Hi everyone,
I’m a thin, 33 year old man who is otherwise healthy but has mysterious, rapidly worsening osteoarthritis in the hips and knees. I just read that some Crohn’s medications can cause joint problems and wanted your feedback. Here is my situation:
When I was about 15, I had several digestive problems for about a 6 month period and was diagnosed with Crohn’s. It was considered an ambiguous case – they thought it was Crohn’s but it wasn’t definitive. After about 6 months, the symptoms went away and I’ve been symptom free ever since. They put me on Pentasa, which we later switched to Asacol, and I’ve been on Asacol for about 15 years. I’ve had lots of blood tests, X-rays, and MRIs. I’ve seen physical therapists, orthopedists, nutritionists, podiatrists, and rheumatologists but no one knows why my joints are deteriorating rapidly. Both hips and knees have at least moderate osteoarthritis and the right hip is now at a point where every week it feels noticeably worse than the previous week. It’s scary! The arthritis symptoms started about 3 years ago. In that time period, I went from being able to play basketball twice a week to now having discomfort just from walking. I think I have the joints of a 75 year old!
Could this be related to my long-term use of Asacol? I’m tempted to just stop the Asacol since I’m not even convinced I ever had Crohn’s anyway. I could schedule an apt with a GI doctor but I’d probably have to wait a few weeks for that apt and then the doc will probably want to do tests and I’ll have to wait for the tests to come back. The thought of how much worse my joints could get in the meantime is scary. I’m also thinking an MD will probably be working from the “all drugs are good” perspective and be quite skeptical of my theory that Asacol is playing a role in the Crohn’s. I’ll still set up an apt with one but I’m thinking of at least cutting my dose in half if not stopping altogether in the meantime. I know patients generally shouldn't manage their own prescriptions but I feel my situation is quite urgent. I appreciate any feedback you have. Thanks!
I’m a thin, 33 year old man who is otherwise healthy but has mysterious, rapidly worsening osteoarthritis in the hips and knees. I just read that some Crohn’s medications can cause joint problems and wanted your feedback. Here is my situation:
When I was about 15, I had several digestive problems for about a 6 month period and was diagnosed with Crohn’s. It was considered an ambiguous case – they thought it was Crohn’s but it wasn’t definitive. After about 6 months, the symptoms went away and I’ve been symptom free ever since. They put me on Pentasa, which we later switched to Asacol, and I’ve been on Asacol for about 15 years. I’ve had lots of blood tests, X-rays, and MRIs. I’ve seen physical therapists, orthopedists, nutritionists, podiatrists, and rheumatologists but no one knows why my joints are deteriorating rapidly. Both hips and knees have at least moderate osteoarthritis and the right hip is now at a point where every week it feels noticeably worse than the previous week. It’s scary! The arthritis symptoms started about 3 years ago. In that time period, I went from being able to play basketball twice a week to now having discomfort just from walking. I think I have the joints of a 75 year old!
Could this be related to my long-term use of Asacol? I’m tempted to just stop the Asacol since I’m not even convinced I ever had Crohn’s anyway. I could schedule an apt with a GI doctor but I’d probably have to wait a few weeks for that apt and then the doc will probably want to do tests and I’ll have to wait for the tests to come back. The thought of how much worse my joints could get in the meantime is scary. I’m also thinking an MD will probably be working from the “all drugs are good” perspective and be quite skeptical of my theory that Asacol is playing a role in the Crohn’s. I’ll still set up an apt with one but I’m thinking of at least cutting my dose in half if not stopping altogether in the meantime. I know patients generally shouldn't manage their own prescriptions but I feel my situation is quite urgent. I appreciate any feedback you have. Thanks!
