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Pentasa- side effects?

pentasa- side effects?

i'm 22 now and I can't complain because I feel fine now after being diagnosed with colitis about a year ago. I'm done with predinoze (probably going to spell everything wrong) which in on one hand I did not like because of the bad side effects, but I must say it had good results, and then was put on something called 6mp for the code name. I do not think I actually noticed any side effects from this despite the massive amounts of warnings and after 2 months on this drug it pretty much made me feel normal combined with low dosages of the predinzone which they tapered off to nothing. As of now I am just going about my normal life, but I notice that it has become crucial that I stick to pretty much an absolute pattern of eating and taking pills. I find that when I wake up in the morning I am just real drowsy and out of it and must immediately eat and take pills which are 6mp and 8 500mg pentasa's 2 X 4. If I do not eat enough and take the pills then I will be even more out of it. Or if I eat too much and take the pills i'm pretty much feel like throwing up and have the urge to burp for a few hours. I find if I go without food and the pentasa for awhile it leads to more then just hunger, but a state of drowziness and being out of it. I feel like the colitis really isn't an issue as much anymore as I feel healthy and I am having normal patterns in terms of going to the bathroom, but I think my issue deals with managaing the pills and not feeling drowzy and out of it. Does anyone have experiences like this with pentasa and is there other alternatives I should look at. I almost feel like I have become dependent on them just to feel undrozy and not normal, and I do not the actual benefits really being offered. I know they are supposed to keep you in a state of remission though. I mean I can easily get by with the way things are going and I can't complain at all, because I am not in a bad health state now, but if i'm going to be on these the rest of my life I want to try to figure these issues out early on. Also, what are people's experience with drinking on pentasa. I went awhile without drinking when I was initially sick and was the prednizone, but at my age it is almost crucial that I am able to go out on friday or saturday night and drink with other people. I find that drinking beer is not a problem at all, but I have to wait about 4-5 hours after the dosage of pentasa. When I tried drinking a shortwhile after the pentasa it makes you really dehydtrated and pretty ruins the night. My other friend who is on the equivalent of pentasa which starts with an A, said he can drink whenever and doesn't have the side issues i'm having so is it an option to switch. Basically just wondering people's experiences with the drug in general. Thanks in advance
 
I

Isla

Guest
Asacol and Pentasa actually have the same medicine in them. The difference between the two is the coating on the pills. The coatings have to go beyond the stomach without getting dissolved and dissolve where they are supposed to. Pentasa has a gradual release whereas Asacol relies on pH to dissolve the outer coating.

Check out this page for easy to read info on the medicine itself:

http://www.gastro-info.co.nz/salicylates.htm

Pentasa should have no effect on whether you are tired or not as it only effects the lower small bowel and the colon. Your tiredness may be from the disease itself or another cause, so if it is effecting your daily life it needs to be addressed by a doctor. If you have concerns about the medication and side effects you could try speaking to your doctor about trying Asacol. Remember for some people Pentasa works but Asacol doesn't (mainly because of the system of delivery.)

Hope this helps!

*EDIT* - BTW I am on 2.4 grams of Asacol a day (I take 2, 400mg tablets 3 times a day) and I sometimes even take my pills with a glass of wine. I love my wine :)
 
H

H20 86

Guest
Pentasa works fine for me.. im on the same 2x4 day. It's just those damn pills are big and getting them down is hard.

Talk to ur Doctor
 
For about 16 months until January this year I was on Asacol, highest dose up to 4.8 grams/day (12 pills). Asacol was highly suspect in worsening my D, as it can often make the small bowel secrete more fluid, and for severe Crohns Colitis, your colon is far too inflammed to do its duty and absorb the said extra fluids, thus, equating to even more bathroom trips. I was told Asacol and its analogues are for mild/moderate Crohns.
 

Kev

Senior Member
I take 4 g of Salofalk (another 5-ASA like Asacol or Pentasa). There is debate re how effective 5-ASA is for CD... seems to work better for colitis. I notice I void a lot more with 5-ASA... like a racehorse on steroids. Other than that, I don't have a problem with it.. least not like the early days of taking it. Then I had to experiment, get my body accustomed to taking it.. but that settled down. I do get cramping from it, but I've written that off to it doing its job...
 
I am taking Pentasa granules and I have not noticed any side effects from them - I as taking mine with wine last night at a BBQ.

I suffer from tiredness but I think it's the disease more than the tabs.

I do drink a lot of water anyway so dehydration is only an issue when my D is really severe.
 
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