Diagnosis day 5 - pentasa or azathioprine

[crunch]

diagnosis day 5 - pentasa or azathioprine

hey everyone,

symptoms for about a year; going lots, some urgency watery (mcsplurry!), gas and rumblings. One bloody episode drove me to GP in april, referred to surgical and eventually colonoscopy showed IBD in early july, though took til last week to get a diagnosis.

Apparently patchy - not all the way through - though serious in places and consultant wanted to put me on azathioprine and associated blood tests and got IBD nurse to ring me who was surprised that I've only had one course of steriods and one flare...

prednislone finished at end of august, since then been careful with diet (LOFFLEX) and apart from when eaten something new (pizza last week for a maternity leave party) its ok. Some rumbling and discomfort but otherwise pretty formed...

any advice - should I take the azathioprine as someone on one of the forums says as they don't always offer it, or ask for the pentasa - what sounds like a less heavy drug and keep aza as the big guns?

crunch
oxon

 

[muppet]

I'd say start with Pentasa/Asacol/Colazal/Rowasa/Canasa and see if you get relief there. They are the easiest to take and have the fewest side effects. You might want to see a dietician and/or nutritionist about dietary modifications like low-residue, no dairy, no caffeine, and couple the medication with that.

Diet is as important if not more important than meds for many if not most sufferers. That's not to say that most people can go without any meds--most can't--but diet is at least as important to be successful.

 

[crunch]

thansk muppet - I think diet is important but all the medical people say not as ulcers shown in colon which doesn't mind 'they' say...

Diet has been helping and Lofflex here is low fat low fibre exclusion where you try things from the no list and some things it doesn't like - like pizza which i was expecting a problem with as bread and tomato all on the no list and bready things I am finding are a problem, but was a special occasion!

 

[xJillx]

Hi and welcome! If it were me, I'd start with a 5 ASA (Pentasa, Lialda, etc.) and life style changes first. Then, if that doesn't work, you know what your next step will be. But it sounds like you may not need that next step for a little bit. If diet is helping a good amount, perhaps the pentasa will just do the trick to get you in remission.

Crossing my fingers for you!

 

[crunch]

Jill thanks - lets hope my diagnosis is not retracted...

as diet seems to be helping to contol at the moment, I'm somewhat reluctant to go for the big guns, but on the other side, if that's the advice I'm paying for, perhaps I should take it...?

 

[xJillx]

You make a good point; your doctor should know best.

Have you spoken to or seen your GI since stopping pred? Have you noted the improvement? Does your GI still believe aza is the best next step?

 

[crunch]

only seen consultant since stopping pred, before that was referred to surgery team and took ages for them to hand me off and even then the guy hadn't seen my records, tests etc...! typical.

He thinks diet only relevant if small bowel crohns, but only looked in colon, could be in bowel too... don't know if I hope or not!

anyhow, when I spoke to him didn't know of pentasa, will ask and see what response is, could be what they found was serious enough to go to next level even though only one flare.

time will tell, but continuing with lofflex as I think it helps and its not too hard to cope with day to day...

 

[muppet]

Diet is always relevant. Forgive me, but that's crap.