Colazal users

I had been keeping a log of my symptoms and also my food intake since the start of my disease. I developed a sore neck and flu like symptoms on January 19th of this year. Needless to say my neck still bothers me and cannot figure it out. I did nothing to make it sore like this. It seems to radiate into my upper back and my kneck muscles also. It also seems to have a  mind of its own kind of like my crohns colitis but it does not coincide with it and the other symptoms. 

So I looked back and noticed that I did change oral meds exactly 10 days before this happening. I switched from asacol hd to Colazal. I read the fine print and looked also on the internet to see if this is a rare or a side effect but thought it would be a great question to ask the fine folks here. I am perplexed but suspect the Colazal.

On a side note I worked with a guy a couple months ago who heard me complaining about me kneck and said to me that it was a Virus going around. I hate to think I still have a virus from January still messing with me. I find that unlikely since I been to a ID and my primary Doc since then and had numerous tests done and all came up clean with no infections and even had blood work and parasite testing done at the ID doc. I would assume that the ID doc would of found something if that was the case.

I hope everyone is hanging in there and is doing well or at least as well as they can be all things considered.

Best

Have been taking brandname Colazal since 2003; never have experienced neck or shoulder pain from it. Does it relieve your Crohn's colitis symptoms? Are you taking any other Rx meds besides Colazal, and are you taking brandname or a generic (balsalazide)? / Old Hat (33 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)

I work for the Board of Education at a school in my town as a Custodian. I started this job exactly a year ago after being laid off. I worked for 20 years in the IT industry prior. I originally thought that I had some kind of bug but would it last this long? I also noticed some leg cramping and in general muscle fatigue in the last 3 months. I don't work really hard but am on my feet a lot. I do wear good shoes. But the strange thing is the feeling of flu like symptoms that never seem to go away and the fact that someone told me it was a virus they heard about. But if it was wouldn't the doc's picked up on it as I had been to them since.

I recall not having any of these issues when I was on asacol so needless to say I am perplexed but need to find out what is causing it. I am sort of lost as to what to do next. I plan on talking to my GI about the meds etc.. I also take canasa as needed which is every 3 or 4 days or so.

The other thing is that the orals never seemed to be enough alone to keep a 4 cm patch in my lower colon from acting up. The only thing that seems to work is the canasa or a mesalamine enema. I found that the canasa gets rid of the b after one night when I see it coming back. The B is always bright red indicating very low in the colon. But the very strange thing is that my doc says that the canasa would not reach where he saw the crohns colitis which is 8 inches in. But he has me taking it anyways. Do I really need to take an oral or is it just for precautionary reasons. I know my doc had me on them because of where my colitis is located. But If it seems to not nip handle the colitis then why take it? I would rather take a rectal med alone more often of that's the case. I don't have any problems with canasa as far as side effects go. I really suspect the meds and would think that I can rule out the virus potential but I had been cleared by an ID.

I just don't know. I feel like besides my colitis I have just fealt overall very lousy. Does anyone else feel this way or is this normal? All my blood tests alweays come back fine. I am seeing both my GP and GI in Sept and need to make sure I don't leave any stones uncovered. My GP will have some blood results then for me to review also. I am taking Generic Colazal. No Kids at home but do work in a school. Elementary to boot.

Thanks for all your help.

Post Edited (twiggs) : 8/19/2014 2:12:49 PM (GMT-6)

AZ, the infections disease doc tested me and said I was clean and had nothing. He then said "how about the meds
for your condition"? They could be doing it. Lyme was negative parasite blood testing negative and white blood cells were fine. Chronic Fatigue is a side effect of Colazal so yes that could be it and is what I am leaning towards.

UCandMe, did your GI put you on the colazal at 2x3? I thought that it is supposed to be taken 3x3?

I have been on Colazal (9 per day) for the past 8 years and never had those side effects. Initially I was put on Asacol which did give me flu like symptoms so I was switched to Colazal. No flu like symptoms for me on Colazal. However, years later I temporarily switched from Colazal to Lialda and didn't have the flu like symptoms then. I think I had the symptoms initially because my body wasn't used to mesalamine in general. Whenever I flare and have to increase my Canasa from one per day to 2 per day, I feel out of it for a few days until my body adjusts.

But Colazal isn't mesalamine so I'm not sure if that is even a listed side effect. I never had neck pain with any of the meds. I would definitely discuss this with your doctor as something entirely different may be going on with you.

In regards to whether or not you need to be on both oral and rectals, that depends. Do you just have proctitis or further involvement? And why were you put on both to begin with? Even when I just had proctitis, rectals alone weren't enough for me. I don't know how bad you have it and if you can maintain remission on rectals alone.

I noticed you said you don't take your rectals every day and then you get blood and you take the rectals and it goes away. Why wait to see blood? Why not take the rectals every day?

Also, I'm tired all the time since I have UC, even when in remission. I think it's part of the disease and also the meds.

UC and Me, The ID doc just mentioned it but I verified by reading about the symptoms on the internet which doesn’t mention it specifically. I did notice in the ladt 3 months I had a calf cramp 2 times that woke me to excruciating pain. I drank coconut water and started wearing more comfy shoes to work. I read that long period of standing or walking on hard surfaces wiout proper foot cushion will cause muscle fatigue and cramps. It has not happened since but has only been a month. I drink electrolyte water now.

RockerGirl, I don’t have proctitis as of colonoscopy on feb 2012. Just a 4 cm patch of colitis located 8 inches up from rectum exit. I may need a colonoscopy in the next year to see whats up. I was pur on asacol to initially and after struggling for a long while and speaking to my doc he gave me some canasa because of what I told him I felt like and it worked which would indicate more or a proctitis flare. I guess a colonoscopy would be the next step..I think  will get on next spring anyways just after my 3 year original dx. I am tired a lot myself.

OldHat, Doc did tell me I had no signs of hemmies . I don’t feel as if they could of come up since the colonoscopy either. But it seems when I do see a little streaking of B on my stool the canasa takes care of it after one night of taking it. Then I keep a close eye on my stools for B then of course do the as needed with the canasa. I guess taking it daily would ensure me not having issues but it is not cheap to buy either and try to maximize it and only take it as needed per my docs instructions. I actually asked my doc to rate my condition in relation to a 1 to 10 scale and he said a 1 and 10 being the worst. So I am a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10. I can definatly do better at taking my canasa and perhaps will just take it like every 3 days once things are normal or as close to normal as possible. Then perhaps I will find things will be better. I guess it is better than waiting to see B. Although there has not been a day since 2/12 that I have not looked at my stool in the bowl without a flashlight. I like to keep a close eye on things.

I think your right and my job must play some role in this since I spend 8 hours of my day there. I will defiantly try to minimize the impact of it for sure.

 

Best to all