Mesalamine for Inflammatory Bowel Disease User Reviews

• Ped...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 24, 2012

Mesalamine "Have had IBD for years, got relief after just 3 doses. The disease has had me housebound for a year because I never knew when I was going to have an accident. Had no control at all. Am hoping this will be the solution and I can have a normal life."

• Try...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2018

Mesalamine "Apriso worked well to control the inflammation in my stomach and small intestine. However, after a few weeks of use, it made my hair fall out. If I liked wigs, this would be great. So far, nothing else has worked this good."

• Mor...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 27, 2020

Mesalamine "Went through a few frightening episodes of what I thought was a lot of blood in urine. Had a ridiculously long and frightful work-up (cultures, cystoscopy with dye under general anesthesia) to rule out infection and cancer. Nothing was ever found. Happened again 2 years later. This time, my husband recommended that we search the medical literature before going down the rabbit hole again. There’s a single report of mesalamine (active ingredient of Lialda) reacting with bleach to form a reddish-brown dye. Upshot: a fresh toilet cleaning bleach tablet had been added to the water closet the day before."

• Psy...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 15, 2015

Mesalamine "This is the first drug I was prescribed after hospitalization and initial diagnosis. It made it possible to get off steroids and back to work. Hair loss was extensive, until I increased water intake and saw a renal dietitian. Even though I am allergic to sulfa drugs, this has been the least risky of the medications prescribed for my condition. My hair has grown back in, and with lifestyle changes I am much better. Long term, this is the only regimen that works for me."

• Mr ...
• February 4, 2020

"I am 64, had a colonoscopy last July for a positive Cologuard test result. No cancer, but there was a small area of redness the doctor was concerned about. Ordered a CT scan, no definite results. After the exam, did not have a normal bowel movement-I was perfectly fine before the exam. By late August, had serious rectal bleeding, loose stool. Went back in mid-September, they ordered tests for infection/parasites-were negative. In November, I reached the worst point, where I was running to the bathroom almost hourly. I started taking probiotics, based on the recommendation of a friend, and that helped. By late December, started having somewhat solid stool again. I had an appointment with a gastroenterologist at the end of January-at that point, I was recovering quite nicely, and she prescribed mesalamine, which I have been taking for two weeks now, and I am practically back to normal. I don't know exactly why I began to recover on my own, but probiotics definitely help, and the mesalamine sealed the deal."

• Fif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 25, 2021

"I was on this medicine for about 2 weeks. It wasn't helping, so my doc said I could get off it. A few days later, I had terrible chest pain and assumed it was an ulcer. It got so bad I went to the ER at 4 a.m., and after some blood tests, I was told it was myocarditis (heart inflammation), which is a more rare side effect of the drug. I had no other side effects, so just keep an eye on chest pain and go in if you get it. I was treated and released and totally fine after. Not the end of the world, just wish I would have known to watch for that as a side effect."

• Gry...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 11, 2021

Mesalamine "I've had IBD for around 5-6 years now, which most of that time I have been using Pentasa. Before, my stomach pain was really bad, but it seems to have calmed down now with medicine. I take 4 capsules a day (2 in the morning, 2 at night). I've not had any symptoms since I started using Pentasa. I burp a lot, but that's really the only side effect I have."

• Dia...
• February 13, 2019

"I have been taking this since my diagnosis, and it is amazing, the pain has subsided. I watch foods that trigger my IBS, along with my medication, mesalamine 800, and this has brought quality of life back. Thank you..."

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2021

Mesalamine "Pro: It kind of worked a bit. My bloodwork improved, and the mildest part of the inflammation went away. Cons: It didn't work enough. The area of more severe inflammation hasn't budged, unfortunately, and I'm still having bad stomach cramps every day. I tried upping my dose from 2 grams to 4 grams, and that actually made my symptoms worse, so I went back down. I'm also losing a lot of hair, but it's not really noticeable to anyone else, and I will say that that's the only side effect I've had from this medication on a 1-2 grams dosage, which I think is pretty good. If your doctor tells you to take this medication, definitely take it! I wish it had worked for me. It does work for a lot of people. I would be happy to take this medication every day for the rest of my life if it only worked!"

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2016

"I was prescribed ASACOL 7 days ago following a colonoscopy that showed I had an inflamed colon. Over the week, I have become increasingly tired and achy, and my movements have become increasingly loose, becoming diarrhea by day 6. I have been taken off the medicine pending a consultation in 3 days."

• Fif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2022

Mesalamine "Within 2 weeks, I started having chest pain that felt like terrible acid reflux. It was so painful and impossible to ignore, so I went to the ER at 4 a.m., where I was diagnosed with myocarditis… which apparently can happen on this drug. I was put on prednisone for a week, and all symptoms went away, but I was pulled off the medication. It clearly states myocarditis as a potential side effect, so I can’t be mad, but just know it can happen."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 25, 2019

Mesalamine "Pentasa was so helpful for IBS. It allowed me to get off steroids. I always felt better after taking it. Having to take it only twice a day was very comfortable."

• Kat...
• April 9, 2017

Mesalamine "Every doc said it was IBS, but a biopsy showed inflammation without being UC. I'm taking Apriso, and I'm so happy my life changed 100%. Keep fingers crossed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 10, 2019

Mesalamine "Delzicol works wonderfully! Too bad it is so doggone expensive and my insurance doesn't want to cover it anymore."

• Zeb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 5, 2023

"My IBD was well controlled / in remission within the first month of being prescribed generic mesalamine. No side effects, easy-to-swallow capsules."