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New to forum with questions about Asacol side effects

I was diagnosed with IBS/mild Crohn's in December; took my dr. years to diagnose (one even told me I was just allergic to lettuce!) I also have hypothyroid, and GERD; symptoms from those masked the CD for a long time. I was wondering, right off the bat, if new health issues I face are a result from the Asacol I've been taking for 6 months. Shortness of breath, creepy circulation feeling in legs, super tired, lower blood pressure than normal, and what really bothers me, is a feeling pain like I've been socked in the kidney. I've stopped taking it, but feeling all the symptoms tonight, and up late, and found this forum. I hope to participate since I'm really interested in maintaining good health despite having these issues. I've been reading some posts, and already feel like I'm in the right place!
 
Welcome to the forum! I took Asacol many years ago, but I don't remember experiencing any side effects. Here is a link about Asacol.

http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Asacol

I hope you start to feel better soon! Please talk to your doctor about what you are experiencing, perhaps Asacol is not the right med for you, but based on your symptoms after stopping, I think you do need to be on some type of med for Crohn's. :)
 
Hello. My experience with asacol. My daughter was on asacol for more than a year, no problems with low dose. Higher dose gave her chest pain and shortness of breath, I did some research and found out is a very rare side effect and a very dangerous one. I Talked to Dr. and he lower dose. Pain and shortness of breath disappeared. Months later she was having flare up symptoms that went away after stopping asacol. Hope this help.
 
Thanks for the good words. I actually was having all these symptoms in one fell swoop all through July and up to now, but stopping taking the Asacol only a couple days ago. I did a bunch of looking around online at what the serious side effects were, and came up with this. My doctors thought it was asthma - hence the inhalers, which didn't do anything - or just restless leg syndrome based on having flown a couple times on trips in July. And that the heat (in the upper '90's/low 100's, which, being from San Francisco, I'm not used to!!) exacerbated it all. But I really do think it's the Asacol, and am waiting to hear back from my GI doc. I felt like I was going to die - literally - the stuff was scaring me so badly. And no one made the connection but me, even though I asked them about drug interactions. I gather they are rare, so maybe they didn't think to look. But it's taken almost two months away from me, too tired to do much...so I'm hoping the drug is out of my system soon so I can try something else. Managing pretty well with diet, although, god, a Crohn's diet is boring! :)
 
Personally, Asacol literally saved me from a hospital stay. I haven't had any side effects except dark urine, if I don't drink enough water. That does not mean your reactions are not Asacol, but it seems like another look by your doctor is important. My son has a lot of allergies to medication and it turns out he's allergic to the organic grass components of the medications that might be used as a coating. Strange, huh?
 
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