side effects of entocort- anyone have these?

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:26 am

i have been on entocort for just about 2 months....it seems to be messing with my menstrual cycle, and it seems i have some extra facial hair....most of it light but near the hair line a little darker. have any of you experienced this? i assume these are minor side effects but i just don't like the facial hair thing. i assume if and when i stop the entocort the facial hair will go away?? (although i did buy facial hair removal cream yesterday)

Jan · Post by **Jan** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:02 am

I had already gone through menopause when I started taking Entocort so I didn't have any of your symptoms. I will say that the other day a plucked a dark hair off my chin. I haven't been on Entocort for over 3 years now.

Jan

explosive · Post by **explosive** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:53 pm

I had a complete hysterectomy in April and did not start the entocort until the end of September so I am not sure if the extra hair growth was from immediate menopause or the entocort.

Sharon

Dee · Post by **Dee** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:05 pm

I am beyond menopause, so I can't tell you if the Entocort is causing your cycle problems and I have not noticed any facial hair, except for the little annoying chin hair

that drives me nuts, that shows up about a month after I think that I have finally plucked it for the last time!

Dee~~~

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:27 pm

Past menopause (long past) when I started entocort.. chin hair plucker too:)

After being trapped in my house for three years with D, I wouldn't have cared if I had to shave my face every day once the entocort worked..LOL
grannyh

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:43 pm

I have had increased facial hear and pesky dark hairs on my neck and chin since my 30's It is one of the 'gifts' that comes with my PCOS. due to the hair follicle inflamation and excess hair I do take medication for it.
and once i was aware of my sensitivity to soy, i use facial products with minimal soy and that has helped my skin as well.

this was one of the motivators of healing the leaky gut and making sure my digestion was healthy, the times when i was in flare i noticed the hair amt and follicle inflammation got worse ie i was not absorbing the med properly.

harma · Post by **harma** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:30 am

When I started with entocort my menstruation was longer, more often en more severe. After a couple of months it was back to normal. When I told my GI and GP about this, they were not convinced at could have anything to do with entocort, since I am on a very small dose. But that is their opinion, for me it is clear it is caused by entocort.

In december I was lowering my entocort even more than I did before (I take part of the granules out of the capsule). At the same time I got problems again with my period. First I had a normal menstruation, but than 7 days later it came back and I kept on bleeding for about 10 days. I went to see my GP. He thought it was stress. I, again, think it has to do with changing the dosage of entocort.

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:50 am

I don't see how taking some of the granuals out of the entocort capsule would do much since they would be released too early in your system. The capsule is designed to release the granuals later... maybe I am confused about what you are doing.
granny

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:54 am

Granny I think (and could be quite wrong here) that the granules have the coating on them to activate later in the GI tract not the capsule. I think Harma was trying to adjust the dosage in much smaller steps.

--Joe

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:02 am

My GI doc said there is a tiny hole in the end of the capsule that allows the granules to be release later.. if they are released too early they won't work.. He said not to open it.

My neighbor is a nurse practitioner and when I asked her about halving a dose of medicine she said it is OK to cut a PILL but to never open a capsule... She said capsules are designed to release the medication at a specific rate and hard pills dissolve .. well that is the way I understood what she said:)
grannyh

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:12 am

Granny your right for time release preparations that you should not tamper with the capsule or crush a pill.

I did however find this write up on Entocort EC

http://www.druglib.com/druginfo/entocor ... rmacology/

Budesonide has a high topical glucocorticosteroid (GCS) activity and a substantial first pass elimination. The formulation contains granules which are coated to protect dissolution in gastric juice, but which dissolve at pH >5.5, ie, normally when the granules reach the duodenum. Thereafter, a matrix of ethylcellulose with budesonide controls the release of the drug into the intestinal lumen in a time-dependent manner.

This seems to suggest that at least for Entocort the enteric coating is on the granules not the capsule.

Good questions though.

--Joe

harma · Post by **harma** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:47 am

grannyh, since from day one I am doing very well on one capsule a day and on entocort (well I use budenofalk but is more or less the same) over a year, I am trying to find if I can survive on a lower dosage. I don't know about entocort, but the budenofalk capsules can be opened quite easily, than I take about one/third of the granules out (and throw away), I close the capsule again and swallow it. Instead of 3 mg, I take than about a 2 mg capsule. This I have been doing for 4 months, successfully and lately I am trying to cut it down to about 1,5 mg (taking halve out). It seems like 1,5 mg is to low for me to control my MC. And also (what I have been describing) in the earlier message, this latest change in dosage of budesonide also messed up my menstruation. I seem to be very sensitive to this medicine.

When I open the capsule and close, I don't have the idea it does anything to the capsule. I don't need to cut it or break something.

Also, what my pharmacist told me (here in the Netherlands) is that it is not the capsule that is responsible for time released activation of the granules but that a special coating on the granules is responsible for that. It is no problem to take, at least budenofalk, without the capsule. I am not sure if this is the same for entocort, but I do think so (reading Joe's message).

Harma

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:56 am

Since my neighbor talked to me about not messing with capsules I never tried to take an entocort apart.. let alone trying to remove anything.. heck I would need a huge magnifying glass to do any of that...LOL

As long as the pharmacist says it is OK, I can see why you tried this.
grannyh

Post by **tex** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:39 am

GrannyH,

Some capsules are sealed, and some are not. For those that are not, (such as Entocort EC), all they do is to keep the dose together, so that none of it is lost, before it gets into the GI tract. They play a very minor part in the time delay process, (unless they are sealed, and enteric coated, themselves).

As Joe, (and Harma), mentioned, both Entocort EC and Budenofalk contain enteric-coated, (pH-dependent), granules of budesonide, and they will function near-normally, without the capsule.

Tex

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:43 am

Good to know this new info about entocort.. never would have thought to lessen the dose in the 3 mg capsule.. way beyond my capability but sure might be helpful for others..
Grannyh