Mesalamine

[Seb]

HI, i am about to start this meds for my crohns. have been told to take 2 tabs in morning and my Spec didnt think that there would be any serious side effects. he said that this stops any inflammation from happening, is this correct and what side effects if any do people experience. thanks

 

[wolfem]

Well, it generally has the least side effects or maybe I'm wrong. At any rate, I was on 8 capsules and had some side effects like joint/muscle pain and sore throat. That is about all that I had. When I lowered the dosage some of the side effects lessened a bit.

The pentasa helped me for a very short time and then stopped helping. Everyone is different though.

 

[David]

It's potentially correct. Which form of mesalamine were you prescribed and where is your Crohn's Disease active?

 

[poopmachine]

Hi all! It's unfortunate that we all have to meet under these circumstances.
Ahh, yes the purpose of my message....a little history first.....
in the early spring of this year i noticed i was having some issues, first week or 2 i figured i had some kind of a flu or big etc.....then these issues did not get any better and didnt go away, went to get checked out, was sent for a scope....the day i had the scope i was handed a prescription for mesasal from the nurse....i didnt get to consult wit the doc after the scope just boom heres some pills...did some research and figured well might as well try it out.....i took it for a short time less then 3 weeks, and i spent a week in the worst pain of my life......i assumed it was a crohns flare up....however...since the spring when i noticed the symptoms i had not had any pain....but i still just figured ok crohns flare up yay....but at the same time wondered if it was the mesasal causing the pain....so i decided to stop taking it made an appointment with the doc....and he puts me back on and increased the dosage.....less than a week later here i am in pain again.....went to the hospital after spending literally 4 nites with zero sleep at all due to the pain, turns out i had pancreatitis caused by the mesasal.....no longer taking that

 

[KatyBuckeye]

My GI prescribed a form of mesalamine called Lialda when I was first diagnosed. I was also told the same thing- it is the mildest of the drugs used to treat Crohn's and it wasn't likely to cause a lot of side effects. What the doctor didn't tell me is that for about 1 in 20 individuals, the medication will cause colitis. Which means that it may increase your Crohn's symptoms. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to me. It drastically increased diarrhea, abdominal pain, and caused bleeding (I had never had blood in the stool before). It also caused my hair to fall out in clumps. My new GI doesn't believe mesalamine is the best drug to treat Crohn's, although it can be useful in ulcerative colitis. I have heard of it helping some people with Crohn's and it is a relatively mild drug, so it is worth trying. Just be on the lookout for any increase in symptoms and make sure that you report them to your doctor. If your doctor acts like the drug couldn't possibly be causing an increase in symptoms (like my old GI did), get a new doctor. Good luck, I hope it helps you!

 

[lindbergh]

Was diagnosed in June with Crohns.
Was put on Mesalamine (Assocol)
9 pills a day wonder drug
It has stopped the pain and I am going
to the bathroom only twice a day.
I am 19 and a sophmore in college
I am having fun again