Crones Disease: What Do Your Medicines Do?

Side effects of medicines for Crones Disease are very common. The only really viable way of combating diseases such as Crones, is starting the other way around. If we improve our body's immune system and strength, our body will be able to bring back balance into the bacterial unbalance in our intestines which causes Crones Disease.

Medicines are the most common Crones disease treatment. While none can cure this inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), they are used to try to reduce the swelling that causes the symptoms. The most frequently used medicines for Crones disease are Aminosalicylates and Corticosteroids to Block Inflammation, Antibiotics to Control Intestinal Bacteria, Immunomodulators to Calm the Immune System, and Biologic Therapies for Moderate or Severe Crones disease. Brand names of these medicines are (amongst others): - Aminosalicylates : Mesalamine (Asacol, Pentasa), Balsalazide (Dipentum), Olsalazine (Colazal) - Corticosteroids: Prednisone (Deltasone), Budesonide (Entocort EC) , Hydrocortisone, Methylprednisolone (Medrol) - Antibiotics: Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), Metronidazole (Flagyl) Immunomodulators: Azathioprine (Imuran, Azasan),6-mercaptopurine (Purinethol, 6-MP), Methotrexate (MTX, Rheumatrex, Mexate) , Tacrolimus (Prograf), Cyclosporine A (Sandimmune, Neoral) - Biologic Therapies: Infliximab (Remicade), Adalimumab (Humira).

I studied the medicines which doctors subscribe for Crones Disease. I discovered that most of them have mild to sever side effects, especially when taken for a longer period of time. Actually, if I realize that my body does not have time to recover and regain it's own balance after taking a course of medicine, I start to see the course this whole thing is going to take... :-( Side effects are (amongst others): Diarrhea Headache, dizziness Increased risk of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract Indigestion, nausea, gas Hair loss Rash Decrease in white blood cells High blood pressure Mood swings, psychosis, insomnia Weight gain, moon facies Acne, increased facial hair, stretch marks Increased risk of infection Osteoporosis Vomiting Cough Sinus infections Sore throat

Enemas and Suppositories can be used to apply the medicines more locally and targeted. Biologic therapies are applied by frequent injections. Needless to say that this will have a major impact on your social life.

I want to make a special note on corticosteroids. Some corticosteroids can also be given intravenously. Corticosteroids can have severe side effects, like an increased risk of infection, so even the mainstream doctors will hesitate to prescribe them for a longer period of time. If you want to stop taking corticosteroids, make sure you taper off them gradually. Stopping them suddenly can worsen side effects.

Antibiotics are known to be bad for you intestines. Even my vet prescribes probiotics to my dog if she has to take antibiotics to maintain the level of good bacteria in the gut as high as possible. If you take antibiotics over a longer period of time, or you take antibiotics with regular intervals, your natural bacteria level in your gut will be very low; good bacteria and bad bacteria. If you have a low level of good bacteria, your gut is missing it's natural shield against attacks of bad bacteria, and the question is if this actually is not worsening the overall situation.

Immunomodulators blunt the immune response. Researchers believe that Crones disease is caused by an overreactive immune system, and doctors use these medicines when other drugs to block swelling haven't worked. They are used for patients who have developed complications like fistulas. Immunomodulators may make corticosteroids more effective and allow you to take lower doses of them. Most immunomodulators are taken orally, but some are injected. They tend to be more expensive than standard Crones disease treatments such as aminosalicylates. Since these drugs suppress the immune system, they can put you at higher risk of developing infections or other illnesses. It is advisable to take regular blood tests to check the effects of these drugs on your bone marrow, liver and kidneys.

Biologic Therapies are the newest, and most expensive type of Crones disease treatment. "These Crones disease treatments are used to treat moderate to severe cases that haven't responded to other treatments. They can be used for initial treatment and then to maintain remission. Biologic therapies are powerful drugs and they do have side effects. Because they suppress the immune response, biologic therapies can leave you at risk for infections. There is some evidence that they increase the risk of conditions like blood infections, tuberculosis, and lymphoma. These risks are generally considered small, but you should talk with your doctor about pros and cons. Biologic therapies are not right for everyone." (source: http://www.webmd.com)

Some medicines will interacts with other common drugs like birth control pills, and they can even break down vitamins or stop there absorption into the bloodstream. When you have diarrhea you will have to take medicines for that, and you will have to compensate the fluid loss.

If we recap all the information in this article, it is clear that an alternative approach to Crones Disease is dearly wanted. Improving the natural balance of bacteria in our gut would be helpful to start with, and a general improvement of our overall immune system is vital. If we find a additional treatment which helps us to reach these goals, we could start to use it as a way to help our body to regain it's natural strength, and eventually the new approach could take over the treatment using medicines.