Pill or Suppositries??????

Asacol is used as a maintanace drug for alot of people, myself included. i also use it in enema form. Suppositories and enemas work really well to treat inflamation in the lower portion of the colon becuase the medicine goes directly to the affected are. For those of us with inflamation through our entire colons the suppositories and enemas can't reach all the affected area so the asacol (and this goes for other drugs as well) are taken orally.

I would ask your doctor if you are concerned. Do you know how much of your colon is affected? are you on any other meds?

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Kelly, 29

Left sided UC diagnosed 1/98 age 19, Pan colitis diagnosed 1/07
Currently on 4x3 Asacol, Rowasa every other night, down to 20 mg pred.
75mg Imuran starting 8/23/07---fingers crossed!
Prontonix once daily for acid reflux, zofran twice daily for nausea

Hi..you should be using both rectal and oral 5ASA meds to start.

Where in the colon is your UC limited to?

The rectal meds aren't meant to reach above either the rectum (suppositories) or the sigmoid (enemas).
Contrary to any doctors saying so, the oral meds won't reach the rectum and wouldn't be best treatment to be used alone.

Asacol is both a treatment and a maintenance med. The rectal enemas should be for treatment and tapered to maintenance if needed...and I don't consider the suppositories for treatment, although better than nothing.

Consider where UC starts...in the rectum. It is either limited or throughout.

It's not a one or other approach..it's both.

Learn now or ..... later!

quincy

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My UC was located in the rectum and therefore my GI prescribed ASACOL (SUPs). he said that is the best local treatment and that there is no need to take pills. On the other hand another Doctor told me that UC could appear in other parts of the colon so pills should be taken simultaniousely.
Is that true????

Sorry quincy,
i forgot to mention my UC is limitid in the rectum 3/5 cm according to the colonoscopy.

Hi..your UC is very low in the rectum...but I would still urge you to be on ASacol as well .

It doesn't happen to all, but many on here had limited which became throughout.

What are your symptoms at this time? or when you were flaring?

q

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Post Edited (quincy) : 8/30/2007 9:04:21 AM (GMT-6)

i was bleeding at least for a couple of years before being diagnosed back in May 07. Bleeding stopped in 1 weeks after taking the ASACOL supps. i can still see some mucus in the stools and have been in remission since. how do u know that ur UC is actually moving up or spreading? are there any symptoms that its getting worse?
sorry to ask but im new to this UC management issue...

If you go to the resource section of this forum it will tell you about the different severities of Uc and what symptoms go with each one. Not everyone will have their Uc or Up spread. You may be lucky and only have it limited to your rectum forever. (Well not lucky-lucky but you know what I mean!) By taking Asacol, this also helps as a preventative for colon cancer. People who have Uc have a higher chance of getting colon cancer then the average population. There is still a slight risk for it with UP too but it's better to be safe then sorry.

And please ask any question you want! You can't learn if you don't ask right? :)

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regarding the severety of my condition. the went to the resources page but couldt find anything about severity. could you please paste the link in your reply.

Thanx

Jase

Ulcerative proctitis refers to inflammation that is limited to the rectum. In many patients with ulcerative proctitis, mild intermittent rectal bleeding may be the only symptom. Other patients with more severe rectal inflammation may, in addition, experience rectal pain, urgency (sudden feeling of having to defecate and a need to rush to the bathroom for fear of soiling), and tenesmus (ineffective, painful urge to move one's bowels).

Proctosigmoiditis involves inflammation of the rectum and the sigmoid colon (a short segment of the colon contiguous to the rectum). Symptoms of proctosigmoiditis, like that of proctitis, include rectal bleeding, urgency, and tenesmus. Some patients with proctosigmoiditis also develop bloody diarrhea and cramps.

Left-sided colitis involves inflammation that starts at the rectum and extends up the left colon (sigmoid colon and the descending colon). Symptoms of left-sided colitis include bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps, weight loss, and left-sided abdominal pain.

Pancolitis or universal colitis refers to inflammation affecting the entire colon (right colon, left colon, transverse colon and the rectum). Symptoms of pancolitis include bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramps, weight loss, fatigue, fever, and night sweats. Some patients with pancolitis have low-grade inflammation and mild symptoms that respond readily to medications. Generally, however, patients with pancolitis suffer more severe disease and are more difficult to treat than those with more limited forms of ulcerative colitis.

Fulminant colitis is a rare but severe form of pancolitis. Patients with fulminant colitis are extremely ill with dehydration, severe abdominal pain, protracted diarrhea with bleeding, and even shock. They are at risk of developing toxic megacolon (marked dilatation of the colon due to severe inflammation) and colon rupture (perforation). Patients with fulminant colitis and toxic megacolon are treated in the hospital with potent intravenous medications. Unless they respond to treatment promptly, surgical removal of the diseased colon is necessary to prevent colon rupture.

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