In 2018, I was in real bad shape. I had near-constant nausea, rashes, severe back pain, joint pain, and muscle weakness. I would drink a beer and have heart palpitations, flush face, and feverish reactions.

Blood work, scans and tests, but no answers

I had a number of scans and blood work done, but the medical professionals had no answers. They discovered that I needed my gallbladder removed, so I went through with that procedure. That’s when everything went to hell.

This simple routine procedure ended up causing me a lot of problems and pain. I experienced some sort of medically-induced lupus-like reaction, likely to the drugs used. A short time later, I started bleeding with colitis. I had a colonoscopy, and the doctor diagnosed with “chronic colitis,” which a gastroenterologist later defined as ulcerative colitis.

No cure for ulcerative colitis

Not knowing anything about ulcerative colitis, I asked about the cure. My GI doctor was visibly annoyed and suggested I wasn’t taking my condition seriously. He continued on, preparing me for a steady escalation of medical intervention: biologics like Humira or Remicade administered via regular injections and hours-long transfusions, and even surgical removal of a portion of my bowel. He issued grave warnings about my heightened chances of bowel cancer.

Chronically ill with constant bleeding

I had been prescribed a number of immunosuppressive drugs, including Prednisone, Azathioprine, and Mesalazine, in an urgent effort to slow my growing list of debilitating symptoms. Mesalazine, also known as Mesalamine, and sold under brand names like Delzicol, Canasa, Asacol HD, Apriso, sfRowasa, Lialda, and Pentasa, is a 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) medication. I experienced immediate and severe side-effects. My heart hummed with palpitations and my digestive system was absolutely destroyed, resulting in what was basically pure mucus. Gross, I know, but it was such a distinct reaction that I googled “salicylates” to learn more about the salicylate drug Mesalazine, and it was like a lightning bolt hit me. I thought, that’s it, it all made sense.

Identifying salicylate intolerance

I spoke with my doctors about my suspicions, and they immediately disregarded them and demanded I stay on the Mesalazine drug. I realized then that it was up to me to find some sort of proof of my reaction to salicylates, so I stopped the Mesalazine and felt better immediately. After that, it took many months of honing in on a purely salicylate-free diet.

“Healed” from ulcerative colitis

For months, my doctors closely monitored my condition with regular colposcopies, scans, and blood work. I continued to show marked improvement, and the doctor reduced my Azathioprine to the minimum dosage. This was a significant milestone for me. I had insisted all along that this drug didn’t do anything for me, and aside from that, it comes with some pretty nasty side effects, including a substantially increased cancer risk. My GI doctor reluctantly agreed to allow me to taper off the drug as long as I continued to improve to see what would happen. After another colonoscopy, he declared me “healed.” It was a very emotional time since I believed I would never be cured and had resigned myself to this new reality. The GI doctor was equally elated and said he never gets to deliver news like this.

What the research says

During the many years of continuous bleeding and suffering, I poured over medical research reports and discovered a few interesting papers that support a link between salicylates and colitis. Granted, with the internet today, you are likely to find all kinds of erroneous “data” to support whatever you choose to believe, but if you read reports from reputable sources, you may learn something helpful. I’m glad to have some data points, but my experience is proof enough for me that salicylate intolerance can be pretty destructive to your body.

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Salicylate induced exacerbation of ulcerative colitis

From the Royal Infirmary, and Leith Hospital, Edinburgh

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Significance of salicylate intolerance in diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Article in Journal of physiology and pharmacology: an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society, October 2005

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