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Mezavant vs Sulfasalazine

Hi,

I am 44 years old and have had stomach problems for about 20 years. I have finally been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease which is somewhat of a relief.
I was prescribed Sulfasalazine but reacted badly (heart palpitations, severe headache, dizziness). My Dr has prescribed Mezavant which I haven't started yet as I am worried about side effects. Anyone have anything they can share about these drugs?
 
I have Crohns Disease. I don't have any personal experience. I just read (please others correct me if I am wrong) information that said don't take if you are allergic to sacilytes(including aspirin).I have always been told to avoid aspirin because it could cause bleeding. You want to ask your doctor about this. Let us know.
 

Scipio

Well-known member
Location
San Diego
Mezavant is a formulation of mesalamine, which is more useful for ulcerative colitis than it is for Crohn's. It still gets prescribed for Crohn's, but some publications suggest that it works no better than placebo, and in any case it works only to reduce inflammation on the inner surface of the gut. In Crohn's the disease extends through all layers of the gut and not just the surface. So it may not prove to be the best drug for your Crohn's.

Sulfasalazine is a related formulation - another salicylate, but it is also a sulfa drug. And many people, including me, have allergies to sulfa. So whether you will react badly Mezavant as you did to sulfasalazine depends on what was causing the problem. If you react badly to salicylates then both drugs will likely bother you. But if your problem was sulfa allergy then Mezavant may not cause a repeat of the bad reaction.
 
I agree it could have been a sulfa allergy. I have taken a few different mesalamine drugs and some I did great with, others not so much. Some of this disease is trial and error. I have Crohn's and take Colazal which is usually prescribed for ulcerative colitis. I suspect it works for me because I have thus far only had the disease in the colon. Sorry I don't know anything about Mezavant.
 
Hi, thanks very much for your responses.
I am on day three of Mezavant and seems to be okay at the moment.
Fingers crossed.
 
I had ok results with sulfasalazine in 2008 but them when we found out I had built an allergic reaction to Cipro the doctor stopped prescribing it.
 
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