Medication to control bleeding

Anyone know of any medications that will control or stop bleeding from Ulcerative colitis. Or well its Hemorrage bleeding from anus and rectum. I was given Prednisone When I went to the ER a month ago but my GI doc doesnt want me on it and I no longer want any more of it too. Took 60mg a day for 3 and a half weeks, cold turkey no withdraw problems I lost a hell of a lot of blood from it (Haemoglobin 5.7 level). And now it has started to bleed a lot then before. I see GI july 28th. I want to ask him of any new meds I can take. I have left sided colitis I found out. And anemia. No probiotics the docs told me!

On top of that any rich person want to pay my huge medical bill i now have?

Hiya Swirl
good to see you back!

have you discussed the TNF blockers, the biologics such as Remicade, Humira and Cimzia?
how about the amnio salicylates, Pentasa or the sulfa free Asacol which is specially formulated for UC?
or the immuno suppressants Mercaptupurine and Azathioprine?
of course, all this depends on your medical insurance and whether your gastro will approve any of them, it's so different from over here with our NHS
how about you move over here? lol
xxx

Hey Swirl, I do not bleed but my sister does and she used Asacol. Studies have proven that Asacol and probiotics work. Now my question is why did your doctor say no probiotics? I don't understand that one.

Drugs to stop bleeding are called procoagulants; they are normally given in emergency situations w/careful monitoring because they can cause sudden heart attack or stroke. What you want to ask your doc for is something to treat your UC.

Astra already covered most of the available drugs. There are four major categories (TNF blockers, aminosalyslicicates, immunosuppressants, and corticosteroids). Mercaptupurine, an immunosuppressant, is often called 6-MP here in the US; Azathioprine is called Imuran. Methotrexate is another, older immunosupressant that is sometimes prescribed here in the US.

For the bills:
If you are over 18 and are not working, you're definitely eligible for medicaid. Here in NY, it's not very difficult to apply for. In addition to providing insurance, medicaid will also cover medical bills you incurred a few months (I think it's ~90 days) prior to your application. To apply, you can go to an HRA office; there is one in every borough. You will need a bunch of documentation (stuff like passport/drivers or nondrivers license/utility bill), and if you live with your parents, you'll need a letter from them stating that they pay for your rent but can't afford to pay for your medical care. You'll have to fill out some paperwork and then do a relatively painless interview.

If you are working, but your income is relatively low, you'll be eligible for Family Health Plus, which is even easier to apply for.

Shoot me a PM if you need info on applying for either program.

July 28 seems too long to wait to see your doc with heavy bleeding and a Hemoglobin of 5.7!! They should have given you a blood transfusion or iron transfusion!

When I had UC, steroid enemas really helped with bleeding that is low down in the rectum and lower colon.

In my opinion, you need to see the doctor and get blood right away - does s/he know how much you are bleeding? Considerable bleeding for another 3 weeks could really endanger your life at your current hemo level. I am sorry to be dramatic. I had hemoglobin of 6 a couple months ago and required 3 bags of blood.

Good luck - keep us posted. - Amy

Astra101

Thanks for that list. Asacol I've been thinking of asking my doctor about and will, the rest I will read up on and ask my doctor about some. I don't know how the medications work over here if it depends on our insurance.
But those are a lot of choices. Ive been on Pentasa since January and I can't tell if its working or not. I just read that we're better off with it then without that drug.

Jettalady
I read about Asacol on their site and like what I read so far so hopefully I will be trying that out. I will be asking my doc about that. When I go it bleeds fast. The blood drips out fast like you're squeezing the last drops of water out of a water bottle. Kind of scary.
I don't know why they said dont take the probiotic. When i stayed at the hospital for a few days I had a doc or two tell me don't take anymore, they don't know about it. I show them the bottle and all. I told them it stopped most of the bleeding and the urges, everything, I was only going 1 or two times a day. But when I switch to a more expensive probiotic, i notice the bleeding starting to come back and only bright red.
I do know PH levels are affected by probiotics, and i do have problems with my blood that they are trying to figure out. I had a blood transfusion and problems with it.

I will be going back on it through.

thefreeaccount

I'm not working and just apply for NY medicare or medicaid. The hospital got me into getting it so 2 more weeks and i should be getting something in the mail.
Thats good to hear because my medical bill for the 4 days is $9,900 and something, I hope they cover all. I took a picture of the bill already and got it on my facebook........

ameslouise

I had 4 bags of blood and I take iron pills 3 times a day with folic acid.
The prednisone did help. I only bleed a little, but I guess for good reason the doc said I can't be on it anymore.
when I left my levels were 9. something i remember the nurse said. I don't know what it is now, but as long as I'm not feeling the way I felt when my levels were really low, I would say Im still ok.

Ok we both had about the same levels, so you know how that felt, that's an awful feeling to have when its that low.
All the needles they stick you with for blood tests hurt a lot too. I had inflame veins which there is still signs of it being inflame, a little dark, taking forever to heal. Went in March 30th and came out june 2nd i think it was.
Oh Orange Juice with iron pills is the best way to go I've read.

Hi Swirl:

I too have left-sided bleeding. I know how hard it is to treat. I found that suppositories and enemas worked best, though they were hard to keep in for a long period of time when I first started using them--because I was so inflamed. So what I did was get extra and pretty much used 5-6 enemas and suppositories per day--because I would not keep them in long. I found this worked for me.

Good luck. I hope you get better soon!
Chris

phillycrohns said:

Hi Swirl:

I too have left-sided bleeding. I know how hard it is to treat. I found that suppositories and enemas worked best, though they were hard to keep in for a long period of time when I first started using them--because I was so inflamed. So what I did was get extra and pretty much used 5-6 enemas and suppositories per day--because I would not keep them in long. I found this worked for me.

Good luck. I hope you get better soon!
Chris

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I was reading about suppositories and will be asking the doctor about this, first I'll see if hes gonna put me on anything new first.
3 weeks to go. This is a lot to deal with in life.

Yes Swirl it is alot to deal with, indefinately but once you are stable you can lead a normal life. Once you do, life your life not your Crohns. It will come, have patience.

Jettalady said:

Yes Swirl it is alot to deal with, indefinately but once you are stable you can lead a normal life. Once you do, life your life not your Crohns. It will come, have patience.

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Yes that's true, for the 3 weeks I was on Prednisone or 2 weeks, everything felt like it was before all of this started. It felt great.

I never realized how good we have it in Canada not having to worry about any expenses. The most I ever pay for medications is $25.00, not matter the actual cost of them. Good luck, having to concern yourself with bills is brutal.

the bills I will hopefully get taken care of soon. The bleeding stop thanks to friendly bacteria I now take. Got on a Enema med but off it now since I was getting side effects I didn't like.
I hope the USA turns into Canada soon or we have a war and Canada takes over this country lol