Mesalamine 1000mg, Budesonide 6mg suppository
Mesalamine 500mg, Budesonide 6mg suppository

Mesalamine (also known as 5-aminosalicylic acid) is prescribed to patients to help with ulcerative colitis, a type of bowel disease. It does not cure ulcerative colitis, but it may decrease the number of stools, the amount of blood in the stools, and the rectal bleeding caused by irritation of the colon. Mesalamine is an aminosalicylate anti-inflammatory drug. It is believed to work by blocking the production of certain natural chemicals that may cause pain and swelling.

Mesalamine with Budesonide

Mesalamine is available in both a 1000mg suppository and a 600mg suppository with 6mg budesonide. All of our mesalamine suppositories are made in combination with budesonide, which is a corticosteroid that helps reduce inflammation. Budesonide can have additive effects when combined with mesalamine but the combination is not commercially available. A compounding pharmacy can make this formulation so that patients can benefit from both therapies in one suppository.

Topical vs. Oral Treatment

In general, for patients with distal colitis topical therapy has a quicker response time and requires less frequent dosing than oral therapy. Topical medications are more targeted to the area being treated and avoid the need to pass through the gastrointestinal system. Oral therapy often leads to nausea, vomiting, indigestion, and headache. Topical therapy has been shown to be more effective and have fewer side effects. Mesalamine suppositories have been shown to maintain remission in 90% of patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative proctitis after one year. Some physicians think that patients will not be compliant with a rectal, topical treatment. However in the majority of cases the treatment is well accepted because of the fast treatment results and continued benefits.

Research

• Efficacy and Safety of Mesalamine Suppositories for Treatment of Ulcerative Proctitis in Children and Adolescents – PubMed
• Rectal budesonide and mesalamine formulations in active ulcerative proctosigmoiditis – Dovepress