Pentasa User Reviews & Ratings (Page 3)

• Ama...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 5, 2021

For Ulcerative Colitis, Maintenance "Been on Pentasa for a couple of years. Everything is great. Had a bit of a relapse, so I was prescribed Pentasa as a suppository. Worked immediately on the first one and have been absolutely fine for over a year. Can eat what I want and drink in moderation. Everything is normal. Do not hesitate, it gives you your life back!!"

• Anonymous
• July 10, 2017

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "Well, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 29... but the doctors thought I had it before then, I was pregnant, and it laid dormant for about a year. My intestines burst one year ago, and I had to have bowel resection...20 inches and my appendix. After all that, they put me on steroids and Pentasa, two 500 mg, three times a day. At first, I did okay with it, but I'm horrible at taking medicine, so I started decreasing the amount that I took. The doctor is not thrilled, of course, but now that I haven't taken it for a while, I feel no different than when I'm on it. I have diarrhea anytime I eat and occasional gas with pain, but that's it... I'm lucky, I know, and still not sure if I'm making the right choice, but meds are $70/mo."

• Buz...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 22, 2016

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I was on Pentasa for 19 years, but every time I had a colonoscopy, the Crohn's was progressing. I finally ended up in the hospital with a severe inflammation. I was told by two GI docs that the Pentasa was probably not working, but back in 1997, except for 6MP, they really had no other alternative. Two months ago, I switched to Humira. Many more side effects than Pentasa, however."

• Ama...
• April 2, 2016

For Ulcerative Proctitis "I've been using Pentasa 2 times a day, a total of 4 pills. It definitely helps! Sometimes I get headaches and feel sick, and sometimes I occasionally get pain, and for some reason, ever since I started taking them, I get these weird skin patches."

• Cro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 6, 2013

For Crohn's Disease "I had Crohn's with a resection 30 years ago and have been mostly in remission since. I have recently had a bad flare and narrowing at the anastomosis and need to be on medication, but haven't found one that I can handle. Asacol gave me such serious body aching and fatigue that I could not function. Pentasa immediately gave me heart palpitations and arrhythmias, so I had to discontinue it."

• Jac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 16, 2022

For Ulcerative Colitis "I just was diagnosed with UC recently. My doctor has me on 1 g 4 times a day. Everything was going great for the first couple of weeks. No immediate need. Normal-looking stools and no blood. After the first 2 weeks, however, the bleeding has come back, and I'm using the toilet more than ever. Will be reaching out to my doctor to see if we are overdosing."

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

For Inflammatory Bowel Disease "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."

• sew...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2014

For Crohn's Disease "I had surgery removing 6' of my small intestines. In Dec. 2013, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I have been taking Pentasa for about 3 months, since Jan. 2014. It has really helped me, but I am losing handfuls of hair every day. I am also having dizzy spells. The hardest side effect to deal with is, every time I have a bowel movement, I have terrible itching inside my rectum. Otherwise, I haven't noticed any other side effects yet."

• Min...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 2, 2022

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I was diagnosed with Crohn's in 1994. Over the first couple of years, I bounced around on Prednisone, Metronidazole, and a few other things. After a year, a new GI put me on Pentasa. I started at 1 gm each morning and night and have since reduced to 750 mg morning and night. By avoiding trigger foods, reducing stress, and getting plenty of exercise - my Crohn's is reasonably controlled. I haven't even had a significant flare in 5 years. I have experienced just about zero side effects other than some increased sun sensitivity. My old GI spent 15 years trying to convince me that Pentasa does not work and I should try one of the expensive biologicals with a plethora of side effects. My new GI is happy to see that I am doing well with minimal therapy. My insurance is currently bugging me to try the new Pentasa generic. They charge me $40 a month more to have Pentasa. I need to get my GI's opinion."

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

For Inflammatory Bowel Disease "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!"

• San...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 14, 2023

For Ulcerative Colitis "Pentasa has been a lifesaver. I have been taking it for 23 years with no side effects and have been in remission for 12 years. Pentasa is extremely expensive but works as a maintenance for UC. Now, I am forced to look for an alternative due to costs."

• Cro...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 26, 2023

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "Pentasa has helped with the inflammation of my early stage Crohn’s. I take 2 tablets three times a day. I still have flares on occasion, and I have had some side effects, but nothing too difficult to manage. Mostly, this drug is very expensive, and my insurance company won’t cover it, so I have to order it from a Canadian drug company. I wish this was more affordable!"

• Bre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2022

For Ulcerative Proctitis "I have a stoma now due to a blocked bowel (diverticulitis). I now have proctitis. Pentasa suppositories definitely stopped the rectal bleeding, but as soon as I reduced then stopped, it came back. The doctor has put me back on it."

• Med...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 31, 2022

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "Just diagnosed with Crohn’s disease about two weeks ago. Have suspected it for some time, due to intense pain and cramping after eating, a bowel obstruction, and a fairly sizable weight loss (over about a 4-month period). My GI doc started me on Pentasa, 4 pills twice a day to see how I respond. So far, so good. No ill side effects to speak of. It’s nice to finally be able to eat food without pain and cramping. Taking it combined with prednisone (steroids for about 7 more weeks). Fingers crossed it continues to look up and be positive from here. Thankfully, I have good health insurance and get a 90-day supply for cheap because I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t."

• cro...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 12, 2024

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I have had a good experience with Pentasa. I have been on 4g a day for the last 10 years for Crohn's disease. I don't think I have any major side effects. I have been in remission, blood and scope wise, for years. I do have some symptoms, like cramps and upset stomach every now and then, and have to pace myself sometimes, but overall I'm happy with it. It's not completely perfect symptom wise, but I can live a decent life with it, so all good."

• Gaz...
• May 4, 2016

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "This drug Pentasa is the worst drug that I have ever taken. I had severe vomiting, at least over 20 times in the space of 3 to 4 hours, and severe diarrhea, which was even worse. This occurred every 20 minutes or less sometimes, but no bloody [unintelligible] that I was aware of. So people be warned, this drug is crap. It really is."

• mn ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 23, 2012

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I have been on Pentasa, 2 capsules 2x a day. First week, feel amazing to not have all-day tummy pain or cramping. Hope I have found something that will continue to work for me."

• Ran...
• November 13, 2015

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I've been on Pentasa for 3 years. I've had very bad acne and lost a lot of hair."

• mor...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 8, 2019

For Ulcerative Colitis "Pentasa works good for me, but I have to follow a diet of no fat, no acidic foods, no spices, no outside food."

• Pet...
• December 6, 2019

For Ulcerative Colitis "This drug made my colitis worse... more flare-ups and extreme pain... I do not recommend this for ulcerative colitis."

• Anonymous
• October 19, 2009

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "My child was diagnosed 05/06. Since that time, the only major flare he has had was precipitated by the stomach flu. He is otherwise basically controlled with Pentasa."

• Emm...
• March 26, 2009

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I have never had any significant side effects from Pentasa, and it has kept me feeling great."

• TJ0...
• April 18, 2014

For Crohn's Disease "Within one month of starting on Pentasa, all my Crohn's symptoms have been completely in remission and have remained so going on 5 years now."

• Anonymous
• April 2, 2012

For Crohn's Disease "I have had good results with this medicine."

• Pau...
• May 2, 2017

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "It has been great. Works a treat."