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Posted 6/25/2015 7:09 AM (GMT -5)
Has anyone else with UC had dry cough and constipation as first symptoms?

Hello everyone, I was diagnosed with UC about 3 months ago. I'm 40 years old.
I live in Asia so difficult to communicate well with doctor (non-English speaking).

When I first went to doctor I had been constipated for about 4 months, passing small amounts of blood and mucus.
Normally I rarely get sick but in previous months I had suffered bad flu / coughs.
In final days I had constant hiccups and could not sleep.

Doctor diagnosed me with UC but medical notes show inflammation only in rectum.
He has given me Pentasa 1g suppositories to take every night.
I have been on them for about 3 months and they seem to have helped.

Dry cough continued after starting medication but slowly got better.
However recently I haven't slept so good due to stress at work and cough / constipation have returned.
Also I met up with an old friend and drank a fair bit. I don't think that helped much.
Lesson learned, I can't drink anymore like I used to.

Anyone else had similar symptoms?
Is Pentasa best medication?

Thanks for all replies,
Wilson
Posted 6/25/2015 8:42 AM (GMT -5)
Cough due to suppositories is not related since they are topical and very little if any gets in your bloodstream. Could be UC-related symptom or allergies.

Sometimes extra-intestinal symptoms appear with UC and that could be what you have. Try taking some Benadryl (US name) at night and see if your cough dies down, it's an anti-histamine over-the-counter (generic is diphenhydramine 25 or 50 mg).

Could also come from alcohol which has irritating ingredients (including alcohol haha).
Posted 6/25/2015 9:08 AM (GMT -5)
The cough could be a result of acid reflux/GERD. That's what my chronic cough is caused by.

You can treat it with lifestyle changes (google it) or meds. I have to take the max dose of Prevacid (lansoprazole) which happens to give me loose stools. Maybe it would help you with both your problems. 😀

However, you should try dealing with it without medication first. Proton pump inhibitors like Prevacid can increase the risk of c. Diff and have other side effects.
Posted 6/25/2015 12:23 PM (GMT -5)
The constipation would be a symptom of flaring as well as stomach discomfort, exacerbating probable reflux. I second reflux for the reason of your cough. Two issues of symptoms....you want to make sure you help prevent erosion of your esophagus. Start with an acid reducer such as Zantac before the PPI meds.

did you stop the rectal meds at all? It's probably better for you to be on Pentasa retention enemas to make sure the entire rectum and sigmoid are covered. I'd also suggest a higher dosage...at least 2g nightly and then tapered to maintenance or switched to the supps while in remission, but on a maintenance dosage.

do you have a copy of your biopsies pathology report?

Welcome to the forum,
q
Posted 6/27/2015 4:21 AM (GMT -5)
Thanks for replies. Yes, still taking rectal meds. 1g pentasa suppository nightly.
I was worried about taking stomach meds like Zantac and PPI in case my body gets too used to them. Cough is better than before so hopefully won't have to.
Next appointment is in a few weeks so I can request more medication if necessary.

My medical report said:
inflamed and exudative change at distal rectum
moderate lymphoplasma cell and neutrophilic infiltration

No explanation from doctor. He asked me Google for information about UC.
I was angry at the time but the more I think about it, it was actually quite an honest approach.
I probably can learn more from the internet than a 2 minute conversation with a doctor who can't speak English well.
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