Pentasa

[mere282]

Starting pentasa and really nervous. I've been on encort for almost 3 months
And I'm tapering down now. It's helped a lot
Any experiences with this med would be appreciated

 

[valleysangel92]

I had pentasa for about 3-4 weeks when i was flaring. It seemed to help a little but i was later told i should of had entocort instead and started that. Since youve already had entocort the pentasa should hopefully be more helpful for you. What dose are you taking? How are you finding tapering?

 

[Amy2]

Son has been taking 6 Pentasa a day since March and we haven't noticed any ill effects.

 

[mere282]

I'm starting the last 6weeks on entocort 1 a day..
The dose is 2pills 4 times a day

 

[mere282]

Tapering has been ok I guess. I noticed a small
Increase in symptoms.

 

[valleysangel92]

How strong are the pills? I was on 1000mg ones

Yeah i found the same thing when i tapered.. I had to go back up on a higher dose for a little while

 

[mere282]

500 I think ... I just got them from the pharmacy
$$$ later. 3mg entocort

 

[valleysangel92]

I really hope they help you . Glad to see you're on the final step with the entocort too.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Pentasa is the mildest of the IBD medications and usually only provides relief to those with mild disease or those taking it as an adjunct to other therapy.

I took 8 pills a day years ago. I don't know if it did anything or not. I often hear the analogy that its like a topical cream like neosporin for the guts but won't help much if your guts are deeply inflamed at the inner levels.

I hated taking so many pills a day because I already took a bunch of other stuff but they are pretty blue pills lol. Hope it helps you.

 

[mere282]

Yeah my dr said lets start with the less aggressive
Meds first. Then change if we need to. I'm
Really hoping its a mild case. Cause I read
So much that scares me. I lost weight with
My first flare but nothing crazy. So I don't
Look sick.

 

[purdueCrohns]

It's the tamest of the crohn's drugs. I've been on it for 13 years. Many of us stay on it as a maintenance drug when we go to stronger meds. There is absolutely nothing to be scared of with pentasa

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Pentasa has a few side effects but generally it is well tolerated. Whether it helps or not it most likely won't hurt.

 

[purdueCrohns]

The biggest side effect for me is when I pop some in my pocket to take while I'm out... I forget... and stain my pants blue when I do the laundry haaha

 

[nogutsnoglory]

That's funny! I didn't think they would stain. They are super blue!

 

[mere282]

Yes super blue! And huge.. Lol

 

[purdueCrohns]

I'm just happy they make 500 mg tablets. When I was first diagnosed they only came in 250s. 2 pills x 4 a day is much less of a pain than 4x4

 

[mere282]

Ugh it's hard enough to do the the 2 at a time

 

[purdueCrohns]

I would also make sure you're getting good nutrition. A lot of people with Crohn's take Folic Acid and Vitamin D supplements. That can help increase the likelihood of holding remission. I would also recommend exploring a probiotic or increasing yogurt intake. I swear by yogurt as a supplementary maintenance medication. Lower sugar content yogurts tend to be best. I go with Greek yogurt.

Crohn's management can be much more effective when you do a lot of the little things to increase your chances.

 

[mere282]

I'm taking a liquid calcium with d in it..
I try to eat yogurt but I'm never really hungry
Breakfast is the only meal I seem to tolerate
Egg or egg whites gluten free toast turkey bacon
But I have the worst sugar cravings! I'm an x-smoker
And I'm hooked on jaw breakers. I don't drink soda
I try to eat little things through the day. It's just hard
I think food=pain so I do soup or sweet potato's
No butter or dairy really. I haven't found a lot of things
That either appeal to me or don't bother my stomach. Like I said
This is so new to me still. A lot to learn

 

[purdueCrohns]

Have you tried nutritional shakes? They are good for nutrition if you are not having and appetite

 

[mere282]

I've been trying differnt ones.