Prednisolone and Pentasa
Hi all, I have been diagnosed with unspecified IBD about 7 years ago and I’m now in the middle of my second most serious flare up. I take Pentasa every day (oral and suppositories) which has helped to keep the disease in remission for years but things have gone out of control over the past few weeks and I’m now going to the bathroom about 20 times per day, mostly just bleeding. I have started taking 1 and a half pill of prednisolone and I’m continuing with Pentasa. I’m quite concerned about side effects. Particularly, the last time I took prednisolone, I had an accident... and the idea of it happening again of course terrifies me. I do a demanding job which requires traveling often and being available basically 24/7, which adds to my anxiety about side effects impacting my ability to work. I’d be grateful if anyone facing a situation similar to mine could share tips/experiences, particularly on whether or not the combination of these two medicines increases that (much feared) urgency to go to the bathroom, and if so, how to be prepared for it. Thanks very much
Thank you for sharing,
. I am so sorry to hear of your recent flare and concerning symptoms. In my experience, Prednisone helped get my flare under control. Like most patients, I don't enjoy being on Prednisone due to the side effects (jitters, dry mouth, "moon face", mood swings) but it has always been a good solution to get my symptoms under control until a new medication (or increased dose) kicked in.
Has your GI discussed other treatment options with you since the Pentasa doesn't seem to be working to its full potential?
Please keep us updated on how you are feeling!
--Julie (Team Member)Thanks for your response
. I’m now at my fifth day of Prednisone and it has definitely calmed the inflammation down. Meaning I’m now able to “function” again, eat (I’m gaining weight quickly actually) and have a relatively normal life but I still have to wake up at least once in the middle of the night and the bleeding continues non stop, which is obviously concerning. After my previous round of prednisone, a couple of years ago when my flare up was more serious than this last one, my GI prescribed Humira but it didn’t seem to do much. So I went back to Pentasa and I’ve been in almost total remission for over two years with just that. I hope that’s going to be the case again. GI is now planning a colonoscopy at the end of these 15 days of Prednisone and we’ll see where we stand then. Does this sound like a reasonable/common plan to you and others in this forum? Many thanks Thank you for filling me in,
! I am glad to hear you are seeing improvement from the Prednisone and I am really happy that you are getting a colonoscopy soon so that you can see what is going on in there. I think that will tell your GI a lot and be able to make a wise decision going forward of how to proceed. I hope you continue to feel better each day!
--Julie (Team Member)
