One of the most common ways to treat Crohn’s disease is to use medication

One of the most common ways to treat Crohn’s disease is to use medication. There are quite a few types of medication. They are aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunomodulators, and antibiotics. Aminosalicylates are mostly used to treat ulcerative colitis and some mild cases of Crohn’s. Aminosalicylates works by limiting inflammation in the digestive tract. Corticosteroids function to lower activity in the immune system and to limit inflammation in the digestive tract. They are a short-term treatment for Crohn’s disease because they reduce inflammation rapidly, sometimes it works within a few days to a few months. The reason that corticosteroids are not a long-term solution is due to the high probability of side effects occurring. Immunomodulators are most commonly used as a long-term treatment for people with Crohn’s as they function to calm your immune system for a long period of time. Because they can take up to 6 months to even see some impact and are usually started at the same time as corticosteroids with the plan that the patients will stop taking corticosteroids once immunomodulators take effect. Antibiotics are used to treat infections that appear unexpectedly or for Crohn’s patients who encounter complications including abscesses and fistulas, they are abnormal connections of the intestine to other parts of the body. If a Crohn’s patient has surgery, antibiotics will most likely be used afterward. Those are the 4 main medication that a doctor will prescribe to a Crohn’s patient to get their disease into remission. (crohns colitis foundation)