Advice needed with medication for Coll. Colitis
Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on > Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I > had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I > could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six > am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. > I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much > better. > My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have > insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone > for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I > must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, > Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I > really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal > remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be > carefully considered. > hi theresa and welcome > i am not familiar with collagenous colitis..but i am on 9 asacol a day > and i have no problems with it..i am also a person who gets affected > easily by meds..pred did keep me up.. > some of the strong stuff like imuran and 6mp(i am on the latter) might > be useful but i dont know.. > i am surprised that u would even try celebrex or any of those cos they > can harm your gut which is already sensitive..for arthritis ask for > the scrip "relafen"..it does less harm..i take it twice a day…it has > had a good effect with no side effects > re sleep..u can try herbal tea such as chamomile which often helps > me..but sometimes the sleep issues are bad…i have been on small > amounts of amytriptalin(elavil)..in large doses its for depression..in > small ones its for migraines or sleep issues…right now i am on a > tiny amount of xanax cos my sleep problems were so bad i was back to > my old habit of sleep walking as well as being up the rest of the > time..(part of that is the tension of being away from my home for 2 > years and moving back now)…it has helped me a lot…i take two in > the evening right before i want to sleep…as it takes about 20 mins > to work…and i sleep about 4-5 hours straight..get up once for the > bathroom and sleep again for another 2-3 hours..i have no side effects > during the day from it…i dont wake up "hung over" or anything like > that… > u might ask your doc for something..just describe the kind of > sleeplessness u have…restless, nightmares(had lots of those) or > "busy legs"..or whatever…he/she can prescribe something to help…u > need plenty of rest with any kind of chronic problem…its tiring > enough to live with <G> > take care and good luck > annie
Thanks for the advice. I’ll try the tea. And Xanax–that might help. I’ll talk to the Dr. I see him in Sept. You’re right, vioxx, Celebrex, Mobic, and ibupuprofen are awful for CC. but I took them before my diagnosis. In fact, I’m sure the Advil caused the CC. I’m thinking about Tramadol for the arthritis pain. It has a drowsy effect. The Elavil did nothing for my arthritis pain when I took it a few years ago. If you think of anything else, let me know.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi again, > I have a few other things that were suggested to me… aloe vera juice > has supposedly "cured" people to the point of not needing a colectomy. > Careful though, one of the side effects is loose stools as it can have > laxative properties. My naturopath had me on this for awhile. It did > not work so well for my problem and it did increase my frequency. > Some people have success with nicotine. Patches for obvious reasons > are the prefered choice. This apparently seems to only work on > ex-smokers for unknown reasons. I don’t really know much about this > option but it is recognized in the book I have which is put out by the > leading IBD Dr’s in Canada. > It sounds like you have tried to address the insomnia quite seriously. > My med info from the pharmacy does not list insomnia as a side effect > of asacol. That does not mean it’s not the cause, it just makes for a > good reason to look into everything. > Good luck, I really hope you find some relief! > NinaW > I will look into Boswellia–never heard of it. for the insomnia, I’ve > tried, so far, valerian and melatonin, and TylenolPM. They don’t help. > I don’t think the insomnia will work itself out as it just gets worse > and worse. I see the Dr. for a checkup in Sept. I saw him in June but > the insomnia wasn’t too bad, then. If you have any other ideas, please > let me know. I’ve been on the Asacol since late April. treatment for > CC is the samd as for ulcerative ccolitis. > > NinaW
My initial research didn’t list insomnia as a side effect either. Knowing how sensitive I am to this, I was delighted. On sunday night after not sleeping and feeling lousy, I did more research and insomnia is listed in 1 % of people taking the drug. I swear if 1 person in the country will get insomnia from a medicine it will be me. Thanks for your suggestions, I’ll look into them.
Response:
Hi again, I have a few other things that were suggested to me… aloe vera juice has supposedly "cured" people to the point of not needing a colectomy. Careful though, one of the side effects is loose stools as it can have laxative properties. My naturopath had me on this for awhile. It did not work so well for my problem and it did increase my frequency. Some people have success with nicotine. Patches for obvious reasons are the prefered choice. This apparently seems to only work on ex-smokers for unknown reasons. I don’t really know much about this option but it is recognized in the book I have which is put out by the leading IBD Dr’s in Canada. It sounds like you have tried to address the insomnia quite seriously. My med info from the pharmacy does not list insomnia as a side effect of asacol. That does not mean it’s not the cause, it just makes for a good reason to look into everything. Good luck, I really hope you find some relief! NinaW – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I will look into Boswellia–never heard of it. for the insomnia, I’ve > tried, so far, valerian and melatonin, and TylenolPM. They don’t help. > I don’t think the insomnia will work itself out as it just gets worse > and worse. I see the Dr. for a checkup in Sept. I saw him in June but > the insomnia wasn’t too bad, then. If you have any other ideas, please > let me know. I’ve been on the Asacol since late April. treatment for > CC is the samd as for ulcerative ccolitis. > NinaW
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on > Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I > had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I > could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six > am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. > I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much > better. > My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have > insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone > for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I > must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, > Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I > really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal > remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be > carefully considered.
hi theresa and welcome i am not familiar with collagenous colitis..but i am on 9 asacol a day and i have no problems with it..i am also a person who gets affected easily by meds..pred did keep me up.. some of the strong stuff like imuran and 6mp(i am on the latter) might be useful but i dont know.. i am surprised that u would even try celebrex or any of those cos they can harm your gut which is already sensitive..for arthritis ask for the scrip "relafen"..it does less harm..i take it twice a day…it has had a good effect with no side effects re sleep..u can try herbal tea such as chamomile which often helps me..but sometimes the sleep issues are bad…i have been on small amounts of amytriptalin(elavil)..in large doses its for depression..in small ones its for migraines or sleep issues…right now i am on a tiny amount of xanax cos my sleep problems were so bad i was back to my old habit of sleep walking as well as being up the rest of the time..(part of that is the tension of being away from my home for 2 years and moving back now)…it has helped me a lot…i take two in the evening right before i want to sleep…as it takes about 20 mins to work…and i sleep about 4-5 hours straight..get up once for the bathroom and sleep again for another 2-3 hours..i have no side effects during the day from it…i dont wake up "hung over" or anything like that… u might ask your doc for something..just describe the kind of sleeplessness u have…restless, nightmares(had lots of those) or "busy legs"..or whatever…he/she can prescribe something to help…u need plenty of rest with any kind of chronic problem…its tiring enough to live with <G> take care and good luck annie
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Theresa, > There are tons of options, some traditional some alternative. You do > need to be very careful and consider which potential side effects are > worse than others. For example, Imuran is a medication to induce > remission by suppressing your immune system, you take it for life. > However, the damage it could do to your liver and kidneys would be > considered worse than living with insomnia. Boswellia is a > naturopathic remedy, among others, that works for some people, not me. > How long have you been on the asacol? Some people start with side > effects that go away after awhile. I wish that asacol worked for me, > it’s so much easier on your body than other meds. > Have you tried addressing the insomnia? I have had it terrible since I > started meds in Jan 2004. I use aromatherapy, music, melatonin and > accupressure to help with the sleep. Some nights I just give in and go > without. I’ve adjusted fairly well. Don’t get me wrong, I would like > to sort this out much better myself. For me the pred is what keeps me > up and when I wean off the steroids I won’t be able to stop sleeping. > Good luck and let us know what works! You’ll get lots of good > suggestions from the people on this forum, they’ve helped me a > tremendous amount. (Except for the "salemen" pitching their fear and > wares).
I will look into Boswellia–never heard of it. for the insomnia, I’ve tried, so far, valerian and melatonin, and TylenolPM. They don’t help. I don’t think the insomnia will work itself out as it just gets worse and worse. I see the Dr. for a checkup in Sept. I saw him in June but the insomnia wasn’t too bad, then. If you have any other ideas, please let me know. I’ve been on the Asacol since late April. treatment for CC is the samd as for ulcerative ccolitis. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> NinaW > I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on > Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I > had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I > could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six > am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. > I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much > better. > My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have > insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone > for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I > must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, > Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I > really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal > remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be > carefully considered.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I don’t know what collagenous colitis is – but imuran works very well > for some people for ulcerative colitis. It takes a while to kick in > and also some people can’t take it – ask your doctor about it. > I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on > Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I > had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I > could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six > am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. > I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much > better. > My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have > insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone > for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I > must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, > Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I > really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal > remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be > carefully considered.
CC is a fairly newly discovered rare disease. The collagen layer in your intestines thicken thus preventing the reabsorption of the liquid used in digestion. It primarily strikes middle aged women altho men can get it,too. symptoms include constant diarrhea, gas, cramping, and lots of pain. Treatment options are the same as for ulcerative colitis. There is no cure but it can be controlled. The deciding factor for getting the disease is taking nsaids like ibuprofen which I did for my osteoarthritis. Hope this helps.
Response:
I don’t think I was missing any point on that issue. I was just suggesting that certain meds are not as damaging to the rest of your body as some others. Starting any new med, especially if one is working for you is something to strongly think about. I do think I alluded also to determining the cause of the insomnia. Sometimes my fingers can’t keep up with my thought process, so I miss things in my posts that I intend to include. Thanks for keeping us honest and on our toes… 
NinaW – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > You seem to miss the point that careful monitoring allows the doctor to stop the medication before irreversible damage can be done to your system. That is why regular blood tests are so important. > The first step is to definitively determine what is causing the insomnia. This may require a visit to a sleep clinic for an evaluation. > 
mgbio > Theresa, > There are tons of options, some traditional some alternative. You do > need to be very careful and consider which potential side effects are > worse than others. For example, Imuran is a medication to induce > remission by suppressing your immune system, you take it for life. > However, the damage it could do to your liver and kidneys would be > considered worse than living with insomnia. Boswellia is a > naturopathic remedy, among others, that works for some people, not me. > How long have you been on the asacol? Some people start with side > effects that go away after awhile. I wish that asacol worked for me, > it’s so much easier on your body than other meds. > Have you tried addressing the insomnia? I have had it terrible since I > started meds in Jan 2004. I use aromatherapy, music, melatonin and > accupressure to help with the sleep. Some nights I just give in and go > without. I’ve adjusted fairly well. Don’t get me wrong, I would like > to sort this out much better myself. For me the pred is what keeps me > up and when I wean off the steroids I won’t be able to stop sleeping. > Good luck and let us know what works! You’ll get lots of good > suggestions from the people on this forum, they’ve helped me a > tremendous amount. (Except for the "salemen" pitching their fear and > wares). > NinaW >>I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on >>Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I >>had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I >>could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six >>am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. >>I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much >>better. >>My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have >>insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone >>for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I >>must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, >>Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I >>really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal >>remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be >>carefully considered.
Response:
You seem to miss the point that careful monitoring allows the doctor to stop the medication before irreversible damage can be done to your system. That is why regular blood tests are so important. The first step is to definitively determine what is causing the insomnia. This may require a visit to a sleep clinic for an evaluation. mgbio – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Theresa, > There are tons of options, some traditional some alternative. You do > need to be very careful and consider which potential side effects are > worse than others. For example, Imuran is a medication to induce > remission by suppressing your immune system, you take it for life. > However, the damage it could do to your liver and kidneys would be > considered worse than living with insomnia. Boswellia is a > naturopathic remedy, among others, that works for some people, not me. > How long have you been on the asacol? Some people start with side > effects that go away after awhile. I wish that asacol worked for me, > it’s so much easier on your body than other meds. > Have you tried addressing the insomnia? I have had it terrible since I > started meds in Jan 2004. I use aromatherapy, music, melatonin and > accupressure to help with the sleep. Some nights I just give in and go > without. I’ve adjusted fairly well. Don’t get me wrong, I would like > to sort this out much better myself. For me the pred is what keeps me > up and when I wean off the steroids I won’t be able to stop sleeping. > Good luck and let us know what works! You’ll get lots of good > suggestions from the people on this forum, they’ve helped me a > tremendous amount. (Except for the "salemen" pitching their fear and > wares). > NinaW >I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on >Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I >had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I >could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six >am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. >I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much >better. >My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have >insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone >for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I >must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, >Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I >really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal >remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be >carefully considered.
Response:
I don’t know what collagenous colitis is – but imuran works very well for some people for ulcerative colitis. It takes a while to kick in and also some people can’t take it – ask your doctor about it. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on > Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I > had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I > could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six > am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. > I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much > better. > My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have > insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone > for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I > must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, > Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I > really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal > remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be > carefully considered.
Response:
Theresa, There are tons of options, some traditional some alternative. You do need to be very careful and consider which potential side effects are worse than others. For example, Imuran is a medication to induce remission by suppressing your immune system, you take it for life. However, the damage it could do to your liver and kidneys would be considered worse than living with insomnia. Boswellia is a naturopathic remedy, among others, that works for some people, not me. How long have you been on the asacol? Some people start with side effects that go away after awhile. I wish that asacol worked for me, it’s so much easier on your body than other meds. Have you tried addressing the insomnia? I have had it terrible since I started meds in Jan 2004. I use aromatherapy, music, melatonin and accupressure to help with the sleep. Some nights I just give in and go without. I’ve adjusted fairly well. Don’t get me wrong, I would like to sort this out much better myself. For me the pred is what keeps me up and when I wean off the steroids I won’t be able to stop sleeping. Good luck and let us know what works! You’ll get lots of good suggestions from the people on this forum, they’ve helped me a tremendous amount. (Except for the "salemen" pitching their fear and wares). NinaW – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on > Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I > had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I > could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six > am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. > I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much > better. > My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have > insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone > for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I > must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, > Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I > really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal > remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be > carefully considered.
Response:
I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much better. My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be carefully considered.
Response:
Could it be that the CC is causing the sleeplessness and not the medications? Pred. will cause sleeplessness and is well documented, were you taking any of these medications along with prednisone? After years of not properly sleeping through the night, which I had come to accept as normal for me, a low level of anti-depressants used to induce sleep and keep me asleep, has given me back a full night’s rest for the first time in over 16 years. It is worth a discussion with your GI about this. Good luck! mgbio – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis in april. The Dr. put me on > Asacol, 2 pills 3x a day. While it didn’t cure me, it really helped. I > had my life back. Unfortunately, Asacol gave me such bad insomnia I > could hardly function. Thank God, I am retired. Falling asleep at six > am and getting up at 10 am is no way to live. > I finally stopped taking it 2 days ago and am already sleeping much > better. > My question is: Does anybody know of other treatments that do not have > insomnia as a side effect? I am pretty desperate. I took prednisone > for 3 days under the Dr’s direction and didn’t sleep for 3 days. I > must be extremely sensitive to meds because I can’t take Vioxx, > Celebrex, or Mobic either for my arthritis because of insomnia. I > really need some advice on other prescription meds, or herbal > remedies, or dietary changes Thank you in advance. All advice will be > carefully considered.
Response:
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