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Can pentasa cause abdominal pain?

Location
Canada
Has anyone found that Pentasa caused abdominal pain. My son has recently (last 2 nights) had severe cramping in his lower left quadrant. The only thing that has changed recently is the addition of Pentasa to his treatment. This pain also coincides with the first solid BM in months but the pain does not immediately precede a BM. Anyone have any thoughts?

Another question. Does anyone take anything for this type of pain? Tylenol doesn't do anything for him. Is there something stronger we could be using? I don't really want him on strong pain meds but last night was torture for him. :(
 
Sorry to hear about the increase in pain. No idea about that but hope you manage to get it sorted out soon! My son was given dihydracodeine which is quite strong so that he could get through his dressing changes. I know it can make them a bit sleepy. Here I can only get it on prescription - the over the counter pain meds never help my son either. Hope it settles down.
 
Hi Twiggy,

Abdominal pain is listed as one of the side effects of Pentasa so it could be that. Did your son ever get pain before he started the Pentasa or is it completely new? As it is also a common symptom of Crohns too. If he is tapering on the pred it could also be that he is flaring again, which is quite common once people reach lower doses of 10-20mg.

I suffer with awful Crohn's pain but have never been offered pain meds. Paracetamol (Tylenol) does nothing for me either. When things are really bad I have a heat pack that goes in the microwave which I find is the best thing for my pain.

Hope things settle down soon but if not I'd get in touch with your sons GI for advice.
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
Oh man Twiggy, so not fair for your boy, bless him...:hug:

I don't have any experience here with Pentasa hun.

As far as pain relief goes could you step up to something with codeine in it? Once you do start stepping up constipation would be something to be mindful of. In the case of my kids all the docs here, GI's and otherwise seem to go from Panadol straight to Endone. It is much stronger drug, Oxycodone, but it certainly has worked for them.

Perhaps another thing to consider, if you aren't already doing it, is to give the Tylenol at regular intervals for a few days, rather than when the pain strikes, and see how that goes.

Dusty. xxx
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
:ghug: For your LO.

Did the doc give you miralax to help with the constipation?

WE had pentasa but stomach pain has been my lo's MO since day one so not really sure on that one.
 
Devynn was on Pentasa and her tummy aches seemed to get better. I do know it is one of the side effects. Did he have these pains before the Pentasa? I give Devynn tylenol for any types of pain. Our IBD dr said NEVER used Ibuprophen. I would give your dr a call and let them know your worry and ask about pain meds. I hope he feels better soon.
 
Location
Canada
Called the GI clinic and didn't really get any new advice on how to treat the pain. Yesterday was horrible until about 5pm and then things seemed to subside. So last night I didn't hook him up to the NG tube and instead let him drink some Boost. Normally he gets Modulen via the overnight NG tube feeds but he hates the taste but can tolerate chocolate Boost. So today we are going to try just drinking the Boost throughout the day and see how it goes. So far so good.

Having a fecal calprotectin test done on Monday. Haven't had this test done yet so I'm interested to see what the results are.
 
So sorry to hear that S had such a hard time yesterday! Does a heating pad help his cramping? I hope today continues to be better.

Our doctor also mentioned the fecal calprotectin test at last weeks appointment and of course I thought of imaboveitall :). It would be nice to have some sort of reliable inflammation marker!

Btw, my S loved playing with your S on the Xbox. I heard him tell one of his friends about his "Crohn's buddy". Just "knowing" someone else is out there and the same age as him with crohn's has been helpful to him. I think he feels less alone. It was heartwarming to hear them talking via headset :)
 
Location
Canada
Dropped off the stool sample for the fecal calprotectin test today. Thought of you, Julie, as I drove up to a downtown office building with my brown paper bag. :ylol:

Something has to change... Pain is becoming more frequent... He hasn't made it to school yet this week. We have a GI appointment tomorrow.

Shelley - ditto re: the xbox. :)
 

Tesscorm

Moderator
Staff member
Aww, that is so great that your boys connected! :emot-waycool: Its so nice that they now have a friend who totally gets what they're dealing with! :D

Twiggy - hope all went okay at apptmt today! :ghug:
 
Location
Canada
Apparently I can no longer keep days straight. The appointment is tomorrow not today!!!

He is still having lots of pain so I am about done waiting for the Imuran to kick in. His leg is no better and the Physio thinks it is the sacroiliac joint that is inflamed. He hasn't been able to walk for 6 weeks!!! Given that arthritis is treated with methotrexate and remicade I'm thinking it makes sense to ditch the Imuran for either, or both, of these drugs. I'm leaning towards starting with methotrexate and adding Remi later if needed. Watching him in pain is killing me!!!

On a positive note today he is free of the evil prednisone!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy to see that drug finish. And tomorrow he is going to have some noodles, oh happy day!!!

Shelley and Tess - how are your boys doing?
 

Tesscorm

Moderator
Staff member
Stephen had back pain for months prior to diagnosis. As he had injured his back the summer before and then began hockey in the fall, we all assumed the injury hadn't healed yet and kept reinjuring through hockey (plus, he'd had a huge growth spurt, close to 12", and his GP thought ligaments, muscles, etc. were all more vulnerable as they adjusted to the new height). Poor kid, I feel guilty now because he kept saying that it wasn't normal for someone his age to have so much back pain and we kept telling him to not slouch and be more careful in hockey. :voodoo: (stabby aimed at me! :(). Anyway, once the EN got the crohns under control, his back hasn't hurt once! :) But, while it did hurt, he found Tiger Balm ointment helped ALOT. He carried this stuff with him everywhere and used it before games, before bed, etc. I don't think there would be any conflict with any other meds and you can just buy it at Walmart, drug stores, etc. Certainly won't heal his knee pain but might give him some relief???

Stephen's doing 'okay', I guess... not really sure. He's been having some on/off symptoms, isn't feeling great and just isn't himself. He was already scheduled for an ultrasound and MRE next Thursday and, after speaking with the GI nurse, they're also going to run bloodwork... so, I guess we'll just see.

Woohoo for the noodles! :rof: I know how big a deal that is!!! :thumright::thumright:
 
Oh T, bless his little heart. I know how hard it is to watch them suffer. (((Hugs)))) to you! I'll be curious to hear what the doc has to say today. Today is our last day of pred too! WooHoo!! Darn stuff didn't do anything for us anyway.

My S has had a good week so far (please Lord let it continue). We've had 2 days of no blood and no cramping!! He has seemed more like himself which has been nice to see. I have been overly cautious with adding food back in. Scared to death that he will eat something that starts up the hurting in the tummy again. Have only given him noodles, bread and some ritz crackers so far.

Tess, I know you posted some where about what foods you gave Stephen when he started reintroducing foods but I can't find that thread. Can you point me in the right direction?
 

Tesscorm

Moderator
Staff member
Hey Shelley,

Great that Stefan's been doing well!!! So hope it continues as you add food back in!

Stephen's food was added back in stages, 3-4 days at each stage.

1 - 'white' foods - any type of bread (bagels, tortilla/wraps, sliced, etc.), noodles, rice, potatos (not fried), rice krispies or plain cereal (no milk), plain muffins. He was allowed a small bit of toppings - margarine, cream cheese, tomato sauce/salsa, etc. but as low fat/fibre as possible and just a bit. Some things I did were broth with rice and small bits of potato (he loved the rice AND potato idea! :lol:), toasted a tortilla and he dipped it in very strained salsa (almost like juice), grilled two tortillas with a little low fat cheese inside.

2 - proteins (low fat/lean) - any type (beef, chicken, fish, eggs, lamb, etc.) but I stuck with fish, chicken and eggs

3 - fruits/veggies - softer fruits/veggies - no seeds, no skins, no membranes ('skin' around orange segments)

4 - dairy - low fat

And then all else as tolerated... I pretty much added everything back but went slowly with foods that I thought might be a problem (i.e. steak, french fries, spicy, etc.

Permanent or limited restrictions are:

Seeds - sesame, sunflower, tomato, berries (ie no strawberries unless 'peeled' altho dietitien said blueberries, in moderation, are ok), etc. HOWEVER, while I strain tomato sauce at home, no breads with seeds (Stephen very aware when out re hamburger buns, etc.), I do let pizza slide :( It's his favourite food and I just hope that the amount of seeds he gets there won't be an issue. By the way, the issue seemed to be more an concern if there is thickening, the seeds can contribute to an obstruction (so I'm thinking that a few seeds here and there when he's feeling well are okay)

Popcorn, corn, nuts - nutella, peanut butter, etc. okay just not whole or 'pieces' of nuts (same reason as the seeds). Products made from corn haven't been an issue (corn chips), as Stephen doesn't like corn anyway, it hasn't been something that I've tried to add back.

Veggie/fruit skins - As he doesn't eat many fruit/veggies anyway I haven't had the opportunity to add much back ... But, the issue with skins is the fibre. He has had 'some' apple skin but usually I peel them, oranges are no problem, the other fruits/veggies are without skin (melons, pineapple, pureed soups, etc.)

Enjoy!!:ytongue:
 
Tess, you are SO awesome. Thank you so much for that. I think I will try him on a little bit of chicken tonight, along with his pasta and bread :). Crohn's + low fibre diet + picky eater = Hard to feed child!
 

Tesscorm

Moderator
Staff member
:lol: The formula does simplify some things! My friend who's daughter has crohns, has four kids - when her daughter did the EN, my friend joked that she would have so much more time if she could just line them up before bed and hook them all up (husband included)! :lol:
 
Location
Canada
Nothing earth shattering to report. The results from the fecal calprotectin test are still not back. No change in recommended treatment until that comes back. I don't know I go back and forth between wanting to change treatment NOW and wanting to wait a little longer for the Imuran to kick in. This is a nightmare.

We are getting referred to a rheumatologist for the hip issue.

Also going to try Buscopan for the abdominal pain. I hope it works!!!!
 
I'm sorrry T. Waiting for test results and not having a "plan" drive me insane!!! Hang in there!! Did S get noodles tonight? Is he drinking anything other than water?

We have Bentyl for ab pain. I give him one at bedtime in hopes of him not having morning cramping when it's usually the worst for him. I honestly don't know if it works or not. He hasn't been having much tummy pain but I don't know if it's the med or the fact that the bleeding has stopped for now. For fear of changing anything, I continue to give it to him. Hope the Buscopan gives him some relief!
 
Location
Canada
Hey Shelley,

So far his pain has been ok today which is good because last night was horrific. He had some noodles and I was shocked when he ate a few and declared that he was full!!! I guess it takes a bit to get the stomach used to solids again. He had a bit of a bagel tonight which he LOVED.

He was allowed clear fluids all along so he drinks Sprite, 7-Up, weak iced tea or diluted apple juice. I have been holding back the pop lately to see if that will reduce the abdominal pain but so far it has had no effect.
 
Last edited:
Location
Canada
Well I am almost reluctant to comment on how well my son is feeling for fear of jinxing it. He has been so good (knocking on all wood I can find) that I haven't even needed to give him any of the Buscopan. Could we be turning a corner??? I HOPE SO!

He told me yesterday that he figures when he feels normal it is going to not just feel normal to him it is going to feel AMAZING. Breaks my heart. I am soooooooo happy that he is feeling a bit better at the moment.
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
I hope so too! Good luck hun, may it keep on keeping on!

What a fab boy you have there Twiggy. :)

Dusty. xxx
 
Has anyone found that Pentasa caused abdominal pain. My son has recently (last 2 nights) had severe cramping in his lower left quadrant. The only thing that has changed recently is the addition of Pentasa to his treatment. This pain also coincides with the first solid BM in months but the pain does not immediately precede a BM. Anyone have any thoughts?

Another question. Does anyone take anything for this type of pain? Tylenol doesn't do anything for him. Is there something stronger we could be using? I don't really want him on strong pain meds but last night was torture for him. :(
Hi, I just joined the forum. My daughter was diagnosed 4 months ago with Crohn's. This is the first time I am using any forum. My daughter is 7 and yes!! Pentasa caused her the same symptoms that you described. She was miserable! She didn't have sever pains before using the Pentasa. We added 6MP and steroids but nothing helped until I decided to stop the Pentasa for few days because as soon as she took it she had cramps. As soon as we stopped with the Pentasa her cramps stopped. We are still on the other medications. I
 
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