HELP! Anyone Post OP on Asacol or any other meds that cant be crushed?

[shrinkadonk 14]

I'm miserable......My gastro. says I cant crush Asacol because it breaks down in the intestines (I have crohnes disease) and my Nutritionist and surgeon said all meds need to be crushed for the first month.

So now what? Gastro gave me an enema form of meds (fun) that I am taking nightly but ts not working? Anyone have ideas? I've called him 3 times and have been told there is nothing else.

[Carol Watts 67]

the first month I was put on acid reflux med and sleeping med that wasnt crushed. pills wasnt very big I also took colace that wasnt crushed

[vsginnj 415]

Alsacol is the timed release form of mesaline it does need to be swallowed whole. however, I do believe it comes as a suppository a little more tidy than an enema. How far out are you? if I remember correctly my surgeon cleared whole pills at my 2 week post op. This is not medical advise but ... Knowing that the company who brought this to market nor the doctors who prescribe can explain to you why this medicine works. Ask your doc I promise he can't ,no one knows . So I think we get a little wiggle room here to modify our treatment to suit our unique anatomy , the " time release " component of that med is the coating perhaps pricking it a few times would accelerate it's dissolution enough to get it to the colon without the stomach or intestine interfering . Just a thought again Not medical advice. I'm a car mechanic! Hope you feel better soon!

[shrinkadonk 14]

Alsacol is the timed release form of mesaline it does need to be swallowed whole. however, I do believe it comes as a suppository a little more tidy than an enema. How far out are you? if I remember correctly my surgeon cleared whole pills at my 2 week post op. This is not medical advise but ... Knowing that the company who brought this to market nor the doctors who prescribe can explain to you why this medicine works. Ask your doc I promise he can't ,no one knows . So I think we get a little wiggle room here to modify our treatment to suit our unique anatomy , the " time release " component of that med is the coating perhaps pricking it a few times would accelerate it's dissolution enough to get it to the colon without the stomach or intestine interfering . Just a thought again Not medical advice. I'm a car mechanic! Hope you feel better soon!

Thank you so much for the reply. Believe it or not, they dont make the suppository form any longer (canasa) but maybe I could talk to the doc about finding a compound pharmacy to do so. I'll be 3 weeks post op tomorrow. I put a call into my nutritionist, I am concerned the coating may get "stuck" in my pyloric something or another, which she explained could not handle seeds, pickles, etc. for 6 months. Anyway, I am miserable right now so I'm willing to try anything. Thanks again for your reply, and if you are a car mechanic, I wish you were local, because your pretty darn smart! Thanks for the suggestions!

[Wls4me 163]

You should be able to switch to Pentasa, open the capsules and just take the medicine. Its taken 4 times a day( kind of a pain) but its not times released. We have had several patients do this for a variety of reasons. Ask your GI doc.

[shrinkadonk 14]

You should be able to switch to Pentasa, open the capsules and just take the medicine. Its taken 4 times a day( kind of a pain) but its not times released. We have had several patients do this for a variety of reasons. Ask your GI doc.

God, your an angel! called GI doc, picked up some samples and I ve been taking it since yesterday, feel better already despite the fact that he said "it probably wont work and i dont recommend it. Time to switch GI docs. 1,000 THANK YOUS!

[Wls4me 163]

Glad I could help!