Lialda, Colazal, Uceris, confusion

Hey everyone!
I've been reading healingwell for a few months to get help with my UC but I've been very conflicted lately and so I need some advice on what to do next.

Some history: I was diagnosed with UC when I was in 6th grade, about 11 years ago, and quickly was put into remission with colazal... that remission was on and off due to me not necessarily taking all of my colazal pills at such a young age and even the past few years until just recently.

This past July, I was having symptoms and was still slightly noncompliant with my medicine and a colonoscopy showed relatively mild inflammation and my doctor switched me to asacol HD and VSL #3 to see if that may work better.

After a few rough weeks with the VSL#3 I began to get and feel much better and having about 4 formed bowel movements per day and near perfect bloodwork.

In late November, I began to have diarrhea from what I thought was some kind of food poisoning and went from 4 Bm/day to what was then about 15/20 and having blood every now and then. Eventually decided to go to the hospital, had a sigmoidoscopy done and the doctor said it seemed like my mild left side inflammation became moderate to severe pancolitis.

After speaking with a doctor at the hospital, we decided on Uceris, Lialda 4.8g, and mesalamine enemas for at least 8 weeks to try and get me better.

My doctor at home instead said to take colazal and uceris with no enemas because he didn't believe that I needed them.

For the first 4 weeks of my uceris, I was taking uceris along with 9 pills of colazal and went to about 5 formed/semi-formed BM/day and wasn't satisfied with this so this past week I began on Lialda 4.8g and since it seems my symptoms have gotten worse? Had 8 semi formed BM yesterday and today so far I've had 7 semi formed Bm. (the stool is also a much lighter yellow color than when I was on colazal)

Sorry for the log post, but my question is.... is there maybe a transition period in between the colazal and lialda and that's why my symptoms are worse? Or is the lialda simply making me worse?

Any advice would really be appreciated. I'm so very confused and really need guidance.

It could be the switch from colazal to lialda, or it could just be the flare getting worse. They're similar anti-inflammatory mesalamine-based medications. My vote is it's just getting worss.

I second the enemas!!!!! 😆

Always consider this pattern no matter what a doc says....UC STARTS IN THE RECTUM! It spreads upwards and heals downwards. So, any oral topicals will NOT treat that area.

The butt rules, I say....at least request the enemas and try them. I'm sure the docs see how creepy patients are at the thought and noncompliance of using them and opt for the easy regimen instead.

Attitude about compliance is important.....but it doesn't mean your UC would not have spread.

q

Dx4Tx
I do not understand why Colazal is not available to you in Canada because I am in US and ordered Colazal from a Canadian pharmacy that shipped to me. I wanted to see if it was better/different than the generic (called Balsalazide in US) and it was affordable from Canada. Colazal is MUCH more expensive in US (this may depend on your insurance plan but very expensive for me compared to generic).

Turned out Colazal wasn't better for me, in fact my gut did not like it much so I went back to Balsalazide.