How does it work?

This medicine contains the active ingredient olsalazine sodium, which is a type of medicine called an aminosalicylate. It is used for treating the inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis.Olsalazine works by reducing inflammation in the lining of the intestines. It is known to reduce the actions of substances in the body that produce inflammation, however the full mechanism of action of this medicine is not completely understood.Olsalazine reduces the inflammation in the gut that causes flare-ups of ulcerative colitis. It is therefore used to these control flare-ups, and is also used as a maintenance treatment to prevent further flare-ups.

What is it used for?

• Maintenance treatment of ulcerative colitis to prevent flare-ups
• Treatment of active ulcerative colitis

Warning!

• This medicine may rarely cause a decrease in the normal amounts of blood cells in the blood. For this reason you should consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms: unexplained bruising or bleeding, purple spots, sore throat, mouth ulcers, high temperature (fever), feeling tired or general illness. Your doctor may want to take a blood test to check your blood cells.
• This medicine may cause diarrhoea if it is taken on an empty stomach. To avoid this you should take the medicine at the end of a meal. Consult your doctor if you are still experiencing diarrhoea despite taking the medicine with food.

Use with caution in

• Blood disorders

Not to be used in

• Allergy to salicylates, eg aspirin
• Significantly decreased kidney function

This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.

• The safety of this medicine in pregnancy has not been established. It should therefore be used with caution during pregnancy, and only if the benefits to the mother outweigh any risks to the foetus. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
• It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. It should be used with caution in nursing mothers, and only if the benefits to the mother outweigh any risks to the nursing infant. Discuss this with your doctor.

Label warnings

• Take this medication with or after food.

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

• Rash
• Abdominal cramps
• Nausea
• Indigestion (dyspepsia)
• Low red blood cell count (anaemia)
• Pain in the joints (arthralgia)
• Decrease in the number of a type of white blood cell (neutrophil) in the blood (neutropenia)
• Decrease in the number of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia)
• Headache
• Diarrhoea

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.

How can this medicine affect other medicines?

There are no significant interactions reported with this medicine.

Other medicines containing the same active ingredient

There are currently no other medicines available in the UK that contain olsalazine as the active ingredient.