I just spoke with the nurse at my new GI's office and I am cancelling the Endoscopy for now. Going to stay on the Uceris and diet to see how I do....I'll have a follow-up with him on 6/22/16.
I asked her what the taper was for Uceris when it was time to discontinue. She said that she visited with the doctor and he said there was no taper for this med.
I'm a little confused. Since it's budesonide (as is Entocort), why would there be a taper for one and not the other? I would appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you,
Terre
Uceris
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Terre,
That's correct. The Uceris is treated so that it does not become activated until it is well into the colon, so it is not absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore it cannot adversely affect the adrenals the way that Entocort can (even though it uses the same active ingredient).
And it is also 1 capsule per day instead of 3, so a taper is not easy to do. That said, some members taper it anyway, to help prevent a possible rebound effect from mast cells.
Tex
That's correct. The Uceris is treated so that it does not become activated until it is well into the colon, so it is not absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore it cannot adversely affect the adrenals the way that Entocort can (even though it uses the same active ingredient).
And it is also 1 capsule per day instead of 3, so a taper is not easy to do. That said, some members taper it anyway, to help prevent a possible rebound effect from mast cells.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks for the information Tex.
One more question, since it's an "extended release" tablet.....I understand you are not to cut those. So to taper, I would do like 1 every other day, then 1 every 2 days, etc. Would that be the correct way?
I would like to avoid the "rebound" effect from mast cells, if possible.
Thanks so much,
Terre
One more question, since it's an "extended release" tablet.....I understand you are not to cut those. So to taper, I would do like 1 every other day, then 1 every 2 days, etc. Would that be the correct way?
I would like to avoid the "rebound" effect from mast cells, if possible.
Thanks so much,
Terre
Yes, that's probably how most people who taper the dose deal with it. However, from a pharmacological viewpoint, most of the "delayed release" ingredients are surely going to become activated within a 24-hour period (and it's probably a shorter time interval than that), so that realistically, dividing the contents of a capsule to be taken on more than 1 day would provide a much more uniform dose per day (because it's all going to activate each day anyway). Do you see what I'm saying?
That said, I'm not sure that dividing the doses would make a huge difference in the effectiveness of the drug because corticosteroids are somewhat unique anyway, in that they work best as a relatively large dose followed by progressively reduced doses. IOW their "shock" effect as a cortisol substitute/supplement is part of the reason why they work to reduce inflammation.
You're very welcome,
Tex
That said, I'm not sure that dividing the doses would make a huge difference in the effectiveness of the drug because corticosteroids are somewhat unique anyway, in that they work best as a relatively large dose followed by progressively reduced doses. IOW their "shock" effect as a cortisol substitute/supplement is part of the reason why they work to reduce inflammation.
You're very welcome,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex, thanks for sharing your vast knowledge....you amaze me!
The doc has me taking 9 mg Uceris tablet......I was surprised it was a tablet as the Entocort comes in a capsule. I guess this has to do with the coating on the tablet. So cutting the tablet will be so much easier than dealing with a capsule when the time comes.
I thought the Uceris might be working better for me the first couple of days, but now not so sure. Verdict is still out.
Thanks for caring,
Terre
The doc has me taking 9 mg Uceris tablet......I was surprised it was a tablet as the Entocort comes in a capsule. I guess this has to do with the coating on the tablet. So cutting the tablet will be so much easier than dealing with a capsule when the time comes.
I thought the Uceris might be working better for me the first couple of days, but now not so sure. Verdict is still out.
Thanks for caring,
Terre
I wouldn't cut the tablet because if you do that some of it (maybe all of it) will become available (through the cut end) as soon as you swallow it, long before it gets to the colon, and some of it will be absorbed into the bloodstream, thus defeating the purpose of the delayed release that gets it into the colon before activating. It might affect the adrenals that way, just as prednisone would do.
You're very welcome.
Tex
You're very welcome.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I don't know why, but I never even thought about that....my brain just didn't go there. 
