Treating the Side Effects Caused by Your Ulcerative Colitis Medications

Suffering with ulcerative colitis is not a fun experience. Neither is suffering with some of the side effects caused by the medicine used to control the ulcerative colitis.

It took my doctor and I 2 years to find a treatment plan that effectively controlled my ulcerative colitis without having horrible side effects. I am on a corticosteroid regime. We finally have a medicine regime that seems to work with only minimal side effects. Luckily, these side effects are easily controlled.

The only side effect that I can't control is the weight gain in my face. Unless I want to have plastic surgery, I am stuck with this one. I have found that I make my fat face less noticeable with a little makeup.

If you have weight gain in your face and want to control it with makeup, you may want to go to a makeup counter that offers free or low cost makeovers. If you tell the makeup artist that your goal is to slenderize the look of your face, they can offer suggestions about products and show you the techniques to put the makeup on properly.

Another side effect that I have had to deal with is regular weight gain. I have joined an on line diet program, SparkPeople, that offers a lot of meal plans and other ideas to help curb weight gain.

I also make sure that I exercise and drink plenty of water. Both of these help to lessen weight gain. I have only gained 15 pounds since I have been on the medicine. My doctor says that I am doing a good job keeping the weight gain under control.

I have a problem with acne flare ups around the time that I will get my period. They are just a little worse than before I started taking the medicine.

To help control the acne, I have found that using oil absorbing cloths throughout the day helps a lot. I also wash my face twice a day using gentle cleansing cloths. I have a good spot treatment cream that I use that I got from Avon.

If any blemishes do appear, I can usually camouflage them with some makeup. If that doesn't work then I just remember that a blemish is better than an embarrassing accident because of the ulcerative colitis.

My doctor says the the medicine can make my immune system weaker. Because there is no way to test for that or know if my immune system is weak, I take many precautions to lessen the chance that I will get sick.

I wash my hands often. I carry around waterless hand sanitizer for those times when I cannot wash my hands. I try to avoid sick people. I carry around a surgical mask. If I am next to someone who is sick or if I am in a place where there will be sick people, I put the mask on to protect myself from breathing in their germs.

I have nausea sometimes. This does not happen often. I have found that most of the time, crackers and flat, warm Sprite help to curb the nausea. If that does not work, I try Tums or Mylanta. I have a prescription of anti-nausea medication that I can use just in case the other treatments do not work. So far, I have not had to take any of the prescription medication.

I have gone to acupuncture in the past when I am feeling really bad. I have mood swings sometimes because of the medicine. I pamper myself sometimes to help my mood. A massage, a manicure, a pedicure, or a facial usually lifts my spirits.

Sometimes, when I only have a little time to spare, I take a bubble bath. If I do not have that much time, I meditate on something that I am thankful for or I do some yoga stretches.

Besides all of the treatments that I have already gone over, I also take a good multivitamin. I found one that is right for me. You can ask your doctor to prescribe one for you or to suggest an over the counter multivitamin.

I also believe that God can help anyone in any situation. I pray about any situation that I cannot seem to control. This includes dealing with the side effects of my medicines. In the Bible, God promises not to put anything on us that we cannot handle with His help. This does give me comfort when I am having a bad day.

I know that these suggestions may not work for everyone but, they sure seem to do the job for me. I learned some of these suggestions from an ulcerative colitis support group. You can probably find a local support group through your local health department or hospital. There are also support groups on line. To find one, just do a search and see if you can find one that you like.

Just remember that when you find things that work to control the side effects of your ulcerative colitis medicine that is important to share the remedies with other ulcerative colitis sufferers.