New to pentasa

[Bowmancrew]

I just started taking pentasa. First, would you say 3-4 weeks till you started to notice it helping? Is the point of the med to stop the flare or minimize symptoms? Or both. I saw this med can cause cramps and d. But can it cause c? and for those with more c then d what do you do to help besides taking laxitives? I am only on 2 pills 2 times a day however then said I can go up to 4 pills 2 times a day. I must admit some days I am lucky to remember to take it once. So I need to work on that. I am also on a gluten, rice and yeast free diet. For the past week I feel good no cramps or pain but not going until today still no pain but blood. I am still trying to learn about this disease and now the med. also I have a slow transit time. Now with pentasa I am told it is to release at certain areas. From the time I eat something till it comes out (sorry) is about 5 days. Do you think that will affect when the pentasa is releasing in me?

 

[Rebecca85]

Pentasa is quite a mild med that is most useful in maintaining remission rather than stopping a flare. It does take a little while to work, but if your symptoms are severe you may need a course of steroids or something too.

Your transit time shouldn't affect the release of the med too much, as I believe it is pH controlled (your stomach is acid, so the Pentasa is designed to release in the more alkaline conditions in the intestines). However it may not reach all the way to your rectum!

I am not sure about it causing constipation, however to deal with constipation laxatives are not recommended on a long term basis as the bowel can come to rely on them. Have you tried bulking agents (like fibre supplements) that make your stool bigger and softer and easier to pass? And it's also important to drink plenty of water!

As for remembering your pills, you need to work it into your daily routine. Like I take my morning meds with breakfast. I also have a pill caddy so if I'm not sure if I took my pills it's easy to check (the caddy also acts as a prompt to take my evening dose before bed!)

 

[ctrl z]

I take 4g (8 pills) Pentasa daily. Before starting this medicine, I always struggled with constipation. Now, I have one or two normal bowel movements daily. I don't take anything to help with bowel movements. Just whole foods. Lots of veggies and fruit.

I can't remember how long it took until I noticed a change.

 

[sawdust]

But can it cause c?

I take 2 Pentasa 3 times a day (3g). I have been told that this is a "maintenance drug," and that while it may help you come out of a flare, it's real purpose is to help you remain in remission once you achieve it. As others have said, it is a quite mild drug as far as they go with this disease. I would ask your GI these questions. Constipation and blood are things your GI should know about and address with you.

Now with pentasa I am told it is to release at certain areas. From the time I eat something till it comes out (sorry) is about 5 days. Do you think that will affect when the pentasa is releasing in me?

Firstly, you don't need to apologize for "details" here. We're used to them and we have some of the world's finest poop sleuths in our membership. I can't speak to the exact scientific way that Pentasa releases in your body, but I can tell you that it's not uncommon for me to see granules of the medicine in my stool. I believe there are other varieties of mesalamine with other releases. I think it's reasonable to conclude that your GI chose Pentasa for you based on where your body needs it delivered. If you're concerned about it, I would ask your GI.

 

[Bowmancrew]

Thank you all for the respond. I do have a mild case, so mild meds make sense. I am more c then d with this disease. I get "episodes" of d. Honestly I just read the thread about obstructions. And my episodes sound like partial obstructions. But how knows. My gi said he doesn't use prednisone because of all the side effects. He originally told me to take 2 twice a day but when he phoned the Rx in he said to take 4 pills twice a day. I was planning on contining with 2 but since I have been bleeding the past few days I think I will increase it. Thankfully no pain. I really do believe the diet has been helping. Finding out the foods I am allergic too has really help. I wonder if I should be on asacol instead of pentasa . My c-scopes were always good but my Prometheus indicates that uc is more dominate then crohns in me. Does pentasa work for both uc and cd?i go to the gi again the middle of jan. Thank you again for replying to me.

 

[Kimba12]

My reading has indicated that pentasa is used for both crohns and uc, however pentasa is used for crohns in the terminal ileum and upper colon. Asacol is used for just the colon. I believe it's due to the coatings and where the meds are released in your system. I just started pentasa as well, and found this thread to get the same question answered! Best of luck to you -

 

[rollinstone]

My gp said it takes between 6-8 works to take full effect, Ive been on it a month with limited success so far, hoping it kicks in soon!

 

[DennisD]

I have a mild case of Crohn's and I have been on 8 pills a day for a very long time. I never ever thought it worked and I used to self medicate, cutting my dosage as much to save money as I just didn't think it did anything.
Then my insurance got terminated and I ran out of pentasa, the refill for a months supply went from $50 to $850! I was off it for a couple weeks and woke up one morning with my belly inflamed. For he 1st time I ended up in the ER.
I am back on full dose of pentasa, the tuff works, my GI says is the mildest maintenance drug out there, I am on a 3 month 3mg course of Entocort. Entocort completely controls any Crohn's symptoms, it also is known to wreak havoc on our hips.

It took me a long while to come to terms with the fact that I will be dependent on these drugs he rest of my life, but the reality that so far I have meds that work and have minimal side affects is a remarkable gift I am thankful for.

Here is to y hoping that ramped up research into feces infusions into the GI tract are the key to curing all these horrendous GI diseases that so debilitate so many.



Dennis

 

[QuicksWife]

I have been on pentesa since november of 2011. This drug has worked wonders for me. I take 4 pills in the morning and 4 pills at lunch. It did take a week or more for it to kick in and when I didn't take if for a couple of days, I would not feel well at all. I did have some d at first but now I have alot more c. Good luck!

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[Cozmo]

I'm still waiting for Pentasa to work. I've been on it 9 weeks now, but when I've tried coming off predisone I was in flare up within 24hours. Maybe I'm gonna need something stronger. My Crohns was described as 'long standing' which I'm guessing means pretty severe. Does anyone here know what drug to try next instead of Pentasa?