Pain Relief
Some other ways of treating this condition are:
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol): Your doctor must approve before using this drug. Tell your doctor if you have any allergies and other options to control pain.
- Antidiarrheal medications: You can treat diarrhea by using drugs such as loperamide (Imodium) or bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol). Your doctor must supervise you while using these drugs. They help to dry up the mouth, so you are able to suck on ice or hard candles. Speak to your doctors before you use any drugs for diarrhea.
- Soothing moist towelette: You can ease anal irritation by using a moist towel rather than toilet paper, which can cause more irritation beneath the skin.
- Ointments: You can apply this to your skin to reduce irritation and inflammation
- Sitz baths: Use warm saltwater to reduce anal fissure or fistula soreness.
- Hand-held showerhead with a mild, fragrance-free soap: Use these to wash your anal area.
- Medicated mouthwash: You can rinse and gargle with it to reduce the pain caused by mouth ulcers [6]
- Moist heat: Use moist heat to reduce joint pain and then set aside time for rest.
- Physical therapy: Therapist can show you types of exercises to reduce painful joints
- Stay hydrated: The diarrhea associated with flares can cause dehydration. You must drink enough glasses of water a day. The quantity of water you need depends on how serious the condition is. it is important to speak with your doctor to know how much water is needed.
- Surgery for complicated cases: If drugs are not helping you may need to undergo surgery. Some fistulas, abscesses or bowel obstructions may need surgery. During the surgery, the doctor removes damaged parts of the intestines. Your doctor must ensure digestion can continue normally after removing damaged area.
If the condition is severe and steroids are not helping, you will have to use drugs that target the immune system. They are commonly called immunomodulators. Examples are 6-MP, azathioprine and methotrexate. Other drugs known as biologics also affect the immune system to help reduce inflammation. Examples are:
- Vedolizumab (entyvio)
- Ustekinumab (stelara)
- Adalimumab (humira)
- Infliximab-dyyb (inflectra)
- Certolizumab pegol (cimzia)
- Adalimumab-admb (cyltezo), a biosimilar to Humira
- Adalimumab-atto (amjevita), a biosimilar to Humira