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Side effects of Asacol HD or Uceris?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 9/24/2013 3:42 PM (GMT 0)
I have been taking Asacol HD 6 per day and Uceris for about 2 months now, and have a question. Could intermittent diarrhea be coming from either of these meds, or is that just a common UC symptom that everyone deals with during a flare? I am just about finished the Uceris, so that will eliminate it as a cause. Sometimes it's even tough for Imodium to take care of it. Any ideas? And another unrelated question; Has anyone else had luck on continuing the Uceris after the initial 8 weeks if a flare is still not under complete control?
Posted 9/24/2013 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
Yes it is the most common UC symptom, and yes 5-asa drugs can sometimes cause D
Posted 9/24/2013 3:55 PM (GMT 0)
5ASAs only cause diarrhea if you are intolerant of them. I would think an intolerance would be a constant thing, not a sporadic thing, so I would take the Asacol off the table as the cause of your problem.

The Uceris should not cause diarrhea as it is a steroid - not a typical side effect of steroids.

I would ditch the supplements for a week and see if that makes a difference. Next I would look at dietary issues and keep a food journal. The one dietary change that might help is to try a gluten free diet, but this takes a few weeks to really evaluate - a journal is not that useful when the time frame is so long IMO.

Of course, it could all be because your inflammation is not yet totally controlled. Where is your inflammation?
Posted 9/24/2013 3:57 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the response. So if it's common, do I stay on the Asacol? Is having The D that often a major concern, or do I just live with it. I guess what I'm asking is, do I get off of the Asacol because it's causing that problem, or just deal with it because it's expected. Previously I was on a much lower dose of Pentasa, and never had that problem. I guess my higher dose it what is causing it.
Posted 9/24/2013 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
I would guess that you are not having diarrhea caused by the Asacol. If you were intolerant of mesalamine you would be miserable all the time.

You might be bothered by something in the "HD" version and perhaps you should try another mesalamine, or go back to Pentasa.
Posted 9/24/2013 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
I hope you are not talking about stopping both the Asacol and Uceris and not doing anything. That would be a huge mistake. What is your current complete symptom list, aside from occasional diarrhea? It is disappointing that the med combo you're taking didn't get you farther than where you are. They really need to figure out more of this going off Uceris thing. I still find it hard to believe that they will let a patient stay on prednisone for months or years but with Uceris it's 8 weeks and you're done. Uceris is much safer than prednisone. I was in a similar quandry as you regarding Asacol. I suspected that it not only helped greatly but also contributed to more urgency and frequency at the same time. I will be switching to Lialda soon but I am very nervous about the switch.
Posted 9/24/2013 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
the evil "they"  !!

 

Posted 9/24/2013 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
Gary, no I would be afraid to stop all of the meds at this point. I have had bad urgency and blood on and off. I have been in a flare for a long time, but it didn't get real bad until July. That is when my GI changed all of my meds. I may be slightly better but it's so hard to tell. Just when I think I'm getting better, the blood or urgency will start up. The D has been around on and off for awhile also. I really don't won't to change anything because the GI wants to do remicade if this doesn't work. I have started doing enemas at night as well as the cortifoam in the am. Why are you thinking of changing to Lialda? How is it different from Asacol HD? I know nothing about it.
Posted 9/24/2013 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
The only reason I changed was because I always suspected that Asacol was both good and bad for me and I saw a rash of posts on here about all at the same time where people who switched from HD to Lialda did much better.
Posted 9/24/2013 10:56 PM (GMT 0)
Uceris actually gave me terrible d. My inflammation is low so my UC symptoms are bleeding, urgency, etc.
Posted 9/25/2013 12:41 PM (GMT 0)
Pink1, after your 8 weeks on Uceris, what happened with your bleeding? Did the D stop right after? I am a little nervous about my last dose of Uceris. Even though I'm not better yet, not sure what to expect when it ends. Just in case the Asacol HD is causing the D, I am now trying to spread out the dose at 2 pills 3x a day instead of 3 twice a day.
Posted 9/27/2013 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone stayed on Uceris beyond the 8 weeks and then noticed an improvement in bleeding or urgency? I need to make a decision in the next day or so if I need to continue.
Posted 9/27/2013 5:26 PM (GMT 0)
I guess the main question is, Can you say for sure that Uceris has done anthing for you at all? Obviously, after 8 weeks, you are still having issues with bleeding and urgency so it has not done as well as it should have. Have you noticed for yourself it you continually get a little better? If so, I would try to talk the doctor into extending it at least for another month. Since it is not meant to be a cure it is kind of like prednisone, without the severe side effects, in that it only works while you are on it. I have always thought it was stupid to just take it for 8 weeks and then stop. I am not a believer in "tapering" either. For those where it works, if I were the doctor, I would continue with the med forever, prescribing one pill every two to three days or maybe once a week. If it's just going to make you better while on it and then stop, then what's the point?
Posted 9/27/2013 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
So, I was actually unable to take Colazal because it was making my diarrhea worse. I could tell that there was a difference between the meds NOT helping my UC and the meds GIVING me diarrhea. I can't explain, I just knew.

However, it sounds like you're really not sure. Either way, if you want to temporarily stop taking one fo the meds to see if you feel better, that might give you a better idea.

The only side effect I ever got from Asacol HD was earaches.
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