Just diagnosed...

Hi, I am a 44 year old female and have just been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. I had a bowel resection in 1995 for a twisted intestine, 2 bouts with a paralytic ileus, and just had a second bowel resection and a week in the hospital. I have been looking at medications to treat Crohn's and so far, I am just confused. Is there any medication that doesn't cause alot of side effects? Can anyone enlighten me as to what meds seem to work? I am not too freaked out about the diagnosis, I just want to get the right medication. Thanks for any advise... :sign0085:

Hi there. Sorry to hear about your diagnosis but glad you have found us here. It's hard to answer your question because people have varying degrees of response and reaction to the different meds available. The best thing to do, probably, is browse the different sub forums we have for them.
Have your doctors suggested any? What sort of treatment plan are you on

Hello and welcome. It is difficult to say what is the best medication, most if not all will have listed side effects and whilst some people will get them others will not. Steroids can be good for some for a quick fix on symptoms but you really don't want to be on them for long and if you are on them make sure you are taking calcichew or something similar as they can affect your bone density. Most doctors I would hope would try and see if your crohns can be helped/controlled by diet so you dont have to be on any medications at all. This may mean going on a nutritional drink only for a few days and then going on on a restricted diet. After a few days of this you start adding foods from a list and keep a diary of what symptoms if any you get from eating this. Not sure if you are past this stage really though?

Welcome to the forum dakotabsmom!

There is no real wonder drug that works for everyone without side effects. I encourage you to do more research in our IBD Treatment forum. There are some treatments beyond medication that people have had success without any side effects (fish/flaxseed oil, vitamin d, etc.) that can also be read about there.

Good luck finding the treatment that works for you and looking forward to seeing you around the forum!

Hi and welcome! As others have said, treating Crohn's can be tricky. It depends on the individual and the severity of their disease as to what treatment is best. To put it simply, there are basically three levels of maintenance treatment. The first level is 5 ASA's. There are many brands (Pentasa or Lialda for example), but they all are an anti-inflammatory used for mild-moderate cases. The side effects are typically minimal if at all. The second level is immune suppressants. These do, as you'd imagine, suppress your immune system so it stops attacking itself. There are side effects with suppressing your immune system such as infection and so forth. The third level are the biologics (Remicade or Humira for example). These are considered the "big guns" for severe cases. Side effects of these drugs can be scary, especially when cancer is listed. However, the risk is very low. And for most, these drugs have been a miracle.

Sometimes people need a combination of treatments to gain remission. Unfortunately, sometimes drugs lose their effectiveness, and people need to switch treatment. Also, people may need steroids or antibiotics to address the inflammation and complications associated with Crohn's. Needless to say, it can be tricky to figure out what works best for you, but there are many options these day.

I hope you find the best treatment for you, and you start to feel better soon.