How does asacol work in the body

Liver function: The use of this medication by people with reduced liver function has not been well studied. If you have reduced liver function or liver disease, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed. If you experience symptoms of liver problems such as fatigue, feeling unwell, loss of appetite, nausea, yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, dark urine, pale stools, abdominal pain or swelling, and itchy skin, contact your doctor as soon as possible.

Slow stomach emptying: The tablet form of 5-ASA may not work as well for people with a condition known as pyloric stenosis. If you have pyloric stenosis or have a history of slow emptying of the stomach, discuss with your doctor how this medication may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of this medication, and whether any special monitoring is needed.

Tablets in stool: Infrequently, what looks to be intact or partially intact tablets may appear in the stool. If this occurs repeatedly, consult your doctor. Pregnancy: 5-aminosalicylic acid crosses the placenta and may affect the developing baby if taken by the mother during pregnancy. It should not be used during pregnancy unless the benefits outweigh the risks. If you become pregnant while taking this medication, contact your doctor immediately.

Breast-feeding: This medication passes into breast milk. If you are a breast-feeding mother and are taking 5-aminosalicylic acid, it may affect your baby. Talk to your doctor about whether you should continue breast-feeding.

Children: The safety and effectiveness of this medication for use by children have not been established. If you are taking any of these medications, speak with your doctor or pharmacist. Depending on your specific circumstances, your doctor may want you to:.

An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you must stop taking one of them. Speak to your doctor about how any drug interactions are being managed or should be managed. Medications other than those listed above may interact with this medication.

Tell your doctor or prescriber about all prescription, over-the-counter non-prescription , and herbal medications you are taking. Also tell them about any supplements you take. Since caffeine, alcohol, the nicotine from cigarettes, or street drugs can affect the action of many medications, you should let your prescriber know if you use them. All material copyright MediResource Inc. Terms and conditions of use. Keep in mind, Asacol HD tablets are not interchangeable with these drugs.

You should not mix and match these medications. Asacol HD treats moderately active UC and can help relieve its symptoms. This is sometimes called inducing remission. Other medications may be taken long term to maintain UC remission. They can advise whether this is a good option for you and recommend a suitable medication.

Mesalamine is available in several generic forms. This is because these products are equivalent. This is because these products are not the same.

And you should not mix and match them, even if you take the same dosage. For example, two mg generic mesalamine delayed-release tablets may not produce the same effect as one mg Asacol HD delayed-release tablet. So you should not swap two mesalamine mg delayed-release tablets for one mg Asacol HD tablet. These tablets release the active drug in different ways.

This is unlike immediate-release medications, which release their active drug sooner in your system. But if it happens frequently, talk with your doctor. They may need to check that the medication is working properly for you. Asacol HD works directly in your colon large intestine and rectum.

The tablet has a special coating that allows it to pass through your stomach and small intestine without being digested. The medication is released when the tablet reaches your colon. With UC, you have inflammation swelling and ulcers small sores in the lining of your colon large intestine , rectum, or both. The condition is long term. Asacol HD is typically taken for 6 weeks to reduce inflammation in your bowel and help relieve UC symptoms.

Asacol HD is an effective treatment for moderately active UC. Mesalamine is recommended as a treatment option for active UC according to American Gastroenterological Association guidelines. Keep in mind, mesalamine is the active drug in Asacol HD. However, drinking alcohol with this medication could worsen certain side effects, such as headache, nausea, and diarrhea. For some people, drinking alcohol can worsen UC symptoms such as diarrhea, cramping, or bloating.

If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about how much is safe for you to drink while taking Asacol HD. Asacol HD can interact with several other medications. It can also interact with certain foods and interfere with specific lab tests.

Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works.

Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below is a list of medications that can interact with Asacol HD. This list does not contain all drugs that may interact with Asacol HD. Before taking Asacol HD, talk with your doctor and pharmacist.

Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you take. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

However, taking Asacol HD with iron supplements could lead to iron overload having too much iron in your body. This is because Asacol HD tablets contain iron in their coating. Before starting Asacol HD, be sure to tell your doctor if you take iron supplements or any other supplements or herbs.

This can increase your risk for side effects. It can also lower the amount of drug that reaches your colon large intestine. And this could make the medication less effective. Asacol HD may interfere with certain lab tests that measure levels of normetanephrine in your urine. You might have a urine test for normetanephrine if your doctor wants to check for certain rare cancers.

Asacol HD can cause a false-positive result on this urine test. This means the test may show increased levels of normetanephrine, even if your levels are actually within the preferred range. You should take Asacol HD according to the instructions your doctor gives you. This means you should take it at least 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after a meal.

No, Asacol HD tablets cannot be crushed, split, or chewed. These tablets have a special coating that allows them to move through your stomach and small intestine without being digested. For inflammatory bowel disease , your doctor may advise you to make some changes to your diet as part of your treatment. This can include following a special diet or adding a nutritional supplement. There's no clear evidence to suggest that taking mesalazine will reduce fertility in either men or women.

Speak to your doctor if you're trying to get pregnant. Mesalazine does not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception. However, if taking or using mesalazine makes you vomit or have severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy. Look on the pill packet to find out what to do. Read more about what to do if you're taking the pill and you're being sick or have diarrhoea.

Mesalazine is unlikely to affect your ability to drive, ride a bike or operate tools and machinery. Other medicines used to treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis include:.

Read more about the different treatments for Crohn's disease. Read more about the different treatments for ulcerative colitis. Page last reviewed: 19 July Next review due: 19 July Mesalazine - Brand names: Asacol, Mezavant, Octasa, Pentasa, Salofalk, Zintasa On this page About mesalazine Key facts Who can and cannot take mesalazine How and when to take mesalazine Side effects How to cope with side effects of mesalazine Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about mesalazine.

About mesalazine Mesalazine is used to treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and other types of inflammatory bowel disease. Mesalazine is only available on prescription. It comes as: tablets granules rectal foam suppositories enemas. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Different brands of mesalazine tablets and granules work on different parts of your gut. Rectal foam, suppositories or enemas are prescribed for the lower part of your gut.

Once you and your doctor find a brand of mesalazine that works for you, it's usually best to stick to the same one. When your symptoms are under control you can usually go onto a lower dose. Common side effects of mesalazine include upset stomach, and muscle aches and pains.

One very rare side effect can be problems with your blood. Tell your doctor immediately if you get unexplained bleeding, bruising or red or purple marks on your skin, or if you have a sore throat, high temperature or feel generally unwell. Adults and children aged 5 years and older can take mesalazine.

To make sure it's safe for you, tell a pharmacist or doctor before taking or using it if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to mesalazine, aspirin, or any other salicylates such as methylsalicylate or choline salicylate have ever had an allergic reaction to any other medicine have any problems with your kidneys or liver have a rare blood condition called porphyria are trying to get pregnant, already pregnant, or breastfeeding.

Dosage Your dose will depend on why you need it and on the type and brand of mesalazine that your doctor has prescribed for you. How to take tablets and granules You will either take the tablets or granules once a day, or as 2 or 3 smaller doses throughout the day. How to use suppositories Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how many suppositories to use each day.

Wash your hands before and after using the suppository. Also clean around your bottom anus with mild soap and water, rinse and pat dry. Unwrap the suppository. Gently push the suppository into your anus with the pointed end first. It needs to go in about 3 centimetres 1 inch.

Sit or lie still for about 15 minutes. The suppository will start to soften, as it melts with your body heat. This is normal. How to use enemas You will usually use mesalazine enemas once a day before you go to bed. Wash your hands before and after using the enema. Lie on your side, with your bottom slightly higher than the rest of your body. You can use a pillow to lift your bottom up.

You may want to lie on a towel. Put one of the disposable plastic bags provided over your hand like a glove and pick up the bottle. Shake the bottle. Break the seal on the nozzle, or remove the protective cap. Gently push the nozzle into your bottom anus as far as is comfortable. Squeeze the bottle steadily to allow the liquid to empty into your anus quite quickly. This takes about 30 to 40 seconds. It's normal for some liquid to be left in the bottle afterwards.

Remove the nozzle from your bottom. Peel the disposable plastic bag off your hand and use it to cover the bottle, ready to throw away. Roll onto your front and wait for 5 minutes. This will stop any liquid coming out of your bottom. For sleeping, find a comfortable position that keeps the liquid in your bottom for as long as possible. Check with your doctor right away if you have stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, cramps, fever, headache, or a rash while you are using this medicine.

These may be symptoms of a condition called mesalamine-induced acute intolerance syndrome. Call your doctor right away if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, a fast heartbeat, itching, rash, or skin redness, or swelling of the face, throat, or tongue. These may be symptoms of an allergic reaction to this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have pain or tenderness in the upper stomach, pale stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or yellow eyes or skin.

These could be symptoms of a serious liver problem. This medicine may make you more sensitive to light and cause serious unwanted skin reaction. This is more likely if you have an existing skin problem eg, atopic dermatitis, atopic eczema. Check with your doctor right away if you have increased sensitivity of the skin to sunlight, itching, redness or other discoloration of the skin, severe sunburn, or skin rash.

Use a sunscreen when you are outdoors. Avoid sunlamps and tanning beds. Using these medicines together may change the amount of medicine that is released in the body. Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using mesalamine. This medicine may affect the results of certain medical tests. Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor.

This includes prescription or nonprescription over-the-counter [OTC] medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements. Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine.

Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:.