Mesalamine (Oral)
Brand Names : Asacol, Pentasa, Mesasal, Salofalk, 5-aminosalicylic acid, 5-ASA, mesalazine
Before Using This MedicineIn deciding to use a medicine,
the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will
do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For mesalamine, the
following should be considered:
Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or
allergic reaction to mesalamine, olsalazine, sulfasalazine, or any salicylates
(for example, aspirin). Also tell your health care professional if you are
allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.
Pregnancy - Mesalamine has not been studied in pregnant women.
However, mesalamine has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems
in animal studies.
Breast-feeding - Mesalamine may pass into the breast milk. However,
this medicine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.
Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult
patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of mesalamine
in children with use in other age groups.
Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically
in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly
the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects
or problems in older people. There is no information comparing use of mesalamine
in the elderly with use in other age groups.
Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used
together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together
even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to
change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care
professional if you are using any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter
[OTC]) medicine.
Other medical problems - The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of mesalamine. Make sure you tell your doctor
if you have any other medical problems, especially:
-
Kidney disease - The use of mesalamine may cause further damage
to the kidneys
-
Narrowing of the tube where food passes out of the stomach - May
delay release of mesalamine into the body
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