Reviews

After under-going multiple surgeries my surgeons prescribed IV pepcid (and I eventually took it orally) to protect & coat my stomach from acid build up after being unable to drink or eat anything for multiple weeks. The pepcid definitely worked well & I had no side effects from it.

While taking large doses of Prednisone for an extended period of time, I suffered severe heart burn and acid reflux. My insurance company forced me to take nexium instead of the drug my doctor initially prescribed, and I had very little success with this drug. It kinda relieved my heart burn, but did absolutely nothing for my acid reflux.

After under-going 3 surgeries, I was left with some minor nerve damage and temporarily had shooting pains throughout one side of my body & tingling in my feet and fingers. My surgeons put me on the drug for short period of time, and it seemed to get rid of all the shooting pain and tingling.

I recently started taking Lotronex after having J-Pouch surgery and ending up with chronic diarrhea and increased urgency. I also had embarrassing accidents seemingly out of nowhere. After running out of drugs that could effectively help me out, my doctor turned to Lotronex, a drug with a very checkered past.

Lotronex was once used to treat severe IBS in both men & women. It was later pulled from the market by the FDA due to some serious side effects, questionable efficacy, & several deaths. After the drug was pulled, there was an outcry from former users of the drug that depended on it to carry on some semblance of a normal life. It was life-changing for many people, but also destroyed some people's colons. A few years later, the FDA put it back on the market with some restrictions--namely that only physicians that are certified with the drug can prescribe it & it's supposed predominately be prescribed for women (because it's been shown to be more effective for women than men)

I haven't been on the drug very long, but I have had some mixed results with it thus far. It has eliminated my accidents, improved my stool consistency, but hasn't really decreased the number of bowel movements I have each day. Additionally, it occasionally causes painful constipation & even some intestinal bleeding.

I'd only consider using this drug as a last resort. It can be a necessary evil and you need to be closely monitored while taking it.

As a patient with Ulcerative Colitis, I am susceptible to many GI-tract infections. I have gotten severe E-Coli food poisoning on several occasions that resulted in hospitalizations in which I was treated with IV Levaquin and then eventually took the drug orally.

Each time I've contracted e-coli food poisoning Levaquin has done the job with few or no noticeable side effects.

As a patient with Ulcerative Colitis that has underwent J-Pouch surgery, I have used Flagyl on a number of occasions. I've needed Flagyl to cure my re-occurring pouchitis on a number of occassions, and it has always been effective very quickly. In a matter of hours you begin to feel better. However, I am a person that tolerates Flagyl better than most. Many people get nauseous from it and others get a horrible metallic taste in their mouths. I've had neither side-effect though.

I've also had to use Flagyl to eradicate C-Diff. To cure C-Diff, you need to stay on Flagyl for 3-4 weeks at minimum. Even then, it sometimes takes multiple courses of the drug to be effective.

As a patient with Ulcerative Colitis, I popped Lomotil like candy. When I was at my worst, I'd take 14 of them a day, because they were the only way I could somewhat control my symptoms. I also had no side effects from the large doses of the medicine. I eventually underwent a 3-stage J-Pouch surgery, and I will have to rely on lomotil for the rest of my life.

However, since I've had my 3 surgeries, I seem to be plagued by some side effects. If I take too much lomotil (which is considerably less than I used to take), I get very bloated, nauseous, & can't really eat large quantities of food.

After under-going a 3-step J-Pouch surgery, I suffered from chronic diarrhea, frequent urgency to use the restroom, I was 40 pounds underweight, & extremely anxious about everything. My doctor decided to be creative and prescribed this for me because it has just recently been used for patients with inflammatory bowel disease & IBS. The drug's side-effects include constipation, weight gain, and decreased urgency to use the bathroom. While this drug, hasn't completely relieved my urgency and diarrhea, it has made somewhat of a difference. Additionally, since I began taking the drug, it has been much easier for me to put on some weight and maintain a healthy weight. And the added bonus has been that the drug has slightly decreased my anxiety.

I suffered from severe pan-ulcerative colitis for several years before undergoing a 3-step J-Pouch surgery series. The UC gave me debilitating cramps & severe abdominal pain. Taking large dosages of a variety of anti-diarrheals also made my cramping even worse.

Donnatal was one of the few drugs that was able to give me some relief and improve my cramping and pain. While it doesn't "cure" any diseases, it certainly makes your pain more tolerable.

For years I had lived with moderate heartburn until it rapidly became worse over a short period of time and could no longer be controlled with over-the-counter products. At that time my doctor prescribed Aciphex.

I've now been taking it for over three years and it's starting to be not quite as effective as it once was. I heard that can happen with reflux drugs. Regardless, it has helped me out a lot and I've experienced no side-effects while taking it long-term.

I had been without Insurance for sometime and when I finally was able to see a doctor I discovered my blood pressure was much too high. Within the first two weeks there was a significant drop in my blood pressure, combined with a better diet my high blood pressure was brought under control. For the first month or so I did experience occasional bouts of severe abdominal pain but with continued use the side affects dissipated.

I used Fosamax, then switched to Fosamax Plus D. I had osteopena (pre-osteoporosis) which was found in my bi-annual bone density test. I was just recently taken off Fosamax Plus D because my bone density test was near normal. I am still taking calcium supplements, but I don't expect that I'll have to take Fosamax again. The only downside to this drug is that you have to set aside a weekly block of about 1/2 hour to take the pill, but that's a small price to pay.

I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD while in middle school. I tried various medications but when I began to take Adderall I was able to focus my excited energy into school. I graduated college magna cum laude since taking Adderall.

I like the ProAir HFA brand of albuterol- it is cheaper than other albuterol brands available now that they old formulation has been taken off the market. I haven't noticed any changes in effectiveness compared to the old albuterol. I use it as a rescue inhaler and before exercise.

I am a soldier in the united states army and was involved in more than my share of IED's. After deployment I began having periods with extreme difficulty breathing and a few other symptoms which later was diagnosed as mild ptsd as well as panic disorder.
This was beginning to influence my every day life and so I began seeing a doctor who prescirbed me alprazolam (xanax). Immediately I felt relief just knowing that I had something to help. When I feel like a "panic attack" is getting close or if I actually begin having one, these little things save my life it feels like. I would highly recommend this to any fellow soldier or any person who suffers from the same symptoms I had/have. It WILL help.

This was a great drug... until I realized I could no longer get out of bed. I was doing great, however, managing my anxiety. I had absolutely no problem in that area. Prior to taking the medication, I would get flashes where I'd have trouble breathing. After taking the medication, I had no anxiety problems at all. It seemed like I was almost too OK with everything.

When I began to realize just how much of a grip the medication had on me, I had to get off it. I began to wake up (late morning to early afternoon mind you) and my body would tingle. So, in summary:

1. Great for taking care of the anxiety problems.
2. Trouble waking up / getting out of bed
3. Tingles in the morning

I am now on Zoloff and things are going just okay. At first, I felt much better - getting out of bed was no longer a problem, but now I get bad migraines. I did before the Paxil, but while I was on the Paxil, I noticed no migraines at all. I'm trying to cope with the problems and stick with the dosage of Zoloff I am on now, but I may consider going with a stronger dosage.

When I was first diagnosed with severe pan-ulcerative colitis, I was hospitalized for 3 months in 5 different hospitals. After running out of options & not responding to steroid treatments, my doctors all inevitably resorted to using Cyclosporine.

While in the hospital, I received Cyclsporine intravenously. However, the effectiveness of IV cyclosporine depends on how it is administered & you need a doctor that is very proficient with the drug to truly get the most out of it.

Cyclosporine is a VERY POTENT & blunt drug. Unlike many modern drugs that are precise & more like "surgical attacks", this drug is more like blunt force and often compared to a sledge hammer. Patients should ask their doctors about ALL potential risks before allowing doctors to administer it. One of the more serious side effects is that because it's an extreme immunosuppressant (it's even used to prevent organ rejections in transplant patients), you can become vulnerable to extremely dangerous opportunistic viruses, fungi, & bacteria.
As a result, it is usually used as a last resort to avoid surgery.

Moreover, many doctors debate whether you can use both Cyclosporine and Remicade (one after the other), so you might want to decide which drug you're going with ahead of time. Conventional thought says that using both drugs exponentially increases the potential for MAJOR complications.

While taking Cyclosporine patients should avoid having any unprotected sexual contact because the drug takes a long time to break down & can have unintended effects on your partner.

With that said, due to my desire to avoid surgery at all costs, I did ultimately use both drugs (several months apart) without suffering any significant complications. In the end, while Cyclosporine did help me get out of the hospital & buy me some time, it did not improve my condition enough to allow me to live any semblance of a normal life.

When I was first diagnosed with severe pan-ulcerative colitis, I was hospitalized for 3 months in 5 different hospitals. After running out of options & not responding to steroid treatments, my doctors all inevitably resorted to using Cyclosporine.

Cyclosporine is a VERY POTENT & "SIGNIFICANT" drug. It should not be taken lightly by any means. Before taking it, patients should ask their doctors about ALL potential side effects & risks. It is usually prescribed as one of your last resorts to avoid surgery because of the various potential side effects & complications. You really should weigh your options & considerations (like whether you want to have children in the near future) carefully before deciding whether to take the drug or opt for surgery. Also, many doctors debate whether after taking Cyclosporine you are able to try using Remicade. Most doctors suggest ONLY using one drug or the other to avoid surgery. If you end up using both drugs, the potential to suffer a serious complication increases exponentially. (With that said, due to my ardent desire to avoid surgery, I did ultimately go against conventional medical thought & used both drugs without suffering any major complications.)

Cyclosporine is not a precise "surgical" strike on your disease. It is a very blunt offensive and has all sorts of potential significant side effects including birth defects. My doctors went so far as to describe the drug as a "sledge hammer". They also advised me to bank my sperm (while in the hospital) before beginning any treatments and cautioned me not to have any unprotected sexual contact while on the drug because it takes a long time to break down & can have serious unintended effects on your sexual partner. One of the more serious side effects is that as an extreme immunosuppressant (that is even used as an anti-rejection drug in transplant patients), is that it can make you vulnerable to extremely dangerous opportunistic viruses, fungi, & bacteria.

In the end, while Cyclosporine did help me get out of the hospital & buy me some time, it did not improve my condition enough to allow me to live any semblance of a normal life.

Singulair was a recommendation of my mother who developed asthma late in life. While she was very sensitive to medication, she thought that Singulair gave her "no side effects" whatsoever. As you may know, inhalers make you trembly and some oral medications make you sleepy, but Singulair did none of those things to her, so I decided to try it. I have suffered from asthma since I was a child. It is triggered by environmental allergies and my allergy symptoms were worse in the Fall of the year. I missed several weeks of school as a child and was hospitalized on more than one occasion. I remember going to the emergency room for a shot of epinephrine...now that's a wonder drug. As an adult I only had asthma attacks while I was cleaning or while I was around a lot of dust or animal dander. I used to have to use an inhaler, but with Singulair, coupled with an over the counter, generic allergy medicine, I haven't used the inhaler in more than a year. I am very pleased with Singulair and wish that it had been available when I was a child. The worst thing about taking it is that I have trouble remembering to do so because I don't feel like I need it. It has made a real difference in my life, my allergies have decreased and my asthma is controlled and it gives me no adverse reaction. Can't wait until it goes generic so I can get it cheaper.

I suffered from severe pan-ulcerative colitis for several years before ultimately undergoing a 3-step sub-total collectomy & J-Pouch surgery. Before under-going the series of surgeries, my doctor had me on these cort-enemas for 2 years.

The drug wasn't able to control my UC at all--even in the rectum & anus. Nevertheless, I continued the use of the enemas because they didn't do any harm and were somewhat soothing. Part of the reason that the enemas weren't quite as effective as they should've been, was that my disease was too severe and I was therefor unable to retain the enema for an extended period of time without using the restroom.

After being on extremely high dosages of Prednisone for an extended period of time to treat my severe Ulcerative Colitis, I was perpetually unable to sleep. I first relied on Ambien, but I couldn't stay on it for long periods of time without developing tolerance for it (and requiring increasingly higher doses), so my doctor tried to alternate between Codeine and Ambien every other month to prevent me from becoming too dependent on any one drug.

The codeine was also prescribed to try slowing down my intestines at night. While drugs like Codeine are typically used to treat pain, they have the side effect of also causing constipation. My doctor wanted to try utilizing this side effect to slow down my gut, but it was only mildly effective & its effects were very temporary.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend Codeine as a solution for insomnia unless you're using it for pain reasons or in the rare instance to try causing constipation.

As a patient that was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis at the age of 22 (seemingly out of nowhere), Asacol was the first drug that I was put on in the hope of controlling my UC. Unfortunately, my UC was much too severe for asacol to be effective and it really did nothing for me or my symptoms. While the drug is generally benign and pretty gentle it can actually exacerbate UC in certain instances of severe disease.

Due to the severe condition that my colon & I were in, the asacol actually increased the frequency of my diarrhea. My nurse noticed that I was passing the entire pills in my stool before they had even had the opportunity to do anything.

Also, while I, personally, didn't suffer any awful side-effects from the drug, another patient that I became friends with,also taking Asacol, lost all her hair within 2-3 weeks of taking the drug. The side-effect is extremely rare, so many doctors don't even warn patients about it, but if you notice any hair loss starting at all, you should contact your doctor ASAP so that they can get you an alternative medication!

Overall, as my doctor explained to me, the Asacol is the first drug prescribed to patients with UC, and is only really effective in mild instances of the disease.

As a patient that suffered from severe pan-ulcerative colitis I was perpetually on high doses of cortico steroids like Prednisone. As a result, I often was unable to sleep at all because I was chemically over-stimulated & had an elevated heart rate, along with great anxiety relating to my disease. My disease, itself, caused poor sleep habits as well because I was constantly waking up to use the bathroom.

My doctor prescribed ambien to help me sleep. I initially started taking the 5-mg tablets, but over time my body built up a tolerance to it & I ended up taking 1.5 5mg tablets and eventually a full 10 mg dose after about 2 years. Your body definitely builds up a tolerance over an extended period of time & it is definitely habit-forming.

With that said, the drug as a whole did help me relax & made me drowsy enough to fall alseep. More importantly, once I fell asleep I slept relatively peacefully, & when I did wake up to use the restroom it made it much easier to fall back to sleep. In the end though, Ambien is probably most effective when used infrequently & only when it's absolutely needed (to avoid building up a tolerance).

This drug is generally used for treating Rheumatoid Arthritis, but is experimentally being used to treat severe pan-ulcerative colitis & Crohn's Disease. For the treatment of UC, the drug is administered through an IV over the course of approximately an hour. Patients are monitored closely for any signs of a potential, but rare, allergic reaction.

I received 3 infusions of this drug over a 2 month span, and while I didn't suffer any adverse side-effects, I also didn't get any benefit from the drug. I ultimately discontinued the use of Abatacept because it just didn't help me get better at all. That's not to say that it's not a great Rheumatoid Arthritis medication, but I really wouldn't give it much credence for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Prior to under-going a 3-stage sub-total collectomy & J-Pouch surgery, I suffered from debilitating severe pan-Ulcerative Colitis. No matter what regime of drugs I took, I couldn't get my UC into true remission. However, after getting my UC into the closest thing to remission that I had ever experienced, my doctor prescribed 6-mp as my remission "drug"...

You start off with a low-dose of this drug and slowly ween yourself onto it to make sure that you don't experience one of the several potential adverse side effects. First of all, despite the fact that doctors might downplay the potency of this drug, IT IS A FORM OF CHEMOTHERAPY, & a STRONG IMMUNOSUPPRESANT. While 6mp is used to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease, it is also often used as a treatment for cancer patients, so don't take it lightly. Once you're on the drug, it's also important that you get CBC blood tests every 2 weeks to make sure everything looks ok. One of the major side effects of 6mp is that it can at times cause a significant drop in your white blood cell count and ultimately destroy your bone marrow if you don't monitor it closely.

While I didn't suffer from low white blood cell counts, I did end up with liver functions that were out of whack, but not to a point that I had to be hospitalized--just so that the dosages had to be altered. However, the worst side effects I suffered from this drug was debilitating exhaustion & lethargy to the point that I was always exhausted and required unfathomable amounts of sleep. Moreover, the drug gradually caused me to slip into a severe depression. At the time, I didn't even realize it was the drug causing the depression because I had so many other issues going on with my UC and because it happens so gradually. After I had a severe flare and abnormal liver functioning, I was forced to discontinue my use of 6mp. It took a couple of weeks to get the drug out of my system and I immediately felt as though a veil had been lifted from me and I felt so much better overall. Even if the 6mp had succeeded in keeping my disease in remission, had I realized what the 6mp was doing to me, I would've discontinued it much sooner. The 6mp basically made me sicker overall than the disease, itself did.

I advise patients to be very careful with this medication & look out for any signs of the potential side effects very vigilantly.