Swallow the capsule or tablet whole. Do not break, crush, or chew it before swallowing.

Take this medicine before meals and at bedtime with a full glass (8 ounces) of water, unless otherwise directed by your doctor.

Keep taking this medicine for the full time of treatment , even if you begin to feel better after a few days. Do not miss any doses.

Do not change to another brand without checking with your doctor. The doses are different for different brands. If you refill your medicine and it looks different, check with your pharmacist.

Dosing

The dose of mesalamine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of mesalamine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The number of capsules or tablets that you take depends on the brand and strength of the medicine.

• For inflammatory bowel disease:
  • For long-acting oral dosage form (extended-release capsules or tablets):
    • Adults 1 gram four times a day for up to eight weeks.
    • Children Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
  • For long-acting oral dosage form (delayed-release tablets):
    • Adults
      • For Asacol: 800 milligrams (mg) three times a day for six weeks. For maintenance treatment of ulcerative colitis, 1600 mg a day, divided into smaller doses that are taken at separate times.
      • For Mesasal: A total of 1.5 to 3 grams a day, divided into smaller doses that are taken at separate times.
      • For Salofalk: 1 gram three or four times a day.
    • Children Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Missed dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Keep the medicine from freezing. Do not refrigerate.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For mesalamine, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to mesalamine, olsalazine, sulfasalazine, or any salicylates (for example, aspirin). Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Mesalamine has not been studied in pregnant women. However, mesalamine has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problems in animal studies.

Breast-feeding Mesalamine may pass into the breast milk. However, this medicine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children Studies on this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of mesalamine in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no information comparing use of mesalamine in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are using any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

• Kidney disease The use of mesalamine may cause further damage to the kidneys

• Narrowing of the tube where food passes out of the stomach May delay release of mesalamine into the body