Side effects asacol

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Have been taking asacol for 5 weeks and not having much success. Horrible pain in joints, Headaches and horrible diarrhea still. Suggestions? Recently dx'd with ulcerative colitis.

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Did you have all of these symptoms before you started the Asacol and are you able to let your doc know that you are experiencing them? Also is this the only med you have been put on since your diagnosis? My understanding is that this is a drug used for mild cases so it may not be strong enough to settle the tum on it own. I would also look into getting your vitamin levels checked as it is common with IBD's to have deficiencies in this area.

AB
xx

Yes, had symptoms before started med. It seems to be worse. I have been dealing with diarrhea for years. It has affected my social life and work. It is like clock work within 30 minutes of eating I am sick. I become so dehydrated with leg cramps, and now dealing with the joint pain. Do I get a second opinion. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy two years ago. Should I request another?

What tests were done recently to get you diagnosed given the scopes were a couple of years ago? I would say you need to contact your doc about the ongoing symptoms so they can perhaps assess your treatment regime, also do you notice whether things are worse depending on what you eat?

I agree completely with Angrybird. I have UC and I take Asacol. I've had no side effects and it has worked well for me. Of course, side effects are possible, but I'm guessing that the problem is that the Asacol isn't working for you, or you might need a higher dose (my dosage was upped a couple of times before we found one that worked).

Bottom line - go talk to your doctor.

One last thought - I also take a probiotic and that has helped me a lot, but I did that after discussion with my doctor. It is something you might want to talk with them about.

I spoke with them and did some lab work which came back ok in regards to the inflammation. My pill bottle stated to take 1 3x a day. When I spoke with the nurse she stated that I should be doing 800 mg instead of 400 mg 2 of them 3x a day. So I am going to up the med. What about bentyl? For cramping. Does anyone take this? What dosage do you both take of asacol? I am going to start doing some exercise to help with the joint pain. Thanks

I have not had any other testing other then stool cultures. How often should I have testing done and what type of testing should be done. How often do you take the probiotic?

Hi. I believe you should be having SED rate And CRP levels check once in a while. My daughter had side efeccts from asacol when having them in large dose. Low dose work fine for more than a year. Not anymore. I give her a strong probiotic daily.

My daughter has had crohns disease for past 5 years. She is 16 now. After trying every medication going she is now on methotrexate injections, 2ml folic acide, 3 x Asacol per day and 40mg pred. I did ask her consultant today if Asacol can cause upset tummy and he said Yes can cause diarrhea and tummy pains. Hope this helps x

araceli,
what type of side affects did she experience. What do you use for the probiotics?

Twins1@2 said:

What dosage do you both take of asacol? I am going to start doing some exercise to help with the joint pain. Thanks

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I take 4800 mg per day = six 400 mg pills, twice a day. As I understand it, that's the maximum dose. It is also usually done four pills, three times a day, but I never remembered to take the middle dose, so my doctor changed it to this (I take it at breakfast and dinner).

The exercise is a good idea, but you might want to start off slow, and something low impact, like walking or swimming. My wife, who has Crohn's, also has some arthritis, and finds Yoga helps her a lot.

Twins1@2 said:

I have not had any other testing other then stool cultures. How often should I have testing done and what type of testing should be done. How often do you take the probiotic?

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I would think you would have a colonoscopy. My doctor had me getting one every three years, but he changed it to every two years after the last one. I don't recall any blood tests or anything.

The probiotic I take is one pill per day.

I would also recommend the elliptical. It's a great way to get some good cardio in and is joint-friendly. I'm able to do it every day despite my chronic back pain.

Twins1@2 said:

araceli,
what type of side affects did she experience. What do you use for the probiotics?

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When she was on 6 a day 400 asacol, she start having chest pain and hard time breathing. Its a very rare side effect. as soon as Dr. lower dose, pain disappear. About 5 weeks ago she started having D and stomach pain about 10 days before Remicade, so Dr. told me to stop asacol. We stoped and she got better in one day. Now she is not taking it, and so far so good, still on remicade. For probiotics we use VSL3.