UC & Smoking
Posted , 3 users are following.
The last few years every time I gave up smoking my UC would flare up but only at these times. Then I'd start smoking again and I'd be in remission again in a few days. Has anyone else had this close link to smoking?
I smoke 20 Marl lights a day.
This time I am determined to not smoke and push through. The last major flare up I had, after leaving hospital, losing/stopping steroids soon after when I was still bad, stopping my Pentasa soon after that when I seemed to react to it, I slowly got in to remission. I was afraid to go back to my doctor as she said she would prescribe immuno suppressants around this time. I focussed on relaxing and consciously trying to relax my colon. Anyone see any benefits in this?
I am on 40mg steroids at the moment but need to reduce shortly. I am hoping I can get in to remission eventually after a few months without drugs, hoping my body can get through this. I am hoping it could be stress related, my tummy jolts during moments of stress. Bad at the moment with very bloody diarrhoea. Last time I had it bad was 4 years ago and when I wasn't smoking and went in to remission without cigarettes or drugs. Pity I started smoking again after that.
0 likes, 6 replies
kelly58419 Guest
Posted
Hi
I've been taking the nicotine gum for 2 yrs now and I stopped taking them and got my first flare. I read that nicotine seems to help symptoms of UC. I wouldn't recommend smoking though. I also feel fearful to give up the gum so decided to take 2 a day to stop another flare. Haven't had symptoms since
Guest kelly58419
Posted
Thanks Kelly. When I stopped smoking, I went on 25mg patches but moved to 15mg after a week. Maybe I'll move back to the 25mg patches to see if that helps .. possibly you need more nicotene mgs in the patches if it doesn't absorb as well as when you smoke .. I do chew gum sometimes as well .. 2 or 3 2mg gums a day.
cjb106 Guest
Posted
My last flare was June 2016 and after a slow drug taper I have been completely drug free since October 2016. No steriods. No Pentasa. Five months now. Not long in the great scheme of things but it's the best I have felt since I was first diagosed with UC.
I eat a starch-based diet, take plenty of exercise, steadfastly avoided taking antibiotics for a chest infection in December as it was antibiotics which caused the last flare. The infection cleared up on it’s own. I also avoid stress whereever I can as I believe stress contributed to the severity of the condition when I first had it. So, yes, relaxation will help.
I’ve heard about the protective effects of nicotine but I have never smoked and wouldn’t want to put nicotine in my body in any shape or form. Long term use of nicotine gum (over 3 months) has been linked to hair loss, skin irritation, elevated blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, insulin resistance and other gastrointestinal issues.
I was told that the next flare would be treated with Azathioprine rather than Prednisolone so I will try my hardest to keep well so as not to have to take it because of the side efffects and cancer risks.
When you start the steroid taper do it very, very slowly. Probably more slowly that your doc suggests. Reduce by no more than 10% of what you were taking the previous week. 40mg, 36g, 33mg, 30mg, 27mg, 25mg, 23mg, 21mg etc etc rounding down to the nearest whole number. Have your script made up with some 1mg tabs as well as the 5mg. The problem with a 5mg per week taper which is what many docs suggest, is that it’s a huge drop when you get down into the smaller doses. 20mg to 15mg is a 25% reduction, 15mg to 10mg is a 33% reduction, 10mg to 5mg a 50% reduction. It can make you feel very ill indeed and can be enough to shock the body into another flare. I learned this the hard way.
Guest cjb106
Posted
Thanks for the advice on tapering the steroids properly .. I'll see about that as I go. The strange thing for me was that I lost my steroids last time when I was at 20mgs and didn't get more but my body still recovered over time .. I think I wasn't smoking at that point. I suppose I am hoping again that my body will recoved this time, in time, and that the medication now will just help me not get run down too much in the meantime.
cjb106 Guest
Posted
Interesting. Maybe the nicotine helped keep the colonic inflammation at bay while your body (adrenal gland function) found its own natural balance again. The Church Strauss Association - cs association - has a really good page about reducing steroids. I won't post a link as it will throw this post into moderation bu worth seeking out an reading.
Guest
Posted
Unfortunately after a particularly bad week last week I decided to go back smoking again. I am improved after this but not the miracle cure I had hoped for yet. Am seeing a specialist next Friday so probably the next course would be immunosupressants which would hopefully kick in soon and then I could see again about giving up smoking over the next 6-12 months and hopefully come off the immunis suppressants after that.
I am currently on 30mg of steroids, tapering from 40mg but the steroids only seem to give me respite for a few hours in the afternoon to early evening.
I tried Pentasa again but had cramps all evening which is why I stopped them before.
A guy I know here developed UC after giving up smoking, was put on immunosuppressants and tapered off them himself after 12 months, no flare ups since and that was 5 years ago. Hopefully I could achieve something along those lines. I have a young family who love the water so would hope I could avoid surgery but this disease is sometimes so bad you'd wish it could be cut out of you immediately.