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Hi all,
I had my followup up appointment with the GI on Tuesday. I am being weaned off of the Entocort. The Dr. wants me to take 2 Entocort one day and 1 Entocort the next, alternating like that for 3 weeks and then 1 Entocort per day for a week. I didn't tell him that I have only been taking 1 Entocort for about 1 month now and have been doing fine, I didn't follow his instructions, I felt that the 2 Entocorts were too much, I only weigh 102 lbs. While being weaned off of the Entocort, I have to take 4-800mg Asacol HD per day, 2 in the morning and 2 at night and the Dr. said that we would have to see what happens, if the D returns when I'm just on the Asacol. Anyway, I was told that I will always be on medication of some sort. I didn't bother to go into diet with the Dr. again because he previously told me that the Enterolab results were a waste of money, that I do not have Celiac's and diet has nothing to do with it.
I'm back to gluten, egg, soy and dairy free diet now and will continue it despite what the Dr. says. I'm going to take the Asacol, but I don't know for how long, I take too many meds already. I don't believe the dear Dr., I believe that the food sensitivities are to blame and being I took a steady course of Advil for assorted aches and pains for years, I believe that nsaids were adding to the problem. Now I take tylenol, only if really needed.
What are anyone's experiences with Asacol? I read about the side effects, I don't want to take it. Also, the chiropractor/nutritionist that I started going to offered me sometype of supplement drink, made from rice, that is a anti-inflammatory for the colon. I am thinking of trying that, no side effects.
BTW, this GI Dr. came highly recommended by a few of my friends, I don't know how long I will be going to him. I'm pretty upset and disgusted.
Another BTW, my insurance sent me a letter about the Entocort, they are putting Entocort into a higher tier with a higher co-pay because there is now a generic. The GI gave me a prescription for the generic.
Hope your still safe in Texas and that everyone affected by all the rain recently didn't get flooded.
Susanne
followup GI appointment-weaning off Entocort
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Re: followup GI appointment-weaning off Entocort
Grrr, how can a doc tell a patient with MC they will ALWAYS be on medication?? It's just what the drug-makers want. Total dependence.suzieq wrote: I was told that I will always be on medication of some sort.
Another BTW, my insurance sent me a letter about the Entocort, they are putting Entocort into a higher tier with a higher co-pay because there is now a generic. The GI gave me a prescription for the generic.
Susanne
I wasn't aware there is generic Entocort now. That must be good news for some people here.
Your GI visit sounds alot like mine - almost 2 years ago. I decided not to go back to her, but sadly I haven't found someone worth going to yet.
Susanne,
Good for you, for sticking with the diet, despite your GI doc's ignorance. Many members don't have any major problems with Asacol, though some individuals experience a problem with hair loss. Probably the biggest problem with Asacol, (and Asacol HD), is the lactose, (in the form of lactose monohydrate). Quite a few members seem to react adversely to that ingredient. IOW, it can make the D worse, rather than better, for some people. If you want to take one of the drugs in that family, (mesalamine-based), safer choices would be Colazal, Lialda, Apriso, or Pentasa, since they don't contain any lactose. Of course, that means nothing to your GI doc, since he knows that food sensitivities have nothing to do with MC.
Insurance companies always seem to take advantage of any opportunity to jack up the co-pay, bless their greedy little hearts. Note that the price of Entocort probably didn't increase - only their co-pay increased. That's what I call windfall profit.
Good luck with your treatment program,
Tex
Good for you, for sticking with the diet, despite your GI doc's ignorance. Many members don't have any major problems with Asacol, though some individuals experience a problem with hair loss. Probably the biggest problem with Asacol, (and Asacol HD), is the lactose, (in the form of lactose monohydrate). Quite a few members seem to react adversely to that ingredient. IOW, it can make the D worse, rather than better, for some people. If you want to take one of the drugs in that family, (mesalamine-based), safer choices would be Colazal, Lialda, Apriso, or Pentasa, since they don't contain any lactose. Of course, that means nothing to your GI doc, since he knows that food sensitivities have nothing to do with MC.
Insurance companies always seem to take advantage of any opportunity to jack up the co-pay, bless their greedy little hearts. Note that the price of Entocort probably didn't increase - only their co-pay increased. That's what I call windfall profit.
Good luck with your treatment program,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
There's a generic, but the domestic generic product is still ridiculously expensive - only slightly cheaper than Entocort EC. The foreign generic is still the only game in town, unless you have excellent insurance, or you're rich, (or both).Zizzle wrote:I wasn't aware there is generic Entocort now. That must be good news for some people here.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Susanne,
I took Asacol many years ago. It may or may not have helped (my MC did go away, though I was unaware of the diet connection). I'm not sure whether the Asacol deserves the credit, and eventually I just stopped taking it (yup, your doctor is wrong about that, too). While I was taking it, I became spectacularly intolerant of lactose, presumably because I was taking a 'full dose' in the pill - I figured this out by myself. Ibuprofen was definitely one of the agents that brought on MC for me, too. Looking back on it, I should have been asking myself why I felt it necessary to take 'Vitamin I' so frequently!
It's possible you won't need the Asacol, since you are removing food irritants; I think it's likely you'll be able to reduce or eliminate it (as you have already done with the Entocort - good for you!). Doesn't seem worth explaining to the doctor, though ;)
Congratulations on your progress. It sounds as though you're about to "graduate" from this GI doc. I'm seeing my PCP next week, hoping she'll be the right one to work with ongoingly - and if not, I'll be doctor shopping, too. (I think the Enterolab results are a good litmus test for this - if it's dismissed out of hand, that's not a good sign; if it's engaged, even with some skepticism, I can work with that.)
I took Asacol many years ago. It may or may not have helped (my MC did go away, though I was unaware of the diet connection). I'm not sure whether the Asacol deserves the credit, and eventually I just stopped taking it (yup, your doctor is wrong about that, too). While I was taking it, I became spectacularly intolerant of lactose, presumably because I was taking a 'full dose' in the pill - I figured this out by myself. Ibuprofen was definitely one of the agents that brought on MC for me, too. Looking back on it, I should have been asking myself why I felt it necessary to take 'Vitamin I' so frequently!
It's possible you won't need the Asacol, since you are removing food irritants; I think it's likely you'll be able to reduce or eliminate it (as you have already done with the Entocort - good for you!). Doesn't seem worth explaining to the doctor, though ;)
Congratulations on your progress. It sounds as though you're about to "graduate" from this GI doc. I'm seeing my PCP next week, hoping she'll be the right one to work with ongoingly - and if not, I'll be doctor shopping, too. (I think the Enterolab results are a good litmus test for this - if it's dismissed out of hand, that's not a good sign; if it's engaged, even with some skepticism, I can work with that.)