I am looking for others diagnosed with microscopic colitis
I am looking for others diagnosed with microscopic colitis. I'm new to the group and the condition. Any help or information about what my future holds would be appreciated.
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My husband has microscopic colitis and was prescribed budesonide which helped only slightly and was very expensive, even with insurance. I did a LOT of research and found this information: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/gastroenterology_hepatology/_pdfs/small_large_intestine/collagenous_lymphocytic_colitis.pdf and figured it was worth a try. It's essentially 8 weeks of 2 Pepto Bismol chewables 4 times per day. A lot cheaper than the steroid, and only the black tongue and stools as side effects. I highly recommend trying it. His gastro had no problem with this protocol, but I was kind of annoyed that he didn't suggest it as the first line of treatment.
I should add, my husband considers this a miracle cure. Maybe won't work for everyone, but certainly worth a try. And I'd love to hear others' experiences with this Pepto course.
@crankyyankee - Very interesting article. I have always believed in Pepto!
I use it for all of my GI problems. It didn’t help the collagenous colitis. My diarrhea was too bad.
Nowadays I use Pepto to treat episodes of SIBO ( small intestine bacterial overgrowth). It has worked as well as antibiotics. It’s definitely anti- inflammatory and anti- bacterial.
I still think there is not one perfect way to treat this colitis, but it’s worth trying methods that have been found to be useful.
@lelarkin - I think the watery diarrhea is specific for CC.
I seem to see two types of watery diarrhea, one that looks like brown coffee grounds and one that looks like mucus and is more explosive and less controllable. Thinking the coffee grounds are the EPI and the mucus might be CC. Thoughts?
need to ask an obvious question...what happened after the 8 weeks?
Well duh! That would have been helpful! Before the end of the 8 weeks he had a formed stool - the standard by which all remedies are judged - and he would have stopped then, but I urged him to complete the whole 8 weeks. This was some years ago. He's probably has had to repeat the 8 weeks treatment a couple of times over the years. One time, when we were in Europe, he had a flare up and there was NO Pepto to be had. Apparently, bismuth is considered a heavy metal and banned for sale in some countries, so we always pack a *load (haha) before we travel outside the US. That would be in the old days, of course.
@crankyyankee - Haha! I also pack a lot of Pepto when going abroad! What I don’t need, I leave with my daughter there.
Thank you for posting on Pepto treatment. I have been diagnosed with collagenous colitis 3 years ago, have taken dozens of prescriptions with no relief. I have felt very ill and lost 42 lbs. Since I started the Pepto treatment I’m feeling fine. Who knew that something so simple could solve such a major problem.
What is the pesto treatment?