Asacol for Ulcerative Colitis

[alice]

I have just been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis - specifically ulcerative proctitis. I had a colonoscopy and biopsy one week ago because of long standing cramping and more recently pretty severe diarrhea.

The GI doctor has prescribed Asacol at two 400mg tablets 3X day. From what I read online (I may be interpreting it incorrectly) Asacol is 5-aminosalicylic acid which means it contains a salicylate, like aspirin.

I cannot tolerate aspirin at all. Aspirin is what I took when I first developed FM and consequently developed terrible gastritis, and since that time I cannot even tolerate one 81 mg low dose aspirin without the gnawing feeling in the stomach..

Asacol has a coating that isn't supposed to dissolve until it gets to the colon. My imagined problem is that if the mucous membrane of my stomach cannot tolerate salicylates, then would not the mucous membrane of the colon react the same way - and break down with ulcerations. I want to discuss this with the GI doctor, except he is a man of few words and very abrupt - I guess we all know these kinds of doctors - "my way or highway". Furthermore, Asacol has lactose as a filler, which I cannot tolerate even in the small filler amount. I can't understand the manufacturer's logic in adding lactose to a medication for a group of people who invariable have lactose intolerance.

I cannot take the other medication listed - sulfasalazine - because I am allergic to sulfa meds. Thank goodness the doctor did not recommend prednisone which is often prescribed in the beginning of treatment.

Anyway I would appreciate opinions, and also from anyone who has taken Asacol. I started religiously on probiotics today - taking Floraster and plan to get VSL#3 .

I am also supposed to start Xifaxin (rifaximin) again, prescribed by my CFS/FM doctor, and I am already on Valacyclovir for high titers of HHV6, EB, and couple other viruses.

Incidentally, I also had the pathologist send slides of biopsy tissue to Dr. Chia for evaluation of enterovirus. Have not heard back from them.

alice

 

[xks201]

Xifaxan is something I flirted with. Do you have IBS-D type? It's my thinking that a fast colon transit time leads to overgrowth of strong fermenting bad bacteria (that digest the food faster than most, therefore being more volatile IMO). Not only that but the food doesn't have time to digest properly. Are you going to the bathroom many times per day? That was sort of my problem. Literally the only things that seem to help are amlodipine which is a calcium channel blocker, and melatonin at night. Maybe a TCA or prozac could help with IBS-D.

I would go to a bodybuilding supplement store or GNC and buy a big jar of glutamine and just scoop a tablespoon of it in your mouth and wash it down with water (its tasteless if you do it this way) so you can get like 5 grams at a time to repair your stomach lining. Something like sialex could also help with leaky gut.

PM me if you want to get more into this.

 

[Nielk]

Alice,

I have had Crohn's disease for the past 30 years. I took Prednisone and Azulfadine for about 15 years.
I am lucky in that I am in a remission right now.

If I were you, I would definitely discuss this medication, Asacol, with my doctor. If you feel that you can't talk to him, I would get another doctor.

This is not a diagnosis to play around with. Today, there are better treatments out there. You need to discuss your situation with a specialist in the field.

Best of luck,
Nielk

 

[alice]

Dear xks201 and Nielk,

Thanks for your responses. I'm not ignoring your kind thoughts, just waiting for more information. I got a report back from Metametrix now on a stool sample that my CFS/ME doctor had ordered prior to the colonoscopy. Much to my surprise it came back with a report that I had had E coli strain 0157-H7 which is apparently one of the more virulent E coli that cause food poisoning.and is reportable to the State. I did not realize I had this. My husband and I eat the very same food and he did not get sick at all. I don't remember feeling particularly ill, just had terrible watery diarrhea which lasted for about 5 days and then would get better and then worse again. The whole episode lasted for 6 weeks and I still have the cramping in the lower abdomen. No more diarrhea at all now.

As I mentioned above, the pathology report for the colonoscopy came back saying I had ulcerative colitis, but I have not seen the paper report (it's been ordered twice). So anyway right now I'm not sure what is really the problem. I wonder if food poisoning can cause ulceration of the bowel. I decided to go ahead with taking the Asacol, and I am tolerating it okay. I think the cramping in the lower abdomen is slowly decreasing, so if it continues getting better I will slowly decrease the dose of Asacol and see what happens.

My CS/ME doctor said he questions the ulcerative colitis diagnosis, but who to believe? Ulcers run in my family, in fact my sister has Crohns disease and has had a colectomy (40 years ago, and she is doing great, no longer any problems). But knowing how much she suffered for years made me very mindful of the seriousness of the disease.

Thanks again.