These medications are chemically related to aspirin.
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
What Does 5-ASA Medication Treat?
Ulcerative colitis is one form of IBD.
Verywell / Daniel Fishel
The 5-ASA is used to treat the ulcers and inflammation in the colon that is because of the disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease affecting the joints and other tissues.
Sulfasalazine might be used to treat mild to moderate Crohns disease that is in the colon.
Crohns disease can affect all parts of the digestive tract, including the small and large intestines.
Using them could mean a delay in getting Crohns disease into remission.
Effect on Inflammation
The 5-ASA medications have an anti-inflammatory effect.
They act topically to reduce the inflammation in thecolon.
5-ASA works with the good bacteria in the colon to directly affect the tissues of the intestinal lining.
These drugs are most useful in the mild-to-moderate forms of ulcerative colitis.
They are used for various types of diseases.
Colazal (balsalazide disodium): This form of 5-ASA comes in the form of a capsule.
It’s chemically bonded to an inert ingredient.
It contains a component called sulphonamide.
Sulphonamide is a key in of antibiotic.
In the colon, enzymes break sulfasalazine down into its component parts.
Therefore, it acts on the colon topically.
This is why it may be helpful to counter inflammation in the colon resulting from ulcerative colitis.
It is usually taken several times a day.
There are delayed-release and extended-release forms of this drug.
Mesalamine is also available inenemaforms.
The bond is broken by the enzymes in the colon, releasing the 5-ASA.
Side Effects
The various 5-ASA medications may have some side effects.
When to Try 5-ASA Drugs
The 5-ASA drugs are used at different points in the disease process.
For ulcerative colitis, the 5-ASA drugs are whats called a first-line therapy.
That means that they are used before trying other types of medications.
More severe disease would need to be treated with other types of medications.
In Crohns disease, sulfasalazine might be used in mild to moderate disease that affects the colon.
In rheumatoid arthritis, sulfasalazine is first-line therapy that might be used along with other drugs.
If this combination of medications doesnt have the desired effect on the inflammation, other treatments might be tried.
The 5-ASA medications do help for mild to moderate types of inflammation.
They are often used as the first medications to manage inflammation.
They may be less effective in severe disease or they may stop being effective over time.
In these cases, when disease activity picks up again, other medications might be used instead.
There are both oral and topical forms of these drugs available to treat ulcerative colitis.
Oral sulfasalazine is prescribed to treat Crohns disease in the colon (Crohns colitis) and rheumatoid arthritis.
Some people cant take these drugs or are intolerant of them, but that is not common.
Aminosalicylates are also anti-inflammatory drugs that work topically (where they are applied).
While they have some crossover in their mechanism of action, they are different classes of drugs.
The 5-ASA medications are not considered to be immunosuppressive.
Other medications used to treat IBD or rheumatoid arthritis do have an effect on the immune system.
However, the 5-ASA medications act directly on the inflammation and not on the immune system.
In the past, various forms of 5-ASA medications were used to treat Crohns disease.
However, they are now known to be less effective than other medications.
Sulfasalazine is an older drug and tends to be more affordable, at $20 a month.
Colazal (balsalazide) may be under $100 a month.
Mesalamine enemas may cost about $200 a month.
Dipentum (osalazine) may be $1,600 a month.
There may be patient assistance programs available by contacting the drug manufacturer.
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