I guess compared to a lot of people here I have pretty moderate UC. I'm on Asacol, which generally kept things in check, but then I'd have bad patches where I'd have cramps for a few weeks, till things settled down. With the consent of my doctor, I started taking a probiotic over a year ago and it has been great. Now, when I have a flare up, it usually lasts a day or two, not a week or two.
I don't have a ton of bleeding, just some spots, so I don't change my meds for bleeding or not.