Anti-Inflammatories

Here's a list of possible side effects for Asacol..., which is one of the reasons why I asked if anyone is familiar with herbal equivalents:

GENERIC NAME: MESALAMINE - TABLET (mess-AL-uh-meen)
BRAND NAME(S): Asacol

It is recommended that all people have their kidney function tested prior to starting Asacol tablets and periodically while on Asacol therapy. Serious side effects may occur.

SIDE EFFECTS: Dizziness, indigestion, bloating, gas, belching or minor stomach ache may occur the first several days as your body adjusts to the medication. Constipation, diarrhea, weakness, hemorrhoids, cough, dry mouth, hair loss, acne, general body aches, swelling of the feet or ankles (edema) or sweating may also occur. If any of these effects persist or worsen, inform your doctor promptly. Notify your doctor promptly if you develop: chest pain, fever, sore throat, headache, stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, rectal pain, yellowing of the eyes or skin, dark urine, unusual fatigue. In the unlikely event you have an allergic reaction to this drug, seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, breathing trouble. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

NBT

I"ve been on asacol for most of the last 10 yrs and have never had one side effect. I did stop asacol for awhile and tried different herbal and alternative things to no avail. My UC got worse off of asacol so I went back on. That's just me though.

Only thing I'm able to use is the natural route, thankfully I have success with it (still not full remission but I'll take what I can get, I do have complications because of my perianal crohns skin tags fiasco)...I'm either allergic or non-responsive to traditional oral RX and I'm thankful actually because with the natural route I have NO side effects what so ever.

:)

Occasionally, I take a prescription anti-inflammatory (Nabumetone 750mg) to control inflammation in my knee, but I recently noticed that it also helps with the colon. However, I stopped taking it because I've been taking herbal supplements to address other "issues" and one of them contains a natural anti-inflammatory, which had the same effect as the prescription tablet. This is why I created the post to see if anyone is aware of any herbal supplements that are specifically designed to combat inflammation.

NBT

I've tried probiotics, aloe, aloe alternatives, chinese herbs and teas...there have been so many. I've also tried scd, elimination and every other diet out there. I've given at least 6 months to everything i've tried. I think too many people try something for two weeks and decide there is no effect. I will keep trying new things and have even started to retry a few. The best results I had was from aloe but that was only for very mild symptoms. The chinese herbalist was about 25 pills of different herbs and several teas a day. It was harder to keep up with than any meds I have been on.

Let me know if you find other therapies you think are worth trying. I won't stop my meds again but am willing to try anything that can aid in healing.

There is a tremendously long list of natural anti-inflammatories, I don't know how it would be possible to have tried them all especially since one has to consider they may take time to kick in before they start to work, which could take a long time too...

I have success with the following;

bee propolis
omegas 3-6-9
chamomile tea
vitamin A

I also take probiotics, vitamin B12 and C-calcium ascorbate.

Besides which, it's often a combination that works best and each person likely has to find their own combination...afterall this is basically a very individualistic disease, just look at different food affect (or lack of) each person differently (or not at all).


:)