Generic Name: Rowasa (mesalamine)
Rowasa Reviews
For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I have had Ulcerative Colitis for 30 plus years, and I have been on multiple meds. Prednisone working the best. But you can't stay on prednisone forever, nasty side effects. Rowasa, enemas are great for me, I have no mess, no problems at all. They take away the urge to go and the spasms in my lower rectum. They are a dream medicine. I can actually feel the medicine coating my colon, and it feels so much better when I use these enemas. But you have to be diligent. Stay on your left side all night for the best results so it stays in the correct place. Don't worry about being ashamed to use these, your significant other will understand. Good luck to all."
For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I've had ulcerative colitis for nearly 15 years. I'm on quite a few meds for it and have to do intermittent steroid rounds due to active flares. I've had a few flares this year that have been challenging to get under control... with the usual frequency/urgency, blood in stool, pain/discomfort. I have used canasa suppositories in the past with little improvement. It had been years since I'd used Rowasa - but my doc suggested we try them again ... I couldn't be more thankful. Within days, my pain/discomfort/frequency have already been reduced, with an almost immediate decrease in pain/discomfort. ONE THING TO NOTE: before administering this med, make sure to gently shake the bottle THEN SQUEEZE UNTIL THE AIR IS OUT OF THE BOTTLE. Otherwise it can cause additional gas/pain."
For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "This is my third flare after being diagnosed with UC almost 5 years ago, so I consider myself lucky. I take oral mesalamine, which is becoming less effective against flare ups. My GI prescribed Rowasa, much to my dismay. It took 4 nights before I got the hang of administering the medication. Retaining it night 1 was almost unbearable. Night 2 was easier, but no less unpleasant. It helps to lay on your left side for 20+ minutes. I haven't had an issue with leakage or side effects, other than the urge to have a bowel movement and really loud gurgling in my lower colon. Faint nausea that passed in less than a minute. But the benefits far outweigh everything - my flare up has diminished so much in the last 5 days!"
For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "Effective in gaining control of a moderate UC flare, but awful to use. This is an enema that should be retained - "Held in" all night. This is especially difficult for me during a flare. Don't fart! Stains. Tip- squeeze all the air out before administering."
For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I have found that it works great for my flare ups. It is to be retained all night, which isn't difficult as long as you do a full tap water bag enema first, empty, wait an hour or so and then inject the Rowasa enema. If you just simply use the Rowasa with a full colon, it becomes quite difficult to retain. If you do the Rowasa immediately after the big enema, you have absorbed too much water and not the medicine of the Rowasa. Bottom line is this: It's no fun, but clean yourself out with at least one full bag enema first, wait and hour and then put it in. This always works for me. I hope it helps."
For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "Rowasa is helpful for administering mesalamine to the rectum and lower portion of the colon; my ulcerative colitis is particularly active there (and the Asacol I take is gone before it gets that far). It is a good complement (for me) to the Asacol and prevents the blood that otherwise often shows up in my stool. It is rather messy though. Administering it is a hassle, it tends to drip. They can give you mild cramps, however these go away if you lie on your left side for a few minutes to allow the medicine to flow into and coat the lower colon (this works fine for me, as I use it before bed)."
For Ulcerative Colitis, Active "It 'sort of' worked for the first few months after my diagnosis, but I was still having symptoms of blood about every other day. The only side effect was some increased hair loss (very noticeable to me, but not to others). It's kind of messy and uncomfortable, terribly awkward if you are sharing a bed with someone, and you are supposed to lay still for awhile after you take it, which is a problem for an insomniac. I switched medications to Canasa when I was going to be traveling for a month because a month's supply of Rowasa would have taken up half my suitcase. Canasa ended up working MUCH better and my symptoms were mostly gone a few months after I switched."
For Ulcerative Colitis "I took the advice of another poster and bought a large volume enema and did a clean out first. My Dr. is OK with it, though says I don't need to. It sure makes hold it in much, much easier. I still sleep with a towel under me, but I don't leak if I do the enema first. I would say that if you have a hard time keeping it in (as I did) try the enema bag trick....You can get one at any drugstore. It sounds not fun, but its not that bad and it works!"
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