something you need to figure yourself by trying them all for a few weeks at a time. Why the hospital trip while on Colazal? I'm on the same boat as you. I can tolerate mesalamines and they help enough for me to want to find one that can put me in remission.
Posted 4/8/2013 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know what happened to be honest. My symptoms don't match my insides.

2 weeks ago I was having 2 BMs pretty solid but bright red blood. Started hydrocortisone enemas and cortifoam to try and kick it. I was on 6 colazal at the time. One week later I had insane rectal pain and blood. Went to ER and the gave me a cat scan. Said I had severe left sided inflammation that was almost a partial blockage.

Was in the hospital for 3 days. Left on steroids and colazal. Got c diff. Then was scoped on Friday and the inflammation is still very bad. GI said I'm steroid refractory hence the start of 6 mp.

But because I got so bad while on colazal I'm assuming it wasn't working. It's so frustrating!
Posted 4/8/2013 1:24 PM (GMT 0)
6 Colazal will do nothing while in a flare. The standard dose is 9 a day. Is there a reason why you were only on 6?
Posted 4/8/2013 1:29 PM (GMT 0)
The GI dropped me to 6. Should I just stay on the colazal and bump to 9? I thought it just wasn't working for me and was going to try one of the others. I've read you can respond to some and not to others.
Posted 4/8/2013 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it's true. Some people respond better to different meds. I believe it has to do with ph level in your colon and how effectively the med breaks down. Like it was said, it's all trial and error. Btw, I reduced my Colazal down to 6 as well because I wanted to see if it was doing anything and if it was actually causing issues. Guess where I ended up? In the hospital too! Lol
Posted 4/8/2013 1:38 PM (GMT 0)
Well since I've been on colazal the longest with no side effects I guess I'll bump to 9 and see how the next few weeks go.

Thanks red!
Posted 4/8/2013 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't do tell on Colazal, things seemed a little looser, sorry TMI... I used to take Asacol which worked well for me but it was 12 pills a day. I switched to Lialda and I've been doing well on that now. Some people do well on Apriso or Pentasa. Colazal is for left sided UC. The others treat the whole colon.

There is actually a post describing the differences in the resources thread on the top of the UC forum main page. It may help you but as someone mentioned, you will probably just have to give them a try and judge for yourself.
Posted 4/8/2013 4:12 PM (GMT 0)
Notsosicklygirl - how we're ur side effects with lialda?
Posted 4/8/2013 7:19 PM (GMT 0)
I guess everyone is different. Asacol didn't work for me, but Colazol does. Have you tried Asacol?
Posted 4/8/2013 7:42 PM (GMT 0)
I've tried lialda for about 2 weeks. Don't know if I gave it long enough. And I've tried asacol hd which made me sick to my stomach.

There are so many options that can affect everyone just a little differently.
Posted 4/8/2013 8:40 PM (GMT 0)
TotesMagotes, if you are steroid refactory and just starting 6mp, then are you going to use something in place of the pred? Typically it takes 6-8 weeks for 6mp to kick in to full effect in your body. You might need remicade or something in place of the pred at least until the 6mp kicks in?
Posted 4/9/2013 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
Hi iPoop. I'm at 30 mgs of pred right now. Not getting better and not getting worse. My symptoms aren't matching my insides. So I have a bunch of inflammation but I poop 3-6 times in the morning half with blood, half without. Then I'm done til the next morning.

My GI said I wasn't responding to the steroids and therefore refractory. We talked about the possibility of remicade if I start to decline. Right now I'm holding tight praying that I can make it til the 6mp kicks in and that the 6 mp works for me.

Since I declined during the month I was on colazal I was thinking that as we wait I could try another 5 Asa in hopes of it helping. GI had no objection. I tried lialda but it didn't seem to agree with me. Asacol hd made me feel like I had the flu. I think we agreed on apriso today.
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