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Cholestyramine: ( Olstyr) Does this help?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/1/2022 5:07 PM (GMT -8)
Hi everyone,

Happy Canada Day...to us Canadians!..

I was asked to find out about this for my mom who has had Micrscopic colitis for 10 years with constant diarrhea. She's 83 and takes Imodium and does not eat if she leaves the house.

Anyone have experience with this medication? Thanks for the continual support.

Sassy
Posted 7/1/2022 8:19 PM (GMT -8)
Does she know which type of microscopic colitis she has? (lymphocytic or collagenous)

My mother also has microscopic colitis (as does her sister). Both have the lymphocytic type, and it comes and goes (flares and remits).

Standard treatment recommendations are to start with pepto-bismol, up to 8 doses per day, for a few weeks.

If that doesn't work or the person can't take pepto-bismol for some reason, then sometimes oral budesonide is used for a few weeks. Budesonide is the steroid in the brand name drugs Entocort and Uceris. It's probably also available as a generic now.

My aunt had good results with the pepto-bismol treatment. My mom had good results with a couple of courses of Entocort.
Posted 7/2/2022 5:21 AM (GMT -8)
Beave...thanks for responding. My mom has both lymphocytic and collagenous. Her Dr. Told her there's nothing she can do about it. Only to take immodium. She's down to skin and bones, and its so disheartning she has to suffer like this.

I will suggest what you mentioned. She lives in a small town 5 hrs away and I can't go with her to the Dr's. Do you think this kind of colitis is genetic? No one else in our family has it.
Posted 7/2/2022 8:50 AM (GMT -8)
It's possible it's genetic...but the autoimmune tendency definitely is.

Pepto bismol has aluminum in it now...maybe a 5ASA is an option for your mom?
Really sad to hear she is in such a bad situation with weight loss and not being able to eat.
I think it would be worth a try for your mom to try the Cholestyramine...
q
Posted 7/2/2022 2:08 PM (GMT -8)

Sassysback said...
Beave...thanks for responding. My mom has both lymphocytic and collagenous. Her Dr. Told her there's nothing she can do about it. Only to take immodium. She's down to skin and bones, and its so disheartning she has to suffer like this.

I will suggest what you mentioned. She lives in a small town 5 hrs away and I can't go with her to the Dr's. Do you think this kind of colitis is genetic? No one else in our family has it.

There is probably a genetic risk component with this, just as with IBD and other so-called 'autoimmune' diseases.

It's also most common in women, and particularly in women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.

There are plenty of treatments to try, so her doctor is wrong. Immodium is only treating the symptoms - and not very well, it sounds like. The pepto-bismol regimen treats the underlying inflammation (which is generally milder than the inflammation seen with UC or Crohn's). Same with entocort or uceris - it helps reduce the underlying inflammation.

If those don't work, docs have used other UC treatments, including 5-asas or even imuran or 6mp, though the study data on those is pretty limited when it comes to microscopic colitis treatment.
Posted 7/2/2022 2:14 PM (GMT -8)

quincy said...
It's possible it's genetic...but the autoimmune tendency definitely is.

Pepto bismol has aluminum in it now...maybe a 5ASA is an option for your mom?
Really sad to hear she is in such a bad situation with weight loss and not being able to eat.
I think it would be worth a try for your mom to try the Cholestyramine...
q

The liquid version of pepto-bismol has contained magnesium aluminum silicate for decades now. It's used as a thickener.

The pills don't have any, as far as I know.

What is the concern?
Posted 7/3/2022 5:45 AM (GMT -8)
my nephew has microscopic colitis (sorry I don't know what sort). The doctor gave him mesalazine granules.
Posted 7/3/2022 7:09 AM (GMT -8)
I think I need to go with my mom to her next appointment and bring all these things up. At the moment, her small town can only get new family Dr's in for two years until they do their time and move on. The specialists are 2-3 hrs away, and take months to get appointments. The weather restricts my parents from driving half the year, so it's a whole bunch of factors leading to this unfortunate circumstances.

Mom says ulcerative colitis is far worse than hers, but i totally disagree. I'm not restricted to my house, and can control my bowl habbits through meds and diet, she cannot.
Posted 7/3/2022 9:11 AM (GMT -8)
Sassy...Good idea to go with your mom with a list of questions/suggestions/requests. When is her next appt?

Beave...i would prefer to limit the amount of heavy metals I ingest. Yes...pepto didnt always have aluminum...and I haven't used it since it was added. It's as well an acid reducer and helps protect the stomach from acid damage.
The pills only have it as a colouring, not a main ingredient.

q
Posted 7/3/2022 1:55 PM (GMT -8)

Sassysback said...
I think I need to go with my mom to her next appointment and bring all these things up. At the moment, her small town can only get new family Dr's in for two years until they do their time and move on. The specialists are 2-3 hrs away, and take months to get appointments. The weather restricts my parents from driving half the year, so it's a whole bunch of factors leading to this unfortunate circumstances.

Mom says ulcerative colitis is far worse than hers, but i totally disagree. I'm not restricted to my house, and can control my bowl habbits through meds and diet, she cannot.

That's a good idea to go with her if possible. There are definitely treatments to try.

In general she's right that micro colitis is considered milder than UC. It almost never requires biologics for treatment. It doesn't raise one's risk for colorectal cancer like UC does. It almost never requires surgery like UC sometimes does.

But it can significantly affect one's quality of life. In that sense it can be like really bad IBS more than IBD. But it is a form of IBD.
Posted 7/3/2022 1:57 PM (GMT -8)

quincy said...

Beave...i would prefer to limit the amount of heavy metals I ingest. Yes...pepto didnt always have aluminum...and I haven't used it since it was added. It's as well an acid reducer and helps protect the stomach from acid damage.
The pills only have it as a colouring, not a main ingredient.

q

Aluminum is not considered a heavy metal.
Posted 7/4/2022 10:21 AM (GMT -8)
beave...I guess it depends on what site one reads. I did see, that bi s m uth is a heavy metal...
PB is still a product I wouldn't want to take daily or forever. It is, however, only my opinion.

q
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