Crohn’s diseaseis a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that primarily affects the lining of the digestive tract.
you could also treat symptom flares with diet, bowel rest, and an increased intake of soluble fiber.
A variety of medications may be used.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
Here’s a snapshot of how each bang out of medication works.
Common side effects of the medications used to treat Crohn’s include diarrhea, headaches, and heartburn.
A broad-spectrum antibiotic able to kill multiple bacterial strains will usually be used.
Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, and a metallic taste in the mouth.
Options include:
Corticosteroids are only recommended for short-term use.
Corticosterioids are not effective in preventing flares and are, therefore, rarely used for maintenance therapy.
For these reasons, corticosteroids are prescribed at the lowest possible dosage for the shortest period of time.
Frequent short-term use is also not recommended.
These drugs also temper the immune system as a whole but are taken on an ongoing basis.
Immunomodulators may be delivered by pill or intravenously.
Oral formulations generally take longer to take effect than intravenous ones.
They have revolutionized the treatment of Crohns disease.
Unlike immune modulators, biologics only affect a specific part of the immune response rather the whole.
Biologics are delivered either by subcutaneous injection (under the skin) or intravenously.
Each block a certain protein associated with inflammation.
Diet
Avoidance of any food or substance that can trigger or exacerbate symptoms is also key.
However, this is not common.
For pain, Tylenol (acetaminophen) can often provide ample pain relief in people with mild Crohns disease.
Diarrhea may be treated with a short course ofantidiarrheal medications.
As effective as antidiarrheals are, you should only use them under the direction of a healthcare provider.
Higher doses might be recommended if deficiency is severe.
Folic acid deficiency can also develop in people who take Azulfidine or methotrexate.
A daily, 1mg folate supplement can usually counteract this deficit.
Iron deficiency also can be seen in people with chronic gastrointestinal blood loss from active disease.
Iron supplements are recommended in this case either orally or intravenously depends on the severity of deficiency and anemia.
Speak with your healthcare provider to determine which vitamin supplement or dosage is right for you.
Indications for surgery may include bowel obstruction, excessive bleeding, anabscess, intestinal rupture, and toxic megacolon.
Approximately 70 percent of peoplewith Crohn’s disease require surgery within 10 years of their initial diagnosis.
One common factor for recurrence appears to besmoking.
This may be partly resulting from the narrowing and hardening of the blood vessels resulting from smoking.
As with diet, some approaches work better than others.
Taking medications correctly, avoiding stress, and not smoking can help control your symptoms.
Theres limited research on holistic therapies for Crohns disease.
Some evidence shows thatwormwood(Artemisia absinthium) can ease symptoms.
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