IBD Treatments
When you have been diagnosed with IBD, you probably have many questions about what treatment options are available to you.
As a team, you and your doctor will discuss which medication is the best for you, as everyone is unique. What worked well for one person with IBD, may not be the treatment that will work best for you. That is why each medication requires monitoring and follow up to ensure that we get the best health care results.
With IBD medications we have two treatment goals: to put you into remission and to keep you in remission! At the same time, we tailor the treatment to each individual to minimize the risk of side effects and your disease causing problems.
This is an image of the ‘IBD treatment pyramid’ with the different classes of IBD medications and treatment options. We don’t always start at the bottom and work our way up to the top; sometimes we might start in the middle of the pyramid or even right at the top.
Your doctor will discuss with you and your family what the best option is for you!
ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS AND RISKS...
With every medication and treatment option, there might be some side effects and risk involved. However, not treating your IBD adequately also puts you at risk for other unwanted things such as disease flares, complications, hospitalizations and surgery. Let's talk more about the side effects HERE.
THINGS TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR PHARMACIST…
- Ask your pharmacist about compounding the medication into a liquid format if your child unable to swallow pills. Not all pharmacies are able to do it on site. But they should be able to send it out to a pharmacy that does
- If you child is on other medications, please discuss any drug interactions
Knowledge is power! We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the treatment options that are used to treat IBD. Find out more using the links below
Exclusive Nutritional Therapy
Treatment unique to pediatric IBD that involves taking ONLY liquid specialized formula for 8 weeks.
Immunomodulators
Treatment changes the body’s immune response by reducing the overactive inflammatory response seen in IBD.
Sulfasalazine and 5-ASA Medications
Treatment used mostly in ulcerative colitis to reduce inflammation in intestinal tract.
Antibiotics
Treatment kills or stops the growth of bacteria, and are sometimes used for IBD