Entocort is a prescription drug used to treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. An anti-inflammatory corticosteroid with the generic name budesonide, it has a special formulation that concentrates in the intestines. This allows it to have less significant an impact on the rest of a person's body as most steroids do.
Identification
Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic intestinal inflammations that cause diarrhea and abdominal pain. They may cause the intestinal lining to become thickened and ulcerated, and the ulcers may also form abscesses in severe cases. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America estimates up to 1 million Americans have inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, and these two conditions are the most common. People are diagnosed at virtually any age, although the average age of diagnosis for Crohn's disease is 27 years. The diseases can be debilitating and sometimes lead to life-threatening complications.
Function
Since Entocort decreases intestinal inflammation, it provides relief of symptoms and gives the intestines a chance to heal. Once this happens, the physician usually will prescribe another type of medication, such as an immune system suppressor, to keep the symptoms under control. Many people go into remission and only need medication during flare-ups.
Types
Entocort is manufactured by Prometheus Laboratories, Inc., and was approved for treating IBD by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2000. It comes in capsule form for the treatment of Crohn's disease and is generally prescribed for eight to 12 weeks. Patients take a capsule once a day in the morning, with or without food. Entocort also is supplied as an enema to treat ulcerative colitis.
Effects
Entocort is specifically designed to be released in the intestines rather than in the stomach. When the drug is absorbed into the body, the liver changes almost all of it into other compounds that do not produce common steroid side effects such as acne, swelling, and skin discoloration. Entocort is associated with other side effects, most typically headache, nausea and respiratory infection. It also may cause back pain, dizziness, fatigue, gas and indigestion and vomiting.
Considerations
Patients with mild to moderate Crohn's disease typically see relief within a week or two, but unfortunately Entocort does not work for everyone. People with more severe cases who already have some scarring may need to take a different steroid, such as prednisone, instead.
Features
Entocort also is used as an inhalant to prevent asthma attacks, and to treat non-infectious rhinitis, including hay fever and other allergies, by nasal spray.
Tags: Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, Entocort also, severe cases, side effects