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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/8/2015 12:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Guys,

I've been on Aza for 4 weeks now (50mg for 2 weeks, 75mg for 2 weeks) and blood levels still look fine. Doc is now bumping me up to 100mg. Usually how soon would you see improvement and if Aza is working, I know they say 6-12 weeks but when can you start telling differences on average?

Thanks,
M
Posted 6/8/2015 12:39 PM (GMT 0)
Took 3 months for me to notice that it was working. I felt somewhat unwell on it for about the first 8 weeks, but that passed. I was tapering pred at the same time.

I've never heard of a tapered start to aza, but I'd think you'll need a fully 2-3 months at your full dose to feel the benefits.  When I increased from 100 to 150 it took 3 months for me to feel the benefit of the increased dosage.

Post Edited (FSLondon) : 6/8/2015 6:47:45 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/8/2015 12:42 PM (GMT 0)
Looks like I have a rough 8 weeks ahead of me. My pred taper isn't exactly working this time around and I don't want to jump on biologics yet since I want to see if the Aza alone will get the job done.
Posted 6/8/2015 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
It's tough to actually say how long because I was also on other medication at the time, but 2-3 months is when I started to notice improvement after starting aza. Are you stopping at 100mg or continuing to increase?
Posted 6/8/2015 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Not sure yet. I'm having blood tests done every week and depending on that he seems to be increasing my dosage. I actually haven't had an appointment with him yet since starting Aza. I put myself on it when this last flare hit (it hit 1 month after my follow up meeting with him and a scheduled 3 month follow up is next week). But for my weight, 100mg probably seems par for the course. (150lbs)
Posted 6/8/2015 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
A rough estimate is your weight equals your daily dosage. Obviously blood work and other factors come into play but 150mg/day if needed certainly does not sound like too much. My GI uses this formula for max dosage. Weight in kg multiplied by 2.5. So yours would be 68kg * 2.5 = 170 mg/day. It's good that so far your blood work is in line, hope it continues to be. For reference I am 165lbs and on 175mg/day.
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