asacol drug.

hi there,
i was diagnosed with mild ucerative colitis in march 2011. i was prescribed asacol 2x 400mg, 3 times a day for two weeks. after this time i was also diagnosed with CKD at stage 3a with a GFR of 53 and a creatinine clearance of 87.14ml/min.

i took asacol again for one month at a reduced rate of 1x 400mg, 3 times a day (3-4 tablets recommended for prevention of relapse).

then i stopped taking it for 2 months.

i took asacol again at 1x400mg, 2 times a day for 2 months. (3-4 tablets recommended for prevention of relapse)

then i stopped taking it for 31/2 months.

i took asacol again at 2x 400mg tablets, 3 times a day for 2 weeks only.

i have stopped taking it from that time. even though the dosage was only taken for short periods with breaks, can i still take the asacol for my condition.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Asacol is not particularly recommended in patients with renal damage, but the issue is that alternative drug therapies may not be as effective or may have varied side effects. Nevertheless it is advisable to replace it with nicotine patches and one or the other newer drug modalities that bypasses the kidneys to prevent it from further damage. It would be best to discuss this with your treating gastroenterologist.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!

[sougato]

Thank you for this comment. My wife has uc with ckd and she has a flare up. The hint of nicotine patch is helpful, i'm a doctor but at a loss in this case. Any other suggestion-she has high bp-on medication and diabetes on insulin.
Rgds.