advise/help before dr appt today

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 7:51 am

I started off on Entocort and it didn't help me. I then went on asacol hd 800 mg and have been on it for the past 6 weeks and was doing great on it. 1 'norman' a day and no other problems. I stopped the asacol a few days ago bc like clock work 2 hours after i took my morning pills i would get a sore throat and horse voice. Also I was starting to get body aches especially back pain. So I have been off it for 2 days and my normans have become soft piles, and I have been going 3 times a day now. Is there another med anyone could reccommend at the point? Im going to see my dr today for a follow up..
thanks
Jenny

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:20 am

Jenny,

Any of the other mesalamine-based, (5-ASA), meds might work just as well, and hopefully, without the adverse reactions. Ask your doctor about Lialda, Apriso, Colazal, Pentasa, etc.

Sorry about the problems with the Asacol. I hope one of the other options will work for you.

Tex

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:22 am

I will write those meds down and ask my Doctor.
Thanks Tex!
ps- is it considered safe to take 5-ASA so often?

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:58 am

5-ASA stands for 5-aminosalicylic acid, which is a group of drugs based on mesalamine. The primary difference in the various drugs in this group is in the method by which they become activated in the GI tract. IOW, they each have a different type of enteric coating, micro-encapsulation, or some other type of delayed-release mechanism, so that they do not become active until they reach the lower third of the small intestine and the colon.

Yes, they are generally considered to be safe, with minimum side effects. Each has it's own dosing recommendations, of course. Asacol, (the original version), contains lactose, and it is believed that this is the reason why so many of us cannot tolerate it. Asacol HD is supposed to avoid that issue. The newest meds in the group, (other than Asacol HD), are Lialda and Apriso, I believe.

Tex

jmayk8 · Post by **jmayk8** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:00 am

thanks again,
I don't know why i was thinking it has asprin in it and me just assuming taking that everyday isn't good for you. That's where my thought process was..

natythingycolbery · Post by **natythingycolbery** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:35 am

jmayk8 wrote:I will write those meds down and ask my Doctor.
Thanks Tex!
ps- is it considered safe to take 5-ASA so often?

Jenny, when I was first diagnosed in August last year, my GI expected me to be on 4g Pentasa for at least a year!

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:04 pm

dr. just put me on lialda...just picked up the prescription today....hopefully this will work better for me!

Post by **tex** » Fri Apr 01, 2011 2:11 pm

Jenny wrote:I don't know why i was thinking it has asprin in it and me just assuming taking that everyday isn't good for you.

Well, since the name includes "aminosalicylic acid", (aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid), it's certainly not unreasonable to be concerned, and mesalamine is indeed structurally related to aspirin. However, in practice, even those who are hypersensitive to aspirin can generally be expected to tolerate melsalamine quite well, according to research studies.

Tex