Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Colitis Medication

Question:
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

Answer:
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 acupressure 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. 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.