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Meds working

I have recently been diagnosed with Crohn's and started Salofalk 4 days ago. I know its early days but am wondering how long until you start feeling better?
 

Cross-stitch gal

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Vancouver,
I'm afraid it's hard to tell because each person is different. But, I would think I'd give it a week or two to see how the medication does. If your symptoms haven't improved by then, I'd make sure to contact your doctor's office.
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
Salofolk isn't a 5-Asa . Which only treats the surface layer of the intestine . Crohns affects all layers of the intestine . It works very well for UC which only affects the top layer but s not recommended as a monotherapy for crohns. We were told most Gi like to start with it since it's like guving aspirin for a brain tumor - not going to hurt too much but not going to help much either . For Ds we were told when he started pentasa at dx that we would know if it was working one way or another after 30 days. If he wasn't back to normal then it wasn't working.
If his case he continued to get worse and the second opinion doc recommended steriods plus 6-mp to get things under control
 
I guess at this stage until I am better educated I will trust my doctor, she is an associate professor and one of the best. From my understanding Crohn's is about managing symptoms as there is no cure. Im hoping my meds do the job and I don't need steroids as prolonged steroid use can create a whole lot of serious medical problems.
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
Steriods are not used long term
Many try to avoid them at all costs
Some use exclusive enteral nutrition ( formula only no food) to reduce inflammation instead especially in children
But sometimes even that doesn't work

Steriods are a "rescue" med that is used to get the inflammation under control so that your maintainance med ( 5-Asa in your case) can take over and keep the inflammation from coming back and doing more damage.
Symptoms are not reflective of the extent of disease
Tagging Clash

Here is the ccfa presentation on the risks vs benefits of the different drugs used in crohns
http://www.ccfa.org/assets/pdfs/risk-and-benefits-transcript.pdf

Hopefully 5-Asa will work for you . Typically though they are not enough alone .
The first year or so is very hard just from learning all of the different med and symptoms and finding the right combo that works for your crohns
There is no right answer and what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another
Good luck
 
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