Thus, without inflammation, symptoms such as diarrhea, rectal bleeding and abdominal pain can be greatly diminished. These medications are effective in the treatment of mild to moderate episodes of ulcerative colitis and are also useful in preventing relapses of ulcerative colitis. These medications include prednisone, methyprednisolone, and budesonide. They can be given orally, rectally, or intravenously. These medications are used for patients with moderate to severe disease.
Corticosteroids also affect the body's ability to create and maintain inflammation.
As a group, they alter the body's immune cells from interacting with the inflammatory process. These medications are generally administered orally and are used in selected patients where aminosalicylates and corticosteroids have been either ineffective or incompletely effective. Azathioprine and 6-MP have been useful in reducing or eliminating the dependence on corticosteroids in some patients and may be useful in maintaining remission in selected refractory ulcerative colitis patients. However, these medications can take as long as three months to begin their beneficial effects. In a small proportion of patients, medical therapy is not completely successful or complications arise.