Possible Crohns - Given 3mg of Budenofalk (Entocort) as Treatment?

[moose185]

I was diagnosed with possible Crohn's disease today the MRI scan I had showed inflammation in my small intestine which they also seen in the colonoscopy and biopsies they took bloods as well today. However the inflammation can also be caused by TB so it's a bit difficult to give a definite diagnosis.

The doctor prescribed me with 3mg of 'budenofalk'

Has anyone else tried this treatment for crohns? Did you have success with it?

I've been told to take it for 6 weeks I'm a bit worried about it all. I really hope I'm getting the best treatment.

 

[Jennifer]

Inflammation in the intestines can be caused by LOTS of things, more than just TB so yes indeed getting a definite diagnosis can be very difficult unfortunately.

Budenofalk is another name for Entocort which is a steroid yet has less side effects than Prednisone. I've taken it many times and am actually taking it again right now. The capsules are 3mg each yet just 3mg a day is a low dose. A more common dose is 9mg/day for 3 months (which is what I'm on now for inflammation in my ileum). Although from your post you mentioned that you have inflammation in your small intestine. By chance does that mean your ileum? Some doctors just say small intestine when they really mean the ileum, least that's what I'm hoping in this case because Entocort only treats the ileum and ascending colon. So if you do have inflammation further up in the small intestine past the ileum then Entocort may not work for you.

Another thing to keep in mind is that steroids in general are meant for short term treatment. They treat active inflammation only but do nothing to prevent it. Talk to your GI about maintenance medication to help keep you in remission assuming a low dose of Entocort alone would even be able to put you into remission. There are a lot of maintenance meds out there. Some of the ones I've tried are 6MP, Asacol, Humira, Remicade and Methotrexate (these can be taken by themselves or in combination with other meds, it really just depends on how you respond to them).

Good luck and keep us posted on how you're doing.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I have been on Entocort many times and it is quite effective and rapid at bringing things under control. The nice part of Entocort as opposed to other steroids like Prednisone is they are released in the gut and you are less likely to have side effects.

As Jennifer said, steroids are a bridge therapy. They are effective at helping you in the short term but are dangerous and not used for maintenance treatment. It's important to discuss with your doctor what therapy maybe appropriate for you. Many of the maintenance drugs can take weeks to kick in so you want to begin on one of those soon so you aren't left with a gap in treatment after you stop taking the Entocort.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

 

[moose185]

does it take a long time to work? I've taken it for 3 days so far but not noticed much difference, maybe a slight decrease in pain.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I had a GI who told me it works in a matter of 3-4 days. I think that's probably not entirely accurate and it varies person to person. There are many accounts on the forum and the Internet on how long it took to work for people but I couldn't find a definitive medical source to link to that answers the question, probably because it depends on the person and the severity of their condition.

 

[Jennifer]

That's the same problem I have when looking up how long it takes Entocort to work. From what I read it can take a few days up to a few weeks (less than a month though). Like NGNG said, it depends not only on the person but the severity of the condition. If you've already noticed a decrease in pain then that's awesome. Hopefully that will continue and you'll feel even better within a few more days. If things don't really get better though or get worse then talk to your GI about increasing the dose. I'd bring it up with them before the 6 week time frame that they suggested so you aren't kept on steroids longer than you need to be.

As mentioned though talk to your GI about maintenance medication because the steroids may help for now but once you stop them you may be right back where you started. Prevention is key.