Ulcerative Colitis Treatment-Mayo Clinic

[elwap0]

This is tragic my sister has been at this for over 30 years ....all the drugs she only got worse

GET THE BOOK >>>Breaking the Vicious Cycle was written by Elaine Gottschall and get well .my sister did in days..........

[Georga44]

I have 31 years of info that I think Mayo my want to see. You would be able to save patients many years of pain because I have that info that you have been waiting to see. I never smoked I was 13 I am 45.

[GlobalAwareness2525]

That's interesting & why I don't seek help in the medical field for this. You said the treatments aren't really directed at the root cause of the condition... That's what I've been telling people is the common practice of the Medical field is to never really get to the root cause because there is no money in actually making people well but the life long prescriptions & unnecessary surgeries, sorry but I want to get to the root cause of any health problem, fix it, then I won't have the symptoms.

[destinedforloveable]

WOW,i never realized that i may have been suffering for yrs with this,i was just diagnosed in the ER after a cat scan,finally after having abdominal pain and diarehae,i couldnt even eat or sleep or even drink water and the pain and diarehea for 10 days and i lost so much weight,they have me on prednisone and so far so good,but is this a lasting med and how long can a person be on it?

[bnlearle]

Wow. I just wanted to thank you for sharing this! I am 29 and was diagnosed last week and have been depressed. This helped so much. Your the first person to spell out the fact that people with UC have a slightly longer life expectancy. I was worried about this due to colon cancer. Having just had our first baby, this is of great mental relief -- and I know it will be for my wife. My gratitude for doctors is immeasurable. My best friend is in his 4th year at med school so I know first hand all t

[youmarc11]

I hear colitis is caused by leaky gut syndrome. I also heard L-Glutamine and Probiotics are good.

[MadeByEduNotLaziness]

Some key things that can help with ulcerative colitus (UC) is identifying what foods trigger UC flare ups. Once you identify the foods you should log them. Over time other foods that don't cause flare ups can cause flare ups. Stress is a huge factor which can instantly cause a flare up if stress is way too high. Getting a lot of sleep is very important. Drugs are not the only solution. Consider alternatives to drugs, but ask your doctor before using them.

[pris72]

What can you take when prednisone doesn't agree with you? I tried prednisone before, but it made my GERD so bad that I would be in tears. It got so bad on prednisone that even on meds for the GERD I'd hear sizzling in my mouth when I talked. This is with me watching what I eat, and doing all the right things so I just can't do the steroids at all. Anything else other than steroids to supress the immune system during flare ups? I have colitis by the way.

[mayoclinic]

Unfortunately some people develop many side effects with prednisone. In genl, if you can't get the symptoms under control with the 5-aminosalicylates (includes Asacol, Lialda, Pentasa, Apriso, or Colazal) and are relying on prednisone courses more than once/year, you should be seriously thinking about using a stronger medication for maintenance therapy. This might include azathioprine (Imuran) or infliximab (Remicade). This is a genl recommendation, of course, without knowing the full details.

[GraytDane]

I quit smoking cold turkey, and at 44 developed UC within 1 week. Ive had it for a year now, and just discovered the link. Now what? Go back to smoking to try to cure the UC? Im about ready.

[CTHARDCORE606]

I am 25 yrs old and was diagnosed with U.C when i was about 9 yrs old. During my early teen yrs i had many surgery's resulting in a total collectamy (spelling?), i had an ostomy bag for a few yrs before it was reversed and reconnected to my colon when i was 18. I havent been on any medication and ive had no flare ups since i was about 15. I might not eat the "perfect" diet for someone with my history, but i dont encounter any foods that give me problems.

[CTHARDCORE606]

@CTHARDCORE606 ..I have spent the last few years trying like hell to join the Army. I was required to send in my medical records, which i did, and i also received a note from my surgeon giving his "clearance" for my joining. I was "disqualified" from joining by the medical generals in the military, but i have been told by many poeple that they give waivers for individual cases. I am curious if you have any knowledge in this area, or have any ideas of who i could contact. thank you very much

[Boxerlover2984]

Dr. Loftus, Thank u for the video. If been recently diagnosed with UC in like March. Im started with asacol and have been recently prescribed to take 6 mp and prednisone in addition. Is this treatment to fast for only having it a few months? What are you thoughts?

[mayoclinic]

@Boxerlover2984 Dr. Loftus page 2 Many IBD specialists will prescribe 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) or azathioprine if a person is having trouble weaning off prednisone; in other words, if their symptoms return as they are tapering the dose, or the symptoms return shortly after stopping prednisone. 6-MP and azathioprine are most frequently used in people with ulcerative colitis when they are "steroid-dependent".

[mayoclinic]

@Boxerlover2984 Dr. Loftus page 1: It depends on the details of your case. If the mesalamine (Asacol) wasn't controlling your symptoms, then your doctor may have prescribed prednisone as a next step. One advantage of prednisone is that it is rapidly acting; however, many people experience side effects such as moodiness, insomnia, fluid retention, and weight gain, so it is not a good long-term strategy.

[mayoclinic]

@Boxerlover2984 It depends on the details of your case. If the mesalamine (Asacol) wasn't controlling your symptoms, then your doctor may have prescribed prednisone as a next step. One advantage of prednisone is that it is rapidly acting; however, many people experience side effects such as moodiness, insomnia, fluid retention, and weight gain, so it is not a good long-term strategy.

[mayoclinic]

@Boxerlover2984 It depends on the details of your case. If the mesalamine (Asacol) wasn't controlling your symptoms, then your doctor may have prescribed prednisone as a next step. One advantage of prednisone is that it is rapidly acting; however, many people experience side effects such as moodiness, insomnia, fluid retention, and weight gain, so its not a good long-term strategy.

[OmoOwa]

Dr Loftus thanks for this video clip. My wife was diagnosed with UC a year ago. Prior to this she was very healthy, had a good immune system, and rarely had common cold. But her ordeal started upon complaining of pain in her ear, she was given some antibiotic eardrops, but no improvement, was referred to a specialist who prescribed a stronger oral antibiotics, then it was downhill from there.

[OmoOwa]

Dr Loftus. Long story short, she was diagnosed with UC. She has been on various drugs, but was switched about 6 months ago to Asacol; she is going thru a flare up as we speak. I did some research on this illness and came across a drug called Digestacure which claims to be a cure for UC, Crohns and a whole bunch of other ailments. The drug is expensive but I am skeptical of its claims, could this be a scam? What are your thoughts on this? See digestacure . com thanks. I kindly await your reply

[MrKbjorns]

Dr Loftus, I am a 59 yr old C5-6 guad due to spinal injury in 1970. I have had a colostomy since 12/05. Gradually over years my stomach motility has deteriorated and this past fall was diagnosed with chronic ulcerative colitus. The bleeding has been controlled but flares are frequent. Because of my paralysis I have an autonomic reaction of high blood preassure sweats and some spasticity. Can you help me?

Keith Bjornson kbjornson51@gmail.com

[mayoclinic]

@MrKbjorns Potentially but due to the complexity of your illnesses this will require a face to face consultation with me or one of my colleagues in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic.

[joe88john]

U told me everything I already know, Here's a question, some UC diets are suggesting Oatmeal, while others are saying to stay away from it, whats your take? Also, some are saying eat Yogurt, others say stay away from yogurt, what r ur thoughts? Ive had UC for 4 years and have recently hit a horrible flare up after being on remicade for 2 years

[mayoclinic]

@joe88john From Dr. Loftus (page 1) No easy answers on diet. There is no one diet that has been proven to be beneficial for people with ulcerative colitis. Some of the epidemiologic studies suggest that too much red meat and too much sugar may be associated with the onset of ulcerative colitis, but it's not clear that avoiding these foods will improve the control of ulcerative colitis in people who already have it.

[mayoclinic]

@joe88john Dr. Loftus (page 2) Occasionally we identify someone who has both celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and ulcerative colitis, but most people don't have both, and there is no proof that a gluten free diet in a person with only UC will be beneficial.

[mayoclinic]

@joe88john Dr. Loftus (page 3) Probiotics are an interesting area of research right now, but we haven't yet identified a specific probiotic or combination that has been proven to be effective for treating UC. Eating yogurt is probably OK, it's just that I don't know if it is helping.

[mayoclinic]

Dr. Loftus (pg4) I often get asked if the specific carbohydrate diet is the right diet to try. The problem is that it's a very restrictive diet, difficult to follow long-term, and most people can't maintain it for long periods of time. Plus, they often don't get enough calories in with this diet and many patients lose weight that they can't afford to lose while on this diet.

[mayoclinic]

Dr. Loftus (page 5)

Use common sense. Home cooked food is better than restaurant food. Avoid junk food. Fresh food is better than processed food.

[believeyouwould]

What typically is the root cause of the inflamation in the first place Doctor? Overdosing of anti-biotics? Something else? What do you think of the idea of administering repeated low-dose mild chlorine dioxide water solution via enema into the bowel? Is the inflamation bacterial in nature? Fungus? What is it? Thank You.

[IBDUwebsite]

Thank you for breaking this down ! It's good to hear about all these different types of meds with alot of detail.

[PhilipUK64]

I used potassium iodide and it worked way better than any drug. Boosts the immune system isstaed of suppressing it! Gram doses are needed.

Drugs are bad and surgery is worse!

[circo47]

you mentioned an order of succession of medications, should you stay with that order I'm being encouraged to bypass azathioprine and try golimumab I don't want to bypass one and be on my last option before surgery is that the case if I skip azathioprine?

[mayoclinic]

Dr. Loftus Part 1: The order of medications is certainly not written in stone. Golimumab (Simponi) is one of the anti-TNF drugs, in the same general class as infliximab (Remicade). This drug is currently not approved by the U.S. F.D.A. for ulcerative colitis (or Crohn's disease for that matter). However, it is approved for use in certain types of arthritis (rheumatoid, psoriatic, and ankylosing spondylitis).

[mayoclinic]

Dr. Loftus Part 2: I don't know if you are being encouraged to use this medication as part of an investigational trial, or if there is another reason you would be taking golimumab. Infliximab is approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis by the F.D.A. It would be very reasonable, if you are steroid-dependent, or not responding to steroids, to move directly to an anti-TNF agent. My preference in this case would be infliximab.

[melajewels]

Thank you for this. You have helped me so much! I appreciate your time and information on this. Is there a surgery that just removes the portion of the colon that is the problem, and leaving the rest of the colon and anus except for the few problem areas?

[mayoclinic]

Dr. Edward Loftus, Page 1

Unfortunately, removal of just part of the colon leaves the remainder of colon at risk for recurrence for ulcerative colitis, and the recurrence rate is high. Therefore, removal of the entire rectum and colon is recommended. Fortunately, there is an anus-sparing procedure called ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. This is a staged procedure in which a reservoir is formed out of the ileum and this is attached to the anus or a very short cuff of rectum.

[mayoclinic]

Dr. Loftus, Page 2

In most cases, this is performed as a two-staged procedure, and a temporary ileostomy is required for 2 to 3 months. The patient satisfaction rate with this procedure is high, and the failure rate is low (i.e., less than 10%). Mayo surgeons can often perform this procedure laparoscopically, which not only improves the cosmetic result but often leads to more rapid hospital dismissal and post-operative recovery.

[zxcvbnmmasdfghjkl]

Are there any over the counter drugs u can take or natural medicine that will return to remission?

[mayoclinic]

In regards to over the counter drugs or natural remedies, there are no results of remission that we know of.

[gkraychik]

Interesting video, thank you for sharing. I would imagine that patients with ulcerative colitis living in first worlds nations may already know this, though.