Generic Asacol

Common use

Asacol is an anti-inflammatory drug which acts on the lining of the gut to reduce inflammation tissue damage, and diarrhea and treat ulcerative colitis, proctosigmoiditis, and proctitis. Asacol becomes active in the small intestine just before the large intestine. This drug may be also good in treatment of patients with Crohn's disease which affects also the small bowel. Asacol contains active component mesalamine, an anti-inflammatory drug, which is released from covering only when ðÍ>7, and olsalazine (5-aminosalicylic acid dimer) which is also active in distal segments of gastrointestinal tract.



Dosage and direction

Consult with your doctor about necessary dosage before to start treatment. Do not use in larger quantities than prescribed. Take Asacol orally with a meal or a glass of milk. Swallow the whole pill with water. Do not break, crush or chew the tablets before to swallow them. Recommended daily dose for treatment of moderately active ulcerative colitis is 4.8g divided in three intakes; treatment contiues 6 weeks in adults. Lower doses are required to treat mild acute exacerbations of ulcerative colitis in adults: daily dose of 2.4g should be taken as divided doses. Maintenance of remission of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's ileocolitis: take up to 2.4g a day in divided doses. On impairment of renal function dosage should be adjusted. This medication is not recommended to use in children.



Precautions

Asacol is not recommended in patients with renal impairment and caution should be exercised in patients with raised blood urea or proteinuria. Use with caution in adult patients having a normal renal function. If renal failure develops in patients treated with Asacol it can be caused by mesalazine-induced nephrotoxicity. Phenergan should not be used during pregnancy, becoming pregnant or lactating without doctor's advice. Possible adverse effects to the infant may exclude breast-feeding. Consult your doctor if you need to breastfeed your baby.



Contraindications

Asacol is not allowed to people who are hypersensitive to any of the ingredients, sensitive to salicylates, aminosalicylates or renal sensitivity to sulfasalazine. Also contraindicated in people with severe hepatic impairment, acute and chronic interstitial nephritis, gastric or duodenal ulcer, haemorrhagic tendency. Safety of the medication in pregnancy and lactation is not known.



Possible side effect

They may include all types of an allergic reaction. Also the most possible side effects include: colic, fever, nasopharyngitis, headache, severe abdominal pain, exacerbation of abdominal colitis, cramping, fever, dyspepsia, jaundice, and bloody diarrhea. Less serious include: mild nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, gas, stool abnormalities, fever, sore throat, or other flu symptoms, constipation, headache or dizziness, fatigue, skin rash.

If you experience any of the symptoms while using Asacol stop taking the medication and and tell your doctor as soon as possible. Also consult with your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual.



Drug interaction

Asacol should not be co-administered with medications which lower stool pH such as lactulose as they may prevent release of the active ingredient. Due to development of Reye's syndrome Asacol and other salicylates should not be used for six weeks after receiving the chickenpox vaccine. Asacol decreases the absorption of digoxin. Asacol can potentially increase the level of thiopurine medications. If warfarin is concomitantly used with Asacol it should be monitored by healthcare provider.

Inform your doctor if you are taking the following drugs: azathioprine (Imuran) or mercaptopurine (Purinethol); pentamidine (Nebupent, Pentam); tacrolimus (Prograf); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater), amphotericin B (Fungizone, AmBisome, Amphotec, Abelcet), capreomycin (Capastat), vancomycin (Vancocin, Vancoled), adefovir (Hepsera), acyclovir (Zovirax), cidofovir (Vistide), or foscarnet (Foscavir), aldesleukin (Proleukin), cisplatin (Platinol), ifosfamide (Ifex), oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), carmustine (BiCNU, Gliadel), plicamycin (Mithracin), streptozocin (Zanosar), or tretinoin (Vesanoid); aspirin and other NSAIDs such as diclofenac (Voltaren), ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), ketorolac (Toradol), etodolac (Lodine), diflunisal (Dolobid), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), mefenamic acid (Ponstel), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis).

Also note that interaction between two medications does not always mean that you

must stop taking one of them. As usual it affects the the effect of drugs, so consult with your doctor about how it interactions are being managed or should be managed.



Missed dose

If you forgot to take your dose in time, please do it as soon as you remember. But do not take if it is too late or almost time for your next dose. Do not increase your recommended dose. Take your doses at about the same time each day to avoid missing a dose.



Overdose

Symptoms of Asacol overdose may include confusion, dehydration, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, fever, headache, quick and short breathing, ringing in the ears, sweating, vomiting. If you experience one of them or any unusual symptoms call your doctor immediately.



Storage

Store at room temperature between 20-25 C (68-77 F).



Disclaimer

We provide only general information about medications which does not cover all directions, possible drug integrations, or precautions. Information at the site cannot be used for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. Àïó specific instructions for a particular patient should be agreed with your health care adviser or doctor in charge of the case. We disclaim reliability of this information and mistakes it could contain. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other indirect damage as a result of any use of the information on this site and also for consequences of self-treatment.

Clinical Verification

Last Clinically Updated: August 15, 2026

Written By

Dr. Elena Vance, PharmD

Clinical Specialist in Neuropharmacology

Fact Checked By

Marcus Thorne, MS

Biomedical Data & FDA Label Verification

Medically Reviewed By

Dr. Arthur Campbell, MD

Board-Certified Psychiatrist (ABPN)