Introducing: Lialda!

As of tomorrow I will have been off of Prednisone for a week- huzzah! I can't wait for my hair to stop shedding and my face to clear up.
Last I saw my gastro I was somewhat concerned that we might have to have a "what if" discussion, regarding the stability of my recuperation...as in:
"What if I relapse once off the steroids?"
"Well, then we'll give you Remicade."
Now,  I don't want to diss Remicade, especially if there are people who really benefit from it.  But I won't lie: it scares me shitless (hah, I wish I meant that literally!). I hate IVs, and anything that has to do with (ugh) veins.  I even hate the word!  Shots I couldn't care less about, but IV treatments- yuck!  And that's without even thinking about the potential side effects of Remicade like cancer and lupus.  Not that Imuran and Prednisone don't have their own nasty side-effects, by why add more to the pile?

So imagine my surprise when he suggested I try a different form of mesalamine, which I'd been taking for over a decade in the form of Pentasa.  While Pentasa is formulated to release mesalamine partially in the small intestine and partially in the colon, Lialda is a new form of oral mesalamine formulated to release fully in the colon.  Assuming my rediagnosis of colitis is accurate, Lialda should be perfect for hitting my active disease area.  And knock on wood, so far so good!  Apparently it's been on the market for a year, but my doc never mentioned it because he likes to wait for new meds to be out for a year before prescribing them.  Some people have side-effects, most notably fatigue, but none for me so far (of course I'm usually on the sleepy-side so I don't know if I'd notice a difference).

All meds are different for everyone, but if you have UC and are taking Pentasa, I'd suggest asking your gastro about trying Lialda on for size.  NOTE:  I am only making this suggestion as a fellow patient, not a professional, nor as a schill for Shire. Actually, come to think of it, I believe I took an online survey before I knew what Lialda was that was all Lialda ads.  I pretty much crapped all over them.  I hate drug company advertising...but then, I hate most advertising.

If you take or have taken Lialda, leave me a comment letting me know how it went for you.
xoxo
"Li'l Crohnsie"