User Reviews for Mesalamine (Lialda, Pentasa, and others)

I am 18 years old and I have had Ulcerative Colitis since I was 11. I've been using Asacol for a few years and it helps but I still often have flare-ups. I took Pentasa when I first got diagnosed but I like this one a lot better.

Diagnosed with UC a year ago. Rare flare-ups, but I stil have about 4 bm a day, usually before noon. My doctor suggested to try upping the amount to 4 pills a day for a month. So, i kept a log, less bm a day about 50% of the time. I am also on Align. tried stopping that for a while, no difference. Tried no diary, no caffeine, no changes to # of BM. Other suggestions? My doc has not been monitoring my kidney functions, good to read about that.

Been using for 6 mo & has been the most effective. Showed positive signs in 1st 3wk of use with pain being the first to go. Lesser trips to bathroom. Closer to normal since disease started but know I'll never be normal either. Started with 8 daily & now down to 4. Cost is outrageous as insurance looks at as new drug pays 50%. I would strongly urge physicians to use this more & get it off BLBS formularly list. Then this could be more affordable for more.

I have been taking ASACOL for 6 months now and I've had NO flare ups. No unwanted side effects either.

This medicine has saved me. It took about 3-4 weeks. I have been on it for over a year and can't imagine life without it. Recently had throat surgery and couldn't take it for a week. Man I suffered. Glad to be back on it. Downside: Pills are so big and it is so expensive.

so far I"m still having the diarrhea and abdominial pain aithough i just started taking this medication i guess i have to give it time

I was diagnosed back in 2008 with crohn's. I was prescribed pentasa at first. I used it for the first couple of weeks and it had no effect. Popping pill after pill and even upping the dosage still did nothing at all. I was swallowing these pills for nothing. My case isn't even as bad as what I've read about some people having. It was until I was prescribed prednisone that I felt back to normal(thank god). This pill is a waste of time and money especially when you don't have insurance.

Causes me to be able to spend most of my day pain free.

An active Crohn's episode subsided within only 2-3 days of starting this medication. The biggest benefit was in the subsidence of the severe cramping that preceded and succeeded bowel movements. Bleeding during bowel movements has also disappeared. Side effects have been minimal in the 3 weeks I have been taking this medicine. The most notable is a slight headache, which is worse when my energy level is down. A psoriasis outbreak started in the second week, and has not gone away. I wil... l have to monitor this since, in my case, it can bring back a previous condition of acropustulosis. The use of anti-inflammatory medications tends to worsen my psoriasis. With regard to appetite, I suggest you take it slowly. My latest Crohn's episode was in it's fourth week. So, when I started being able to handle eating, I went a little overboard! In all, this has been a true blessing. I wish I would have known about it years ago. Not quite a miracle cure, but I do feel much better. I will continue to monitor my health and have a big concern over the potential for renal failure as a possible side-effect. Good luck! Read More Read Less

It has really helped me with the pain

BECAREFUL...BE YOUR OWN DOCTOR....YOU KNOW YOUR BODY AND WHAT YOU ARE ABLE TO DO AND FEEL LIKE..... I RATHER TAKE NOTHING.!

Started taking Pentasa times aday about 7 months ago..had a horrible headache for the first few days, but that was the only side effect I had. After about a month I started to notice a difference. I am not completely symptom free, but it definately helps! I would take it 8 times a day if I had to. After almost ten years of being told I had IBS or nothing at all I finally found a doctor that I love...the right doctor means everything to someone with Crohns. Good luck to you all.

severe hair loss

severe hair loss

I had been on Asacol for 5 years with no problems. Dr changed me to this so I wouldn't have to take so many pills a day but I still had to take 4 Lialda a day. Within two weeks, my hair started shedding heavily. Within two months, I had lost over half of my hair. At that point, when the drs finally agreed it was caused by the Lialda, I was switched back to Asacol. Since they are the same medicine, I do still shed heavily if they increase my Asacol dosage and don't put me on prednisone but not... like I did on the Lialda. Read More Read Less

Took Lialda for several months, but was not having blood test monitoring before or after use. Began feeling nausea, fever, body aches, fatigue. Finally a blood test revealed my creatinine level had risen above 7.0 and the GFR had fallen below 15 (renal failure). Be CERTAIN the prescribing physician is monitoring the kidney function with blood tests.

A few days after I started taking this, my bowels were back to normal and I had no more bleeding or pain. Fantastic drug. It's like I never even went through all the pain from UC. The only thing I dislike is how large the pills are and taking 4 all at once every day, but it's completely worth it to feel normal again. If only it weren't so expensive without the $50 off coupon...