I am a 20 year old woman. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease about a year ago and was immediately prescribed Pentasa. My doctor didn't offer me a diet plan or any real details about the disease, and to this day most of my knowledge has come from online communities and personal research. Soon after taking Pentasa, I stopped. I didn't see any real difference except a slight reduction in pain from flares. I am now completely off medicine. The only thing I use to combat my symptoms is marijuana. I will say that I smoked before my diagnosis, but I do see a significnt difference in the frequency and harshness of my flares. I still have a problem with losing weight (I am down to 119 lbs from 130) but smoking keeps my appetite up. I am hoping to find other solutions to my Crohn's problem and eventually achieve remission.
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One Year With Crohn's
- Thread starter melodisaster
- Start date
Seems odd to me that you were diagnosed with Crohns and only took Pentasa at first. Pentasa is not one of the most effective drugs to treat Crohns, but it doesn't hurt to take it. Have you got second opinion? Are you seeing any bloody stools? remission is most likely to occur through medication. Not sure if mj helps induce remission, but it does help manage pain. Definitely want a more professional opinion than me though. Let us know what your doctor has to say. Not treating Crohns with meds can be a losing battle. Besides, if you do succeed without meds you'll make us all look bad. :biggrin:
Regardless, I hope you're feeling better soon!
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David
Co-Founder
- Location
- Naples, Florida
Hi there and welcome to the community 
First off, if you're not happy with your current GI, find a new one. One that really knows Crohn's is a big plus though that's not always possible.
Second, mismanaged or completely not managed Crohn's disease is REALLY scary to me. That your only medication is marijuana (a good supplemental medicine but should not be a primary medicine) combined with your weight loss is extremely concerning to me. You need a new GI, to have your current disease state reevaluated, and put on a proper treatment regimen. Pronto. As Hobbes alluded to, just Pentasa is not enough in my opinion.
We're here for you.
First off, if you're not happy with your current GI, find a new one. One that really knows Crohn's is a big plus though that's not always possible.
Second, mismanaged or completely not managed Crohn's disease is REALLY scary to me. That your only medication is marijuana (a good supplemental medicine but should not be a primary medicine) combined with your weight loss is extremely concerning to me. You need a new GI, to have your current disease state reevaluated, and put on a proper treatment regimen. Pronto. As Hobbes alluded to, just Pentasa is not enough in my opinion.
We're here for you.
Angrybird
Moderator
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Hello and welcome to the forum
I can only agree that you need to be getting back to a GI doc so your crohn's can be properly assessed again and then treatment given. I am not surprised you didn't notice much difference with the Pentesa as many here don't. For now it i may be worth going on a bland, low residue diet and maybe even keeping a food diary so you can try and pinpoint what foods aggrivate your tum.
AB
xx
I can only agree that you need to be getting back to a GI doc so your crohn's can be properly assessed again and then treatment given. I am not surprised you didn't notice much difference with the Pentesa as many here don't. For now it i may be worth going on a bland, low residue diet and maybe even keeping a food diary so you can try and pinpoint what foods aggrivate your tum.
AB
xx