Chrons Disease

Drug Treatment of Crohns Disease

Written by Aidan Gillen

If you have been recently diagnosed with crohns disease , the first order of business is to get the symptoms of crohns under control, and get back to the business of living. Unfortunately, the treatment that works best for someone else, may not do you much good, or make matters worse.  So, it can be a long process of trial and error, before you and your doctor find the right remedies for making you feel your best. Also, a treatment that works today may not be the best solution for tomorrow.  In most cases, you will go through periods when your crohns is really active.  You may even need surgery to get the symptoms of crohns back under control. During these times, the medication and other therapies you choose may be different than when you are feeling so good, you almost forget you are living with a chronic auto-immune disease. Anti-Inflammatory Probably one of the first treatments you will experience is any one of the anti-inflammatory drugs available for crohns treatment.  When your symptoms are at their worst, you colon is irritated and sore at best.  Most people have gross and icky sores in their digestive tract.  Even if it does not have the sensory capabilities to let you know that you have ulcers, you can be bleeding internally.  So, it is extremely important to get the inflammation under control and give your digestive system a chance to heal. One of the most common drugs is Mesalamine.  You may have several choices of this medication to consider.  It is generally a daily medication, to keep the symptoms of crohns from getting out of control.  As with any treatment, it can have adverse side effects, so you will need to let your doctor know, if you experience any difficulties, because he/she will probably have other options to offer. Steroids Corticosteroids are not for daily maintenance of crohns disease.  Generally, if the doctor prescribes this type of treatment, you are experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of crohns.  Steroids are not for long-term use, but may be necessary to get the symptoms of crohns back under control.Steroids are basically the big guns of crohns disease. But, these big guns can also backfire. Almost anyone with crohns will tell you that steroids are a last resort, to avoid hospitalization or surgery.  Nobody likes to take steroids, unless absolutely necessary. For example, personal experience with corticosteroids was a whole new set of miseries.  So, it became a choice of the lesser of two evils.  The swelling is so uncomfortable.  A lot of people gain weight and they basically puff out.  On steroids, your outwards appearance may change. Plus, you may need to different sets of clothing-those for on steroids and the others for when you look like yourself again. One of the biggest problems for many is the mood swings and agitation.  On steroids, you may actually experience personality differences.  No, you will not turn into Jack the Ripper overnight.  But, you may be more irritable and restless.  You emotional fuse may be a lot shorter. Many individuals with crohns have the indescribable sensation of feeling like climbing the walls.  The skin feels prickly and you get really jittery.  You might feel like you are having very strong coffee pumped directly into your bloodstream.  Sleep can be very illusive.  However, if you crohns is severe, corticosteroids are still the lesser of two evils. Antibiotics When you have crohns, your immune system is compromised.  Therefore, it will be more difficult to fight off illness.  You will be more susceptible to catching colds, flu, etc.  It also means that if your crohns is active and you have sores, it will be harder to heal.  Depending on your circumstances, you will probably have to be on antibiotics for crohns, at one time or another. At first, you may be put on a daily low dose of antibiotics.  However, the treatment is not indefinite, because your body will learn to adapt to the medication, and it will not work properly any longer. If you crohns symptoms are totally out of control, you may require hospitalization to give you antibiotics and other medications intravenously.  Because the drugs are stronger and given in larger quantities, you will have to monitored during treatment.  If you are well enough, the doctor may send you home, but require you to come back daily for the treatments.  It not only saves money, but you can sleep in your own bed at night.  When it gets difficult to sleep that can be a big deal. In short, if you have crohns disease , you will require treatments to keep the symptoms under control, and lead a relatively normal life.  Oftentimes, it will be in the form of medication.  Sometimes, the prescription will be something you simply take every day.  At other times, when crohns is at its worst, you may need to be hospitalized and monitored, during your drug treatment.  But, it is all for the same purpose-to give you a chance to get the disease under control and have a good life.

 

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