ASACOL TREATMENT for Jpouch?

I'd forgotten all about it, but your post reminded me. I was on Asacol brielfy before my surgery, as a final resort as everything else had failed. I seem to remember having regular blood tests to check for liver/kidney (?) function, and had to stop taking it because it was affecting that.

I was on Asacol too, before my surgery. I had not heard it used for Jpouch treatment before. I really don't think my doctor knows much about jpouch. Sadly, I had to move and the doctors here are clueless. There isn't even a support group around here. I guess I should start one huh? I am almost considering going back to Philadelphia for my care.

You definitely sound like you need to get to a more knowledgable doctor. This is your health, y our life. Even if you have to drive an hour or two to get to a good doc. You deserve to have competent care.

Where are you now? maybe some people on this board can make some jpouch experienced doctor recommendations for you.

Do you have cuffitis perhaps? I think typically doctors don't prescribe oral Asacol since there are the Canasa suppositories to treat the cuff. I think you need to see your reports from your doctor to find out what your actual diagnosis was from your scopes.

My original surgeon put me on Asacol about 10 years into the jpouch. He was suspecting Crohn's of the pouch and I think it was the last thing he could think of to try. It actually did help my jpouch behave better for a time, until other unfortunate issues arose (fistula, abscess...)

While I don't think it's typical to use Asacol for pouch problems, if your doc is suspecting CD it might be worth a try. I had no side effects save for some hair loss. You do need to have blood work done occasionally to be sure it is not affecting your kidneys - I did not have any issues in that area.

My doc has me on CANASA suppositories and the active ingredient is the same as ASACOL, melsalamine. It does seem to work better than oral.

I was on Asacol for 14 years and had no kidney of liver function problems and some get them right away. I don't know if it would even work with our pouches. The coating is made to keep the pill from dissolving until it reaches the pH of the colon. Our pouches are so small I doubt the pill would have time to dissolve all the way or at all. I don't know if the pouch pH is the same as colon, just assuming. You can get the Mesalamine in pill form without the coating and many of us use it in Canasa suppositories.

I hope you find a GI doctor that specializes in IBD. Are there any University hospitals around you? How far are you from the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH or the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL?