Mesalamine User Reviews & Ratings (Page 3)

• Jer...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 1, 2017

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Maintenance "I was diagnosed with UC when I was 20 years old. I am now 64, so 44 years with this annoying condition. Over the years, I have been put on various medications, but Asacol tablets, along with occasional Asacol foam enemas, have kept me well. I take 8 x 400 mg tablets a day (4 first thing in the morning and 4 last thing at night), no side effects whatsoever. I only need the foam enemas if I get a bit of mucus or that 'colitis feeling,' and the enemas work within two or three days. I use the enemas for a week, though, to be on the safe side."

• caj...
• December 13, 2008

Mesalamine for Lymphocytic Colitis "I have been on Asacol for about 5 years, and it has changed my life. I had diarrhea for about 5 years previously, and my doctor and 2 specialists couldn't find anything specific to help it. We moved to another state, where the gastric specialist did uncover the problem, and I was started on 6 Asacol daily (2 tablets, 3 times a day). It took about 2 months, and one day my diarrhea completely vanished. Gone. After about 8 months, I began lowering the pills daily, kept on with 4 a day, and am now taking 3 Asacol daily for maintenance. For the past 8 years, I have been swimming 4 times weekly at a wellness center. Couldn't do that with bowel problems. I had a colonoscopy in December 2008, 5 days ago, and all is normal. I'm 72 years."

• Luc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 26, 2020

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "I started taking Lialda in April 2015, 4 tablets a day for my ulcerative colitis. After being sick for many months and in and out of the emergency room, I was ready for something that would help me get my life back. I was having diarrhea with blood multiple times a day, along with abdominal pain and cramps, and down to 106 pounds. Lialda started working almost instantly for me. Within a week, I was no longer having any loose stools, blood, and my pain level was down 80%. I had some side effects such as headaches, chills, fatigue, and dizziness; a small price to pay for how much Lialda helped me and saved my life. I was able to slowly decrease my dose to 2 tablets a day, then 1, and now none. I gained weight and started to feel more like myself again. For me personally, it was a great experience that was worth any side effects that eventually went away after my body was used to the medication. I would definitely recommend Lialda; maybe it can help you like it helped me."

• Sug...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 30, 2018

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "Lialda put me in remission for over 12 years. I never experienced any side effects until a few months ago when Lialda almost killed me. It gave me pancreatitis. My lipase was at 10,000, the normal is 0 to 90. I am extremely lucky."

• Mam...
• December 29, 2011

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Maintenance "I was prescribed Asacol, Apriso, had 3 sessions of Remicade, all with disappointing results. I have been using Lialda for about 21 months. I was in total remission until about 2 weeks ago, so I did really good for nearly a year. Then one hugely stressful incident caused a flare-up. I am working with my doctor to get back on track."

• Lee...
• August 27, 2010

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Maintenance "I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 1991. For the last few years, I have been using Asacol, with no problems, only if I try to stop taking it, which I'd rather not do. It's really helping me. I'm 46 and happy. I'm going for a colonoscopy every year just to make sure everything is fine."

• Jay...
• March 11, 2016

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I have been on this medication for the last three weeks and have not noticed any improvement. My symptoms the last 6 days have been at their worst (going to the bathroom almost every 2 hours). My doctor told me to keep taking the medication and is putting me on UCERIS. Just took that pill yesterday. Hopefully that pill works because this disease sucks, right? I am so afraid to go out anywhere because I am waiting on when I will have to go to the bathroom. I'll keep an update if UCERIS is effective."

• Jod...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 6, 2014

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "Had severe bloody diarrhea for a couple of months, went away for two years, then came back worse. I was then diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. My doctor started me on 6 pills a day of Asacol. Within two weeks, I was having completely normal bowel movements again with no pain. I then began decreasing my dosage (doctor's orders) and now I am currently on 2 pills a day of 800g. My life is completely back to normal. The only side effect I have is slight dizziness during more stressful times. I have had a couple of minor flares. I do miss my dosage once in a while, but it never seems to affect me as long as I take my next dose. Would recommend Asacol in a heartbeat!"

• Anonymous
• June 1, 2014

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "Lialda is not for everyone. Talk to your doctor about other options because they're out there! I was prescribed to take Lialda 3 times daily. A couple of hours after my third dose, I developed the following reaction: fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, rash/hives on my throat and neck. My doctor wanted me to continue taking Lialda but lessen the dose. I did as told and was bedridden from the side effects. I then found a GI doctor and was prescribed Asacol and medicated enemas. No reactions yet! I wonder why Lialda made me sick, but I am fine with Asacol?"

• Bos...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 9, 2015

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I take Lialda 3.6 g each morning, which cleared up my diarrhea and bloody stool, but I have had neurological side effects of headaches, fatigue, and slow thinking, and abdominal pain, gas, and bloating as well. I'm too scared to switch to other meds despite an Asacol prescription, given the risk of flare-ups when meds change, but I don't want the mental haziness for the rest of my life."

• boo...
• April 19, 2019

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "I'm a 63 yr. old male, had UC for over 5 years before my second colonoscopy showed the inflammation in my lower sigmoid colon. Diagnosed as mild. Although I had no pain, the symptoms were debilitating (fatigue, joint ache, loose bowel motions (BM) all morning, poor sleep, anxiety, depression, nausea, chills, and sensitivity to cold with no fever, bleeding internal hemorrhoids during BMs, etc.). My Dr. put me on Apriso, within 3 weeks my symptoms improved, no more fatigue, normal BMs. I've been on it for 6 months and would say my quality of life has improved greatly. I have an occasional mild flare once in a while but nowhere near as bad as without the meds. I find my body wakes me up at about 7 am to use the toilet, but the BMs are 3-4 on the stool chart vs. 5-6. Remission is different for everyone. There is no set standard to quantify remission."

• Tum...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2014

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I was told to switch to Lialda after being on Asacol HD for 3 years, 2 pills 3x a day, 800mg each, due to my insurance not covering it anymore. My doctor told me the only difference was the coating, so I felt confident making the switch. By the end of week one of Lialda, 1200mg, 2 pills 2x a day, I was starting to get pain and go more frequently until it turned into diarrhea. I had no flare-ups for a year and had been feeling great on the Asacol, so I immediately switched back to it after a month on Lialda. It was too late, the wheels had already started turning on the road to a flare-up. I am now on day 8 of being back on Asacol, waiting for my prednisone to get me better. I am so disappointed this happened."

• Anonymous
• March 19, 2010

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Maintenance "I have been taking Asacol for my UC for 6 years now. I strongly recommend taking it 3 times a day (I take 3 pills, 3x per day), it is better to have a higher frequency of the drug in your system. I haven't had a flare in 3 years, it has provided great results."

• Bud...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 10, 2019

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I am 70. I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease three years ago after I had severe rectal bleeding for the third time in three months. I was put on prednisone for four weeks, then 6-MP. A week later, I ended up in the ER. It took the hospital six days to find out what was wrong with me but finally diagnosed sepsis. The 6-MP was replaced with budesonide for a month, then I began taking two Pentasa pills four times a day. The Pentasa seems to be working perfectly. I have a few minor side effects, but some or all may come from my heart medicines."

• Der...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2019

For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I've encountered ulcerative colitis (UC) at the age of 36. I had symptoms of a bad gallbladder 'so the docs thought,' did the surgery, and 12 hours later, BOOM! The same symptoms occurred: explosive, painful, bloody diarrhea. Then put on antibiotics for c-diff. Again, no progress. So far into 4.5 weeks of my life that were by far the worst. Lost 30+ lbs and couldn't leave my bathroom or couch, my family and I thought I had cancer/dying. Finally, after 4.5 weeks and 4 doctors, 3 ER visits, and surgery, I finally got a colonoscopy. Lo and behold, I've got severe UC, the worst case the doc has ever seen. The whole colon and some look like alien sci-fi stuff. Well, put on mesalamine and budesonide, and within 7 days, my stool is normal 7 out of 10 times, 1 to 2 bowel movements each day, and so far, no major cramps. I'm going on 5 weeks since I started these, and no side effects. So, it goes to show, works for some and not for others."

• Tik...
• February 1, 2013

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I've just started Pentasa, and so far, so good, I think! I was diagnosed when I was 19, and now I'm 32. I was on Asacol for most of that time, but my doctor felt it was no longer working the way it needed to! I ended up in the hospital for 2 days due to severe dehydration 2 weeks ago! I had also lost 30 lbs in the last 2 months. I have actually been able to eat the last couple of days, and I'm not feeling the pain from eating!"

• Anonymous
• December 26, 2011

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I'm a 25-year-old female. I was diagnosed with Crohn's in August 2011. I had a bowel resection at the end of September due to the severity of my illness. I've been taking Pentasa for about 3 months now and feel good, but my hair has been falling out like crazy. I read a normal person loses 50-100 strands a day, I'm losing probably triple that. It's really depressing. I'm switching to another medicine to see if that helps with the hair loss. Other than that, I haven't had any side effects. Good luck!"

• Hap...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2018

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "Initially, when I started taking Lialda, it worked. However, I ignored the side effects because the medication was working well. I pushed aside all the warning signs in my body until my symptoms became severe. I had loss of hair, muscle weakness, fatigue, anxiety, and the final straw was the rash that overcame my body. The doctor did not believe it was due to the Lialda because I was on it for 4 years, however, I know my body better than the doctor and chose to stop taking it. After 2 weeks, I felt like a new person. I am now on Balsalazide Disodium, and for now, it seems to be working fine. Listen to your body despite what the doctor says. Ignoring the warning signs my body was experiencing was ignorance on my part and will never happen again."

• MAG...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2019

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "I have been taking Lialda for 8 weeks. I fought getting started on a prescription as I prefer holistic approaches to healing, but there was way too much stress in my life to be able to focus on that. So I finally attempted a medication and am glad I did. It took about 4 weeks of using it daily. I take 4 tablets in the am with food. After 3 to 4 weeks, the bathroom frequency went from 6 to 8 visits per day to just in the morning. Since then, I have gained 5 pounds, so am thrilled about that as well. At first, the only side effect was sinus-related, but that went away after a couple of weeks. The only thing I have since noticed is my hair more easily breaks when washing my hair, but thinning hair for now sure beats 6 to 8 bathroom visits. It is still a journey to healing, but trying to focus on reducing stress has helped a lot as well. I use a calm app and love it."

• gtr...
• October 27, 2011

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "My doctor switched me from Asacol (which was working very well) to Lialda, and the results were horrible. When I started having bad flare-ups, my gastroenterologist had no clue what to do. She put me on Remicade for over 16 months with no results, and I was miserable. When I suggested that perhaps it was the Lialda that was causing the problems, she stated that that was 'not likely.' Well, after about two years of misery and being back on steroids, I switched doctors - a guy who came highly recommended. After a heart-to-heart consultation with him, he stated he had some patients who did not do well with Lialda and decided to take me off that medication immediately. Within three weeks, I was off steroids, back to using Asacol, and life is now okay."

• imf...
• December 3, 2014

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Maintenance "Have had colitis for 20 years and been on mesalamine for all of it. Asacol was inconvenient because 6 pills throughout the day were hard to do. Lialda is very expensive even with insurance and their card, but it works, and it's only two pills a day. The dietary changes and medication are worth it if I can eliminate surgery."

• A...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2020

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "Mesalazine foam enema. Available from NHS in the UK, so insurance is not an issue. I have only taken this for a week, so it's early to say... But so far, I think it is working better than other formulations. I tried the same brand suppositories, which were not effective, Pentasa was better, but this foam seems to be doing better again. Probably because my inflammation extends to 20 cm. After four days, I started to feel better. I had more energy and more regular and solid stools. At first, it was hard to keep the enema in, which is still true if I use a double dose as prescribed. It is uncomfortable to take, and so far, a double pump often leads to a bowel evacuation... but I'm hoping this improves as the inflammation recedes, as stated in the instructions."

• JLB...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 14, 2016

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "I have ulcerative sigmoiditis and proctitis. I couldn't retain Rowasa very long. The GI switched me to sulfasalazine, first 4/day, which worked for a few months, then 8/day, which worked for two to three years. I still had flare-ups a few times per year. Then he upped it to 16/day, but that only worked for about a year. I was having flare-ups all the time. I was tired of taking pills, so I asked my PCP to try me on another drug, Apriso. I was in the middle of a flare-up, so it took a few weeks to kick in. But that's the last flare-up I've had. It's 4 capsules only, once per day, and I haven't had a flare-up since I started taking it about 5 years ago. I have not noticed any side effects."

• 7ye...
• October 22, 2013

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease "Diagnosed in 2006 with severe Crohn's disease. Tried a dozen medications and never had any success or even close to finding remission. Consistent pain, diarrhea, nausea, etc.... started Lialda 1.2 GM once daily 4 days ago. My pain, nausea, and everything stopped within a few hours of the first dose except diarrhea, it's actually gotten worse and completely watery. Is this normal, and if so, how long does it typically last? I am SO happy to be 100% pain-free for the first time in 7 years without having to use a painkiller, just want the diarrhea to stop so I can be more active outside of the home with my children."

• Bea...
• April 24, 2014

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 8 years ago and, due to my financial situation, stopped taking any meds for the past 5 years. But recently, I went back to my GI, and after being reprimanded for my actions, I was put back on Lialda. It has been about 2 and a half months, and most of my symptoms have improved, though I am still having soreness/dull ache in my abdomen and urgency for the bathroom more than my GI thinks I should. A colonoscopy is scheduled in a few weeks to see what the condition of the colon is in, and I may have to add another medication. I would advise, even if you are feeling fine, do not stop taking your meds unless directed by your doctor. I have been told I will need to take meds for the rest of my life."